َ ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ ﴿۲۳﴾ فَقَالَ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ ﴿۲۴﴾ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ ﴿۲۵﴾ سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ ﴿۲۶﴾ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا سَقَرُ ﴿۲۷﴾ لَا تُبْقِي وَلَا تَذَرُ ﴿۲۸﴾ لَوَّاحَةٌ لِلْبَشَرِ ﴿۲۹﴾ عَلَيْهَا تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ ﴿۳۰﴾

﴾23﴿ Summaa adbara wastakbar
﴾24﴿ Faqaala in haazaaa illaa sihruny yu'sar
﴾25﴿ In haazaaa illaa qawlul bashar
﴾26﴿ Sa usleehi saqar
﴾27﴿ Wa maaa adraaka maa saqar
﴾28﴿ Laa tubqee wa laa tazar
﴾29﴿ Lawwaahatul lilbashar
﴾30﴿ 'Alaihaa tis'ata 'ashar

﴾23﴿ Then he turned away and was arrogant
﴾24﴿ Then he said, This is nothing but transmitted magic
﴾25﴿ This is nothing but the word of a human
﴾26﴿ Soon I will cast him into the Fire
﴾27﴿ And what will make you know what Saqar (the Fire) is
﴾28﴿ It leaves nothing of them remaining, nor does it spare anything of their bodies
﴾29﴿ It scorches the skin
﴾30﴿ Over it are appointed nineteen

[24,25] This passage explains the detailed unfolding of the word “qaddara” (he planned), which was mentioned twice earlier.
(In hādhā) – This is a statement of exclusivity (ḥaṣr), used here to deny other accusations. Some people had claimed the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a madman, others said he was a poet, others said a soothsayer. This particular denier rejected all those labels and concluded: "No, this is nothing but magic.”
He called the Qur’an sorcery, saying it separates children from parents and brothers from one another—meaning that when one person believes, others begin to oppose him.
(Yu’thar) – Indicates that this magic (as they falsely claimed) is not new but rather inherited from earlier sorcerers, implying that it's something “tried and known”.
(In hādhā illā qawlu al-bashar) – Again, this is a ḥaṣr (exclusive statement), now claiming: “This is nothing but human speech.”
Question: Both sentences are phrased as exclusives—one says it's magic, the other says it's human speech. But both can’t be true, can they? Answer 1: This is the speech of a denier in confusion—they are inconsistent, jumping from one accusation to another: sometimes saying it’s magic, sometimes poetry, sometimes madness. Answer 2: The first ḥaṣr denies that it's poetry or soothsaying; it concludes it's magic. The second ḥaṣr denies that it's divine speech, concluding instead that it’s human speech.
Both statements reflect rejection of the Qur’an as revelation, but from different angles.
[26,27] This verse is a warning about the Hereafter, specifically regarding Saqar, and its terrifying nature is described in five aspects.
(Saqar) – Linguistically, the word means to melt or to deform due to extreme heat.
According to a narration from Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them), Saqar is the name of the sixth level of Hell.
[28] The difference between the two phrases (lā tubqī wa-lā tadhar) is explained in several ways: First: It leaves nothing untouched—everything that enters it is destroyed. And even in the state of destruction, it does not leave the person alone until they are restored and punished again. This process continues forever.
Second: It spares neither the flesh nor the bones—consuming both completely.
Third: It does not leave the person without punishment, nor does it leave them inside the punishment in peace—meaning, they are continuously tormented without rest or escape.
[29] (Lil-bashar) – There are two interpretations: 1. The most common meaning here is the outer skin—referring to the fact that the entire skin of the people of Hell will burn so severely that it will turn black like charcoal.
2. Another view is that al-bashar simply means humans, emphasizing that this punishment is specific to mankind (as opposed to jinn, in this context).
[30] This number refers to the guards of Hell—among whom is Mālik, their chief.
According to Qurṭubī, the correct interpretation is that these nineteen are the leaders and commanders, and under their authority are countless other angels, acting as their subordinates.
As will be mentioned later in the verse: “And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him” (Wa mā ya‘lamu junūda rabbika illā huwa)—indicating the immense, hidden number of angels beyond human comprehension.