َ إِنَّا هَدَيْنَاهُ السَّبِيلَ إِمَّا شَاكِرًا وَإِمَّا كَفُورًا ﴿۳﴾ إِنَّا أَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ سَلَاسِلَ وَأَغْلَالًا وَسَعِيرًا ﴿۴﴾ إِنَّ الْأَبْرَارَ يَشْرَبُونَ مِنْ كَأْسٍ كَانَ مِزَاجُهَا كَافُورًا ﴿۵﴾ عَيْنًا يَشْرَبُ بِهَا عِبَادُ اللَّهِ يُفَجِّرُونَهَا تَفْجِيرًا ﴿۶﴾ يُوفُونَ بِالنَّذْرِ وَيَخَافُونَ يَوْمًا كَانَ شَرُّهُ مُسْتَطِيرًا ﴿۷﴾

﴾3﴿ Innaa hadainaahus sabeela immaa shaakiranw wa immaa kafoora
﴾4﴿ Innaaa a'tadnaa lilkaa fireena salaasila wa aghlaalanw wa sa'eeraa
﴾5﴿ Innal abraara yashra boona min kaasin kaana mizaa juhaa kaafooraa
﴾6﴿ Aynany yashrabu bihaa 'ibaadul laahi yufajjiroonahaa tafjeeraa
﴾7﴿ Yoofoona binnazri wa yakhaafoona yawman kaana sharruhoo mustateeraa

﴾3﴿ Indeed, We have shown him the way; he is either grateful or ungrateful
﴾4﴿ Indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers chains, shackles, and a blazing fire
﴾5﴿ Indeed, the righteous will drink from cups filled with a drink mixed with Kafur (a refreshing and fragrant spring)
﴾6﴿ A spring from which the servants of Allah will drink, and they will cause it to flow in abundance
﴾7﴿ They fulfilled their vows and feared a Day whose hardship would be widespread

[3] Since merely having limbs and intellectual ability is not sufficient for guidance—and true guidance depends on revelation—this verse states:
“Innā hadaynāhu al-sabīl”—“Indeed, We guided him to the path.”
What is meant here is guidance through the Prophets (peace be upon them) and the revealed scriptures.
[4] This is a warning about the punishment of the Hereafter for the ungrateful human being.
“Salāsil” (chains)—this expresses progression from lower to higher, from bottom to top:
Because the punishment of chains is for the feet,
“Aghlāl” (shackles) are for the neck,
and the hands are tied with them,
while “Sa‘īr” (blazing fire) affects the entire body.
A similar sequence is also mentioned in Surah Ghāfir (40:71).
[5,6] This is a glad tiding for those who are grateful. Five qualities and ten rewards of such people are mentioned.
“Al-abrār” is the plural of bārr, meaning one who does good and shows kindness to others.
The abrār are those people who do not cause harm to anyone.
“Min ka’sin”—refers to a cup that contains a drink. A cup without liquid is not called ka’s.
“Kāna mizājuhā”—just as it is customary among people in the world to mix things into drinks to enhance their benefits and enjoyment.
“Kāfūrā”—this is known for its coolness and fragrance. However, the camphor mentioned here is not of the worldly kind, since that may have some harmful effects. Rather, it only resembles camphor in appearance and fragrance; its true nature is described in the verses that follow.
“‘Ibād Allāh”—when the word ‘abd or ‘ibād is added to the name Allah in the Qur’an, it refers to those who sincerely dedicate their worship to Allah and protect themselves from every kind of shirk (association). These are the believers.
When the possessive form is with a pronoun (e.g., ‘ibādī), sometimes it refers specifically to monotheists—like in: “Indeed, My servants—over them you have no authority” (Surah al-Ḥijr 15:42).
Other times it has a general meaning—like: “And He is not pleased with disbelief for His servants” (Surah al-Zumar 39:7).
[7] These two verses describe two attributes of the righteous (abrār).
“Yūfūna”—before this, the verb “kānū” (they used to) is implied.
“Bi’l-nadhr”—a shar‘ī nadhr (lawful vow) refers to something a responsible person makes obligatory on themselves for the sake of obeying Allah Almighty. If the person hadn’t made it obligatory on themselves, it wouldn’t have been obligatory by default.
A non-shar‘ī nadhr is one made for other than Allah or for sinful actions.
In this verse, nadhr is intended in its broad meaning—referring to all things a servant is obligated to fulfill: contracts, prayers, zakat, fasting, Hajj, ‘Umrah, and other duties.
“Wa yakhāfūna yawman”—the first quality indicates obedience to divine commands, and this one refers to avoiding prohibitions. Out of fear of the Day of Judgment, they refrain from sins.
“Sharrihu mustaṭīrā”—the “evil” here refers to the terrors that will occur on the Day of Judgment: the skies being torn apart, stars losing their light, earthquakes striking the earth, mountains vanishing, and more.
“Mustaṭīrā” means widespread, extended, and far-reaching—it will affect the entire universe.