قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَتُغْلَبُونَ وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
Say to those who disbelieve, "You will be overcome and gathered together to Hell, and wretched is the resting place."
Introduction
This is āyah 12 of Sūrat Aal-i-Imraan (Family of Imran), the 89th sūrah in the traditional order of revelation. It was revealed in the Medinan period and sits within Juzʾ 3. Medinan verses often address community life, law, and the building of society.
This introduction is a starting point — the community and Bilal will enrich it over time.
Revelation & occasion
- Period
- Medinan
- Order revealed
- 89 of 114
- Surah
- Aal-i-Imraan (3)
(Say (O Muhammad) unto those who disbelieve: Ye shall be overcome and gathered unto Hell�) [3:12]. Al-Kalbi reported from Abu Salih that Ibn 'Abbas said: �When Allah defeated the idolaters on the day of Badr, the Jews of Medina said: 'By Allah, this is the unlettered Prophet who was announced to us by Moses and whose attribute and description we find in our Scriptures and about whom it is also mentioned that his banner will not be defeated'. They wanted to believe in and follow him. But then some of them said: 'Do not be hasty; let us wait until another of his encounters'. When the Battle of Uhud took place and the Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, were defeated, they became sceptical. They said: 'No, by Allah, this is not him'. Their wretchedness overwhelmed them and they did not embrace Islam. Meanwhile, they had a treaty with the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, which was supposed to last up to a certain period. They dissolved that treaty and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf set off, along with sixty riders, to meet the people of Mecca, Abu Sufyan and his companions. They struck a deal and resolved to achieve the same goal. They said: 'Our word shall be one!' When they went back to Medina, Allah, exalted is He, revealed the above verse about them�. Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar, said: �When the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and give him peace, defeated the Quraysh at Badr and then went back to Medina, he gathered the Jews and said: 'O congregation of Jews! Beware lest Allah inflicts on you the like of that which he has inflicted on Quraysh on the day of Badr; embrace Islam before that which has befallen them befalls you. You know well that I was sent as a prophet. This you find it mentioned in your Scripture as well as in Allah's covenant with you'. They said: 'O Muhammad! Be not deluded because you have defeated inexperienced people who have no knowledge of warfare. By Allah, if we were to fight, you will realize that we are the real thing'. Allah, exalted is He, then revealed (Say (O Muhammad) unto those who disbelieve) i.e. the Jews (Ye shall be overcome) you shall be defeated (and gathered unto Hell) in the Afterlife�; this is the narration of 'Ikrimah and Sa'id ibn Jubayr from Ibn 'Abbas.
Tafsir
Hafiz Ibn Kathir
Chains of transmission
Oral — isnād
- ~610–632 CERevelation & memorisation
Received by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved by the ḥuffāẓ (memorisers) among the Companions.
- 1st century AHMutawātir transmissionawaiting curation
Carried by mass-transmission through the generations of qurrāʾ.
- TodayLiving chainsawaiting curation
Continuous ijāzah chains link reciters today back to the Prophet ﷺ.
Verified isnād chains for this āyah will be added by curators.
Written — the manuscript record
- ~650 CEʿUthmānic codicesawaiting curation
The standardised muṣḥaf sent to the great cities (e.g. the Topkapı and Samarqand codices).
- 8th–10th c.Early Ḥijāzī & Kūfic foliosawaiting curation
Surviving leaves in Birmingham, Sanaa, Paris (BnF) and beyond.
- Modern printModern printawaiting curation
The 1924 Cairo edition → today: the standard printed muṣḥaf used worldwide.
A curated chain of manuscript images for this exact āyah — roughly one per century — is coming. Help us source and verify them.
And now — what do you think?
The text, its history and the classical commentary are laid out above. Share your own understanding, ask a question, or reason with others.
Community resources
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