The Nineteen

Qur'aanic Verse 74:31:

Transliteration:

31. Wama jaAAalna as-haba alnnari illa mala-ikatan wama jaAAalna AAiddatahum illa fitnatan lillatheena kafaroo liyastayqina allatheena ootoo alkitaba wayazdada allatheena amanoo eemanan wala yartaba allatheena ootoo alkitaba waalmu/minoona waliyaqoola allatheena fee quloobihim maradun waalkafiroona matha arada Allahu bihatha mathalan kathalika yudillu Allahu man yashao wayahdee man yashao wama yaAAlamu junooda rabbika illa huwa wama hiya illa thikra lilbashari

Translation:

31. And We have appointed none but angels as Guardians of the Fire. And We have not fixed their number [19], but only as a trial for those who suppress the Truth, and as a means of certainty for the People of the Book and increase in Faith for the Believers, so that no doubts are left for the People of the Book and the Believers, and that those in whose hearts is a disease and the suppressors of the Truth may say, “What intention does Allah have by this issue [of appointing only 19 guards for hundreds of thousands of sinners put in Hell]?” Thus does Allah send astray whom He wills and guide whom He wills. And none but He knows [the enormity of] your Lord’s forces! And this [Qur’aan] is nothing but  Admonition/Reminder for mankind.^{2, 3}

^{Study Notes:}

2. When this Qur’aanic Chapter was being revealed in Mecca, the 19 guards of Hell became a matter of ridicule for the polytheists there. Reportedly, a hefty one told the others that he, by himself alone, would take care of 17 of those guards and asked them to take care of the other two! Those polytheists were not intelligent enough to understand that 19 was just a number to delude them. Allah Almighty is, by himself alone, capable of handling billions of prisoners in Hell. And the 19 guards of hell would not be men, but angels, specially created for the job there. The believers, and the people of the Book [Jews and Christians], could, on the other hand, understand the enormous strength of the divine forces.

3. Those 7^th century plytheists apart, a man [Rashad Khalifah] in the last [20^th] century was misled by this figure 19 into believing that he himself was a messenger of Allah come to rid the Qur’aan of two ‘false’ verses that had somehow got inserted therein, despite Allah’s unequivocal declaration [Verse 15:9] that He would protect it!

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An extract from yet-to-be-published Qur'aanic Studies Manzil VII.

Mohammad Shafi