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Al-Jinn 9

Ayah 9 of 28 · Meccan

وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقۡعُدُ مِنۡهَا مَقَٰعِدَ لِلسَّمۡعِۖ فَمَن يَسۡتَمِعِ ٱلۡأٓنَ يَجِدۡ لَهُۥ شِهَابٗا رَّصَدٗا ٩

And we used to sit therein in positions for hearing,1 but whoever listens now will find a burning flame lying in wait for him.

Translation: Saheeh International (English)

1 Before the prophethood of Muḥammad (ﷺ) the jinn used to collect information by eavesdropping on the angels and then pass it on to fortunetellers and soothsayers.

Word by word

Each word's meaning and sound

  1. وَأَنَّاAnd that wewa-annā
  2. كُنَّاused tokunnā
  3. نَقۡعُدُsitnaqʿudu
  4. مِنۡهَاthere inmin'hā
  5. مَقَٰعِدَpositionsmaqāʿida
  6. لِلسَّمۡعِۖfor hearinglilssamʿi
  7. فَمَنbut (he) whofaman
  8. يَسۡتَمِعِlistensyastamiʿi
  9. ٱلۡأٓنَnowl-āna
  10. يَجِدۡwill findyajid
  11. لَهُۥfor himlahu
  12. شِهَابٗاa flaming fireshihāban
  13. رَّصَدٗاwaitingraṣadan

Tafsir

And that we in the past used to assume positions in the sky from where we could hear what the angels were deliberating, and then we would convey this to the fortune-tellers on earth. Now things have changed. Anyone of us who now tries to listen finds a flaming fire ready for him. When he goes near, it is released on him and he is burnt by it.

Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran