َ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِهَذَا مَثَلًا كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَى لِلْبَشَرِ ﴿۳۱﴾ كَلَّا وَالْقَمَرِ ﴿۳۲﴾

﴾31﴿ Wa maaja'alnaaa As-haaban naari illaa malaaa 'ikatanw wa maa ja'alnaa 'iddatahum illaa fitnatal lillazeena kafaroo liyastaiqinal lazeena ootul kitaaba wa yazdaadal lazeena aamanooo eemaananw wa laa yartaabal lazeena ootul kitaaba walmu'minoona wa liyaqoolal lazeena fee quloo bihim maradunw walkaafiroona maazaaa araadal laahu bihaazaa masalaa; kazaalika yudillul laahu mai yashaaa'u wa yahdee mai yashaaa'; wa maa ya'lamu junooda rabbika illaa hoo; wa maa hiya illaa zikraa lil bashar
﴾32﴿ Kallaa walqamar

﴾31﴿ We appointed none but the angels as guardians of the Fire, and We made their number only a trial for the disbelievers, so that those who were given the Book may attain certainty, and the believers may increase in faith, and those who were given the Book and the believers may not doubt, and so that those in whose hearts is disease (of hypocrisy) and the disbelievers may say, "What does Allah mean by this example?" Thus, Allah leads astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills. None knows the armies of your Lord except Him, and this is nothing but a reminder for mankind
﴾32﴿ And indeed, so it is—by the moon

[31] Sūrah al-Muddaththir, verse 31 contains a comprehensive explanation and multiple wisdoms behind assigning nineteen angels as the guardians of Hell (Zabāniyah), and addresses the reactions of different groups to this number.
(وَمَا جَعَلْنَا أَصْحَابَ النَّارِ إِلَّا مَلَائِكَةً) – Allah declares that the guardians of Hell are angels, not humans or jinn. They are beings of might and severity, unaffected by emotion or weakness.
(وَمَا جَعَلْنَا عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا) – The specific number (nineteen) was made a trial (fitnah) for the disbelievers. Fitnah here means test, confusion, or punishment. The omitted causal phrase (li-sabab) indicates that the number itself caused the trial, due to several reasons:
1. Why not twenty? The disbelievers questioned the logic of the number, mocking it—while forgetting that any number could be questioned in the same way.
2. They claimed: “How can only nineteen guards control all the disbelievers in Hell?”—implying Allah is weak. But this was answered with: (وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُو).
3. Some mocked: “How will nineteen control countless people?”—forgetting the might of angels. Even one angel, like Jibrīl, could destroy entire nations. This shows their rejection is not based on reason, but on arrogance.
(لِيَسْتَيْقِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ) – This is the first wisdom: the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) will find confirmation, since this number is also mentioned in their scriptures.
(وَيَزْدَادَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِيمَانًا) – The second wisdom: believing Jews and Christians who had already accepted the truth will find their faith increased, seeing the match with earlier revelation. This is also a proof that faith can increase, a point agreed upon by many scholars and ḥadīth authorities.
(وَلَا يَرْتَابَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ) – The third wisdom: to remove any doubt. Even if certainty is reached, doubts can later return due to whispers and trials, so this phrase emphasizes firmness of conviction. Here, "those given the Book” refers to the learned scholars among them, unlike earlier verses referring to general followers. "The believers” here refers to the Muslim Ummah, not the believing People of the Book.
(وَلِيَقُولَ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ وَالْكَافِرُونَ) – The fourth wisdom: so that hypocrites and disbelievers would mock, saying: "What does Allah mean by this example?" They claim that the number is symbolic or metaphorical and ask for a hidden meaning—but their mockery reveals their disease of heart.
(كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ) – This is the answer to their statement. Just like in Sūrah al-Baqarah (2:26), Allah clarifies: He leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. The number was not the problem—the hearts were.
(وَمَا يَعْلَمُ جُنُودَ رَبِّكَ إِلَّا هُوَ) – This is the decisive rebuttal to those mocking the number. Allah alone knows the number and strength of His armies. This also refutes Greek philosophers and others who deny the concept of angels or reduce them to a fixed number (e.g., ten intellects, nine souls). (وَمَا هِيَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَى لِلْبَشَرِ) – The pronoun “hiya” has three possible references:
1. To the Qur’anic verses and signs—meaning: this is a reminder and reflection for humanity.
2. To Hellfire itself—meaning: its description is meant to instill fear and reflection.
3. To Allah’s armies—referring to the might and control of Allah, serving as a lesson in His power. This is the closest reference grammatically.
These verses conclude that the number (19) is neither random nor trivial—it serves as a test, confirmation, increase in faith, exposure of hypocrisy, and a reminder of divine power and wisdom.
[32,33,34] “By the morning when it brightens”—since "adbaar" (turning away) indicates passing, the particle “idh” (which refers to the past) is used. And because morning brightens after the night and relates to something coming after (future), the particle “idhaa” is used.
“Asfara”: its meaning is revealing and emerging, meaning it emerges after the past night and brings brightness.
In the moon (night of the full moon), there is a mixture of light and darkness, while in the night there is pure darkness, and in the morning there is pure brightness. All these are the workings of Allah the Exalted and His great power.