Ash-Shu'ara · Makki · ayah 91 of 227

Ash-Shu'ara 26:91

وَبُرِّزَتِ ٱلْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ

“And Hellfire will be brought forth for the deviators,”

Saheeh International

Essence

The Fire is brought into full view for those who strayed; the Quran shows it to us now, while an exit remains.

A reflection

Shown while there is still an exit

The two verbs in this pair are not twins. The Garden is uzlifat, brought near (26:90). The Blaze is burrizat, brought out into view. One later commentary records a reading of the difference. Bringing near is closeness at its utmost, where entering is all but done. Bringing into view is showing, which can happen even from far off.

That reading adds a striking thought. Being shown is not yet being taken in. It leaves a margin in which escape can still be hoped for. The commentary quotes an old saying to make the point: between one pillar and the next, there is relief.

Now hold that margin up to your own life. The Quran shows the Fire many times. It names its heat, its depth, its sound. And every one of those showings reaches you before the Day, at the greatest distance there will ever be.

Picture a motorway late at night, the road heading towards a long toll bridge. A large blue sign looms out of the dark: LAST EXIT BEFORE THE BRIDGE. A driver who meant to cross drives on without a thought. Another driver, who took a wrong turn an hour ago, suddenly sees his mistake. He indicates and leaves. The sign did not punish anyone. It made the end of the road visible while there was still a way off it.

On the Day, the showing is different. Another commentary says the Fire is displayed to its people before they enter, so that dread and sorrow reach them first. By then the margin is thin.

Today it is wide. The bridge is still ahead, and the exits are still open.

That is why the Quran's descriptions of the Fire are a mercy, not a threat for its own sake. They are the sign on the hard shoulder, lit up in the dark.

So when you meet an ayah like this, do not skip it. Read it as the last-exit sign. Ask which road you are on, and whether there is a turn you keep driving past.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.