سَنَدعُ الزَّبانِيَةَ

We shall summon the guards of hell.

EXEGESIS

The word zabāniyah is the plural of possibly zābin^{‎[1]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Lane, p. 1213.} and zabānī, and refers to the guardian-angels of hell^{‎[2]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334.} which Ṭūsī writes was the opinion of Ibn Abbas, Qatādah, Mujāhid, and al-Ḍaḥḥāk,^{‎[3]Tibyan, 10/382-383.} or those entrusted with the responsibilities related to hell.^{‎[4]Mizan, 20/327.} Hell’s angels are mentioned again in 66:6, 74:30, and 39:71. The root letters of the word zabāniyah are z-b-n which means: to push, to kick, to divert, to repel, to shove,^{‎[5]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Tibyan, 10/382-383.} to keep good things away,^{‎[6]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334; al-Tafsīr al-Qurʾānī lil-Qurʾān, 14/1631.} to banish, and to exile.^{‎[7]Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334.} The word zabāniyah is hypothesised by some to be a borrowing from either Akkadian or Syriac^{‎[8]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; See Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 79, where a brief discussion occurs regarding the plausibility that this word could have been derived from Syriac.} or even Pahlavi,^{‎[9]See Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 78, where a brief discussion occurs regarding the plausibility that this word could have been derived from Pahlavi.} and the reason hell’s angels are identified with this term is because they shall shove and push the sinners to hell^{‎[10] Lane, p. 1214; Tustari, 1/200; Munyat al-Ṭālibīn fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Mubīn, 30/514.} and away from paradise, thereby keeping away the goodness of paradise from them as described in 22:21-22. For the classical Arabs it meant the braves of an army, the soldiers or the armed attendants, and members of the police force.^{‎[11] Lane, p. 1214; Mizan, 20/327; Munyat al-Ṭālibīn fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Mubīn, 30/514.} Thus Ibn Qutaybah writes in his Ādāb al-Kātib that the Basran exegete Qatādah understood this word to mean the policemen.^{‎[12] Ādāb al-Kātib, p. 87, cited in Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 78.}

EXPOSITION

Qummī writes that this verse means that just as Abū Jahl called upon the Prophet to be killed, so similarly: We (God) shall call upon the guards of hell.^{‎[13] Qummi, 2/431; al-Aṣfā fī al-Tafsīr, 2/1460-1461.} Thus let him call his associates so that they may aid him against Us, We shall call upon the zabāniyah (guards of hell) who are harsh, strong, and severe, such that none can thwart or help deflect their onslaught!^{‎[14] Mizan, 20/327.} 66:7, 74:30, and 39:71 are additional references to hell’s angels.

But this verse may yet be understood in a wider manner, beyond the person of Abū Jahl, in that it is a challenge thrown to all the arrogant people which is that if they are arrogant about their power then they may call all their allies and God will call His guards and then let it be seen who has how much power. The first practical test of this challenge was in the battlefield of Badr where it was witnessed that the whole power and number of the Quraysh was humiliated at the hands of a few of God’s guards.

This was the same battle in which Abū Jahl was killed. It occurred in the second year of the Prophet’s migration to Medina. Ibn Isḥāq and Wāqidī, two early Muslim historians, relate the account of him being killed as follows: the first person to wound Abū Jahl during the Battle of Badr was Muʿādh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-Jamūḥ who found him in a thicket and gave him a terrific blow which severed one of his feet and half his shank.^{‎[15] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44.} He describes the effect of his blow as resembling a date stone flying from the pestle when it is beaten and crushed.^{‎[16] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44} Muʿādh ibn ʿAmr, who survived the battle, was repelled by an attack on him by ʿIkramah, the son of Abū Jahl.^{‎[17] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44} The next person who chanced upon Abū Jahl was Muʿawwidh ibn ʿAfrāʾ, who passed by him while the latter lay helpless on the ground. The former struck him, leaving him fatally wounded.^{‎[18] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.} Muʿawwidh ibn ʿAfrāʾ died a martyr during this battle.^{‎[19] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.} Finally, ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd came across him whilst trying to count those who had been slain.^{‎[20] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 45} ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd describes the encounter, saying he found Abū Jahl in the throes of death. He placed his foot on his neck^{‎[21] Ibn Isḥāq adds here that the reason Ibn Masʿūd placed his foot on Abū Jahl’s chest was in return for what Abū Jahl had once done to him in the past. He had once clawed at him and punched him in Mecca (The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304). This was probably when Ibn Masʿūd eagerly volunteered to recite the Quran out loud to the Quraysh in Mecca many years before. He is credited to be the first man to have recited the Quran out loud after Prophet Muhammad (s). At that time, he had recited surah 55 or the first few verses of it (The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, pp. 141-142).} and rebuked him. He relates that Abū Jahl remarked to him at that point in time, saying: ‘You have risen high, you little shepherd.’^{‎[22] This is a reference to Ibn Masʿūd’s profession at the time of his conversion in Mecca. He was earning his living as a shepherd working for the Umayyad Meccan, ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ (see Anthony, Sean W., ‘Ibn Masʿūd, ʿAbdallāh’, in Encyclopaedia of Islam.} Thereafter ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd cut off his head and brought it to the Prophet, throwing it before him, whereupon the Prophet gave thanks to God^{‎[23] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.} and rejoiced, saying: ‘O Allah, You have done as You promised me. So complete upon me Your blessings.’^{‎[24] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.} After having severed his head, ʿAbd-Allāh ibn Masʿūd had observed that Abū Jahl’s body appeared scourged.^{‎[25] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.} He mentioned this to the Prophet who said: ‘That is from the beating of the angels.’^{‎[26] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.} It is related in the al-Amālī of Ṭūsī from Ibn Abbas: ‘The Messenger of Allah (s) stood near the [bodies of the] dead [unbelievers] of the Battle of Badr and said: “May Allah punish you, [those who are from] an evil group. You belied me, a truthful person; and you regarded a truthful and honest person as treacherous.” Then he turned to [the corpse of] Abū Jahl ibn Hishām and said: “Indeed, this one was more insolent and arrogant to Allah than the Pharaoh. This is because the Pharaoh testified to the unity of Allah when he was convinced of his destruction; however, this one called out to al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā [even] when he was convinced of [his] destruction!”’^{‎[27] Amali.T, p. 310, h. 626.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Ibn Abbas relates that the Messenger of God used to pray [near the Kaaba] at the Station of Abraham (maqām ibrāhīm). Thus one day Abū Jahl ibn Hishām passed by him and said: ‘Muhammad, did I not forbid you from this?’ and then threatened him, whereupon the Messenger of God replied to him harshly and reproached him. At this, Abū Jahl said: ‘Muhammad, on what basis are you trying to intimidate and threaten me? By God, I surely have more people [than you] in this valley whom I may call [for aid].’ At that moment God revealed: Let him summon his cohorts. We shall summon the guards of hell.^{‎[28] Tabari, 30/165; Tabrisi.J, 4/515; al-Aṣfā fī al-Tafsīr, 2/1460.} Ibn Abbas said: ‘Had he called his cohorts then the guards of hell would have seized him at that very moment.’^{‎[29] Tabari, 30/165.} In another report he relates that despite Abū Jahl’s threats, the Messenger of God continued to pray at the Kaaba [and Abū Jahl did nothing]. So he was asked: ‘What stops you [from carrying out your threat]?’ He replied: ‘The space between him and I has [suddenly] turned [ominously] black!’ Ibn Abbas commented: ‘By Allah, had he made his move then the angels would have seized him while the people watched.’^{‎[30] Fatḥ al-Qadīr, 5/574.}

[1] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Lane, p. 1213.
[2] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334.
[3] Tibyan, 10/382-383.
[4] Mizan, 20/327.
[5] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Tibyan, 10/382-383.
[6] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334; al-Tafsīr al-Qurʾānī lil-Qurʾān, 14/1631.
[7] Zamakhshari, 4/779; Amthal, 20/334.
[8] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 394; See Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 79, where a brief discussion occurs regarding the plausibility that this word could have been derived from Syriac.
[9] See Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 78, where a brief discussion occurs regarding the plausibility that this word could have been derived from Pahlavi.
[10] Lane, p. 1214; Tustari, 1/200; Munyat al-Ṭālibīn fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Mubīn, 30/514.
[11] Lane, p. 1214; Mizan, 20/327; Munyat al-Ṭālibīn fī Tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-Mubīn, 30/514.
[12] Ādāb al-Kātib, p. 87, cited in Revisiting Hell’s Angels in the Quran, p. 78.
[13] Qummi, 2/431; al-Aṣfā fī al-Tafsīr, 2/1460-1461.
[14] Mizan, 20/327.
[15] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44.
[16] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44
[17] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 44
[18] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.
[19] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.
[20] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304; The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 45
[21] Ibn Isḥāq adds here that the reason Ibn Masʿūd placed his foot on Abū Jahl’s chest was in return for what Abū Jahl had once done to him in the past. He had once clawed at him and punched him in Mecca (The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304). This was probably when Ibn Masʿūd eagerly volunteered to recite the Quran out loud to the Quraysh in Mecca many years before. He is credited to be the first man to have recited the Quran out loud after Prophet Muhammad (s). At that time, he had recited surah 55 or the first few verses of it (The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, pp. 141-142).
[22] This is a reference to Ibn Masʿūd’s profession at the time of his conversion in Mecca. He was earning his living as a shepherd working for the Umayyad Meccan, ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿayṭ (see Anthony, Sean W., ‘Ibn Masʿūd, ʿAbdallāh’, in Encyclopaedia of Islam.
[23] The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah, p. 304.
[24] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.
[25] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.
[26] The Life of Muḥammad: al-Wāqidī’s Kitāb al-Maghāzī, p. 46.
[27] Amali.T, p. 310, h. 626.
[28] Tabari, 30/165; Tabrisi.J, 4/515; al-Aṣfā fī al-Tafsīr, 2/1460.
[29] Tabari, 30/165.
[30] Fatḥ al-Qadīr, 5/574.