How Many Times Is Saqar Mentioned in the Quran?
سقر اسم من أسماء نار جهنم، فكم مرة تكرر هذا الاسم في القرآن الكريم؟
It is mentioned four times in the Holy Quran: once in Surah Al-Qamar: (Taste the touch of Saqar.) [Al-Qamar 54:48]
Also, it is mentioned three times in Surah Al-Muddaththir: (I will drive him into Saqar. And what can make you know what is Saqar?) [Al-Muddaththir 74:26-27] ([And asking them], "What put you into Saqar?") [Al-Muddaththir 74:42]
وردت 4 مرات في القرآن الكريم: مرة في سورة القمر: (ذُوقُوا مَسَّ سَقَرَ) [القمر 54: 48]
كما وردت ثلاث مرات في سورة المدثر: (سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ) [المدثر 74: 26-27]، (مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ) [المدثر 74: 42].
1. Taste the Touch of Saqar | ذوقوا مس سقر
Allah says: Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness (54:47), on the Day they are dragged into the Fire on their faces: Taste the touch of Saqar (54:48). Ibn Kathir explains that the criminals are astray from the truth and in madness from the doubts and confusion of opinions they live in, which includes every disbeliever and innovator; just as their doubt and wavering led them to the Fire, and just as they were astray, they will be dragged in it on their faces, not knowing where they are going, and it will be said to them in rebuke: Taste the touch of Saqar.
إِنَّ الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ (سورة القمر: 47)
قال تعالى: (إن المجرمين في ضلال وسعر) (القمر 54: 47)، (يوم يسحبون في النار على وجوههم ذوقوا مس سقر) (القمر 54: 48)، قال ابن كثير: يخبرنا تعالى عن المجرمين أنهم في ضلال عن الحق، وسعر مما هم فيه من الشكوك والاضطراب في الآراء، وهذا يشمل كل من اتصف بذلك من كافر ومبتدع من سائر الفرق، ثم قال: يوم يسحبون في النار على وجوههم، أي: كما كانوا في سعر وشك وتردد أورثهم ذلك النار، وكما كانوا ضلالا سحبوا فيها على وجوههم، لا يدرون أين يذهبون، ويقال لهم تقريعا وتوبيخا: ذوقوا مس سقر.
2. It Lets Nothing Remain and Leaves Nothing | لا تبقي ولا تذر
Of the man described from 74:11, Allah says: I will drive him into Saqar (74:26); Ibn Kathir explains: I will engulf him in it from all sides. And what can make you know what is Saqar? (74:27) magnifies its terror. It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing (74:28): it eats their flesh, veins, sinews and skin, then they are replaced with others, and in it they neither die nor live, as Ibn Buraydah, Abu Sinan and others said. Scorching the skin (74:29): Ibn Abbas said it burns a person’s skin, and Qatadah said it scorches the skin. Over it are nineteen (74:30): Ibn Kathir says they are the leading keepers, enormous and harsh in form. Who that man was is explained in who is meant by the one I created alone (74:11).
لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ (سورة المدثر: 28)
قال تعالى: (سأصليه سقر) (المدثر 74: 26)، قال ابن كثير: أي سأغمره فيها من جميع جهاته، (وما أدراك ما سقر) (المدثر 74: 27)، قال: وهذا تهويل لأمرها وتفخيم، (لا تبقي ولا تذر) (المدثر 74: 28)، أي: تأكل لحومهم وعروقهم وعصبهم وجلودهم، ثم تبدل غير ذلك، وهم في ذلك لا يموتون ولا يحيون، قاله ابن بريدة وأبو سنان وغيرهما، (لواحة للبشر) (المدثر 74: 29)، قال ابن عباس: تحرق بشرة الإنسان، وقال قتادة: حراقة للجلد، (عليها تسعة عشر) (المدثر 74: 30)، أي: من مقدمي الزبانية، عظيم خلقهم، غليظ خلقهم.
3. What Put You Into Saqar? | سؤال أصحاب اليمين للمجرمين
The companions of the right, in gardens, ask about the criminals: What put you into Saqar? (74:39-42). Ibn Kathir explains that they ask them while they are in the high chambers and the others are in the lowest depths. They will say: We were not of those who prayed, nor did we feed the poor (74:43-44), meaning: we did not worship our Lord, nor did we do good to His creation of our own kind. And we used to indulge with those who indulged (74:45): we spoke of what we did not know, and Qatadah said: whenever someone went astray, we went astray with him. And we used to deny the Day of Recompense (74:46).
قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ (سورة المدثر: 43)
قال تعالى: (إلا أصحاب اليمين في جنات يتساءلون عن المجرمين ما سلككم في سقر) (المدثر 74: 39-42)، قال ابن كثير: أي يسألون المجرمين وهم في الغرفات وأولئك في الدركات، (قالوا لم نك من المصلين ولم نك نطعم المسكين) (المدثر 74: 43-44)، أي: ما عبدنا ربنا ولا أحسنا إلى خلقه من جنسنا، (وكنا نخوض مع الخائضين) (المدثر 74: 45)، أي: نتكلم فيما لا نعلم، وقال قتادة: كلما غوى غاو غوينا معه، (وكنا نكذب بيوم الدين) (المدثر 74: 46).
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir explains that the answer of the people of Saqar, we were not of those who prayed, nor did we feed the poor, means they neither worshipped their Lord nor did good to His creation (74:43-44). Read more in the tafsir of Surah Al-Muddaththir.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How many times is Saqar mentioned in the Quran?
Four times: once in Al-Qamar 54:48 and three times in Al-Muddaththir 74:26, 74:27 and 74:42.
How does the Quran describe Saqar?
It lets nothing remain and leaves nothing, it scorches the skin, and over it are nineteen (74:28-30).
What put its people into Saqar?
They will say: we were not of those who prayed, nor did we feed the poor, we indulged with those who indulged, and we denied the Day of Recompense (74:43-46).
Who is threatened with Saqar in 74:26?
The man described from 74:11, whom Allah created alone and gave wealth and sons, and who called the Quran the words of a human being (74:25).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →