لابِثينَ فيها أَحقابًا

To reside therein for ages.

EXEGESIS

Aḥqāb is the plural of ḥuqub. Apparently it means a long indeterminate period of time, although some narrations and some exegetes have suggested specific numbers of years.^{‎[1]Maqayis, under ḥ-q-b; Raghib, under ḥ-q-b; Tahqiq, under ḥ-q-b.} The same sense is seen in the verse, When Moses said to his lad: ‘I will go on [journeying] until I have reached the confluence of the two seas, or have spent a long time [travelling] (ḥuquban)’ (18:60).^{‎[2]Furqan, 30/42.} According to al-Farrāʾ, the root meaning of this term is succession and sequence.^{‎[3]Razi, 31/15.}

It could also be the plural of ḥaqib, meaning one who has been deprived. Therefore, the verse would mean: they will reside there while they are a group of deprived individuals [from comfort and every good].^{‎[4]Zamakhshari, 4/689.} Then, what is mentioned in the next two verses – that they will not taste any coolness or drink in it (i.e. in hell) – would be an interpretation of aḥqāban here.^{‎[5]Razi, 31/16.}

EXPOSITION

This verse complies with hell being a resort and returning place for the rebels. Residing there for ages complies with both eternal and non-eternal residence in hell because the verse does not specifically deny or prove either. These verses are about those who denied Our signs defiantly (verse 28), and the eternal punishment of the same group has been stated elsewhere in the Quran (2:39, 7:36, 64:10). Therefore, apparently what is meant here is residing in hell for days, years, and ages, without an end. This idea is also confirmed by verse 30.^{‎[6]Mizan, 20/169.} The same idea is seen in verses 4:56 and 17:97, and the explicit mention of eternal punishment in many other Quranic verses takes precedence to any implicit inference from this verse.^{‎[7]Razi, 31/16; Alusi, 15/215.}

Overall, what is certain is that this stay will be very long, and apparently this is exactly the focus and intention of the verse, as opposed to stating a set time for their stay in hell. Furthermore, we must remember the notions of time and duration are completely different in the hereafter as compared to this world.

There are many verses in the Quran to the effect that one’s stay in this world is extremely short, such that when people are asked after death, ‘How many years did you remain on earth?’ They will say: ‘We remained for a day, or part of a day’ (23:112-113; also see 10:45, 20:103-104, 30:55-56, 46:35, 79:46). Contrast this with what is said here: To reside therein for ages. It is for this reason that the Quran says: The enjoyments of the life of this world compared with the hereafter are but insignificant (9:38). Given such incomparable difference of duration, the smart thing to do is as the people of piety and self-restraint (taqwā) do: ‘They endure [hardship] for a short while, which brings about long-term comfort for them.’^{‎[8]Nahj, sermon 193.} Likewise, Imam al-Sajjād (a) seeks refuge in God ‘from sins whose pleasures have turned their backs and gone, but whose evil consequences have stayed and adhered’.^{‎[9]Sahifah, supplication 31.} ‘What a difference there is between two kinds of actions: a deed whose pleasure passes away but its consequence remains, and a deed whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.’^{‎[10]Nahj, saying 121.} The Prophet said: ‘It does happen that a short-lived pleasure results in a long-lived sorrow.’^{‎[11]Amali.T, p. 533; Makarim, p. 465.}

Apparently this verse alone has its independent message, which is that of a long duration of punishment. There is yet another interpretation that confirms this meaning but also specifies it: this verse should be read with the next two verses. In that case, what is being said is that the rebels will only taste boiling water and pus for ages, suggesting that they will taste other forms of punishment afterwards. More generally speaking, the end of each ‘age’ marks the end of one stage or type of punishment, but only to be succeeded by another age of another form of punishment.^{‎[12]Bihar, 8/275; Majlisī has judged this as the best interpretation.} This specification, however, is not an apparent inference from this verse or other similar verses in the Quran. The verse can also be viewed in contrast to the wishful thinking of some insolent believers that The fire shall not touch us except for a number of days (2:80, 3:24).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. When Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) was asked about these verses he said: ‘This is about those who will not exit the fire.’^{‎[13]Qummi, 2/402.}

Note: Some narrations of this hadith do not have the word ‘not’ in them.^{‎[14]Bihar, 8/295, h. 45.} There is also a similar hadith by Imam al-Bāqir (a) where he says: ‘This is about those who will exit the fire.’^{‎[15]Tabrisi, 10/643.} As mentioned earlier in Exposition, the verse itself could be interpreted either way, although both internal and external evidence from the chapter favour eternity.

