Al-Ma'arij · Makki · ayah 15 of 44

Al-Ma'arij 70:15

كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّهَا لَظَىٰ

“No![1751] Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell],”

Saheeh International

Essence

The answer to every offer he could ever make is a single word, no, before the Fire is simply named.

A reflection

The shortest, most complete refusal in the surah

After four full verses building an increasingly desperate offer, sons, a lifelong companion, a brother, a sheltering clan, finally everyone on earth, the reply arrives in a single word: no. No lengthy rebuttal, no itemised explanation of why each specific offer falls short, no negotiation entertained even briefly before being declined. Just one word, doing the entire work of refusal in less space than the question took to ask.

That brevity says something about how settled the matter actually is. A real negotiation, even one heading toward refusal, usually involves some engagement with the specifics of what was offered; a party genuinely considering a deal explains its reasoning even while declining it. This reply skips that whole process entirely, because there was never anything to actually weigh. The offer was not almost good enough. It was never in a category where "enough" could ever have applied.

There is a kind of clarity worth learning from in this, available even in ordinary life. Some requests do not deserve a lengthy, apologetic explanation for being refused; a clear no, said once and left to stand, respects everyone's time more than an anxious, over-explained rejection dressed up to soften a blow that a single honest word would have handled more cleanly.

The full entry has 7 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.