The Majestic Quran

will be in the fire of Hell forever.” 24 Eventually, when they see what they are promised, they will instantly know who is the weakest helper and the smallest in number. 25 Say: “I don’t know whether the scourage you are promised is near, or if My Lord has postponed it. G H M 26 He is the Knower of the unseen and doesn’t reveal His secrets to anyone, 27 except the messengers of His choosing. To protect the messengers, He sends guardians who walk in front and behind them, 28 to ensure they can freely deliver the messages of their Lord. God knows what they have, and He keeps an exact count of all things.” 1 Literally “lamps”, but denotes stars. It can also refer to the shooting stars, which act like missiles against the devils. 2 This refers primarily to al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, a leader of the Quraysh and a staunch opponent of the Prophet r . 3 To disgrace him. 4 Either they failed to say “if God wills,” or they promised not to leave any fruits hanging on the trees for the poor. 5 This refers to the Prophet Jonah . 6 ‘Overturned cities’ could refer to Sodom and Gomorrah where the prophet Lot preached. 7 These were five idols they used to worship. 8 Shihab means a shooting star, flaming fires and a luminous meteor.