2. The Prophet said: ‘No one who enters the fire will exit it before staying there for aḥqāb (ages), and each ḥuqb is sixty-some years, each year being 360 days, each day being equivalent to a thousand years of your measure. So let no one rely on exiting the fire.’^{‎[16]Tabrisi, 10/643.}

Note: This hadith confirms the connection of these verses with the wishful thinking that The fire shall not touch us except for a number of days (2:80, 3:24). The point of these narrations is to warn us that there is no easy solution or relief to God’s wrath and punishment. It is not worth risking it. We cannot bear even a few seconds of the fire of hell from a distance, let alone being thrown into it to burn for ages. Try holding your finger above a candle flame and see how long you can keep it there. Imam Ali (a) says: ‘And this [punishment of hell] is what even the heavens and the earth cannot stand. My master! So how about me, while I am Your weak, abject, base, poor, and destitute servant?’^{‎[17]Ṭūsī, Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, 2/847.} In short, the permanence or impermanence of punishment should not make a difference to one’s level of piety. Likewise, ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd said: ‘If the people of fire were to be told that they will stay there as many [years] as the number of the grains of sand in this world, they would rejoice. And if the people of paradise were to be told that they will stay there as many [years] as the number of the grains of sand in this world, they would grieve.’^{‎[18]Baghawi, 5/201; Tabrisi, 10/643.}

3. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘There will be eight aḥqāb, each being eighty years. Each year is 360 days, and each day is like a thousand years of your reckoning [22:47].’^{‎[19]Maani, pp. 220-221.}
4. It is narrated that once Imam Ali (a) asked Hilāl al-Ḥajarī: ‘How do you define ḥuqub as in God’s revealed book?’ He said: ‘It is eighty years, each year being twelve months, each month being thirty days, each day being a thousand years [of this world].’^{‎[20]Tabari, 30/8; Razi, 31/15.}

Notes: 1. This is confirmed by many other narrations and interpretations about this verse. For example, it has been narrated from Mujāhid: ‘Aḥqāb (ages) consist of forty-three ḥuqub; each ḥuqub is seventy kharīf; each kharīf is 700 years; each year is 360 days; each day is equivalent to a thousand years of this world.’^{‎[21]Baghawi, 5/201; Tabrisi, 10/643.} 2. The companions and early exegetes have interpreted aḥqāb in many different ways. Some examples are: forty years, seventy years, eighty years, 1000 months, 300 years, 1000 years, 18,000 years, with the most recurring one being eighty years.^{‎[22]Suyuti, 6/307-308.} Almost all of these interpretations mention that each day of these years is equivalent to a thousand years of this world (as per 22:47 and 70:5). This could explain the apparent disagreement between these interpretations: it might be because the hereafter is of a different system and nature, and thus the realities there are not precisely expressible with the units and concepts that explain the phenomena of this world. 3. Some versions of this narration suggest that the Imam was the one who asked this question. To combine these narrations it could be that the Imam was first asked, but before answering he asked the inquirer about his own understanding. Then the Imam’s silence in response would be a sign of confirmation.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some exegetes have suggested that this verse might be about monotheists who will enter hell due to their sins and imperfections, but will eventually exit it, and this is why it does not say they will reside there forever, but for ages (i.e. a limited time).^{‎[23]Bihar, 8/276, narrated from Khālid ibn Maʿdān.}

There are two problems with this view: 1. The expression of the verse is compatible with both permanent and temporary residence, as discussed in Exposition. 2. The attributes that follow (in verses 27 and 28) are more representative of disbelievers, not imperfect monotheists, especially given the other Quranic verses about people with these attributes.

[1] Maqayis, under ḥ-q-b; Raghib, under ḥ-q-b; Tahqiq, under ḥ-q-b.
[2] Furqan, 30/42.
[3] Razi, 31/15.
[4] Zamakhshari, 4/689.
[5] Razi, 31/16.
[6] Mizan, 20/169.
[7] Razi, 31/16; Alusi, 15/215.
[8] Nahj, sermon 193.
[9] Sahifah, supplication 31.
[10] Nahj, saying 121.
[11] Amali.T, p. 533; Makarim, p. 465.
[12] Bihar, 8/275; Majlisī has judged this as the best interpretation.
[13] Qummi, 2/402.
[14] Bihar, 8/295, h. 45.
[15] Tabrisi, 10/643.
[16] Tabrisi, 10/643.
[17] Ṭūsī, Miṣbāḥ al-Mutahajjid, 2/847.
[18] Baghawi, 5/201; Tabrisi, 10/643.
[19] Maani, pp. 220-221.
[20] Tabari, 30/8; Razi, 31/15.
[21] Baghawi, 5/201; Tabrisi, 10/643.
[22] Suyuti, 6/307-308.
[23] Bihar, 8/276, narrated from Khālid ibn Maʿdān.