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ʾa-fa-man yattaqī bi-wajhihī sūʾa l-ʿadhābi yawma l-qiyāmati wa-qīla li-ẓ-ẓālimīna dhūqū mā kuntum taksibūna
What! Is someone who fends off with his face the terrible punishment [meted out to him] on the Day of Resurrection…? And the wrongdoers will be told, ‘Taste what you used to earn.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Zumar - Verse 24
24. Is he then who will confronts with his face the awful torment on the Day of Resurrection [through faith and righteous good deeds on a par with one who neglects Divine Wrath on the Day of Resurrection]? And [on that Day] it will be said to the wrong doers]: “Taste what you used to ear!”
The fruit of fearing God Almighty is to turn his face away from Divine Wrath on the Day of Resurrection. The blessed Verse in question compares wrong doers and sinners with the believers whose state has been already mention so that such comparison shed more light on realities. The Verse in question asks:
It is noteworthy that the Verse says:
The word face is used in this expression since it is one of the most organs of the body and the significant human sources, i.e., vision, hearing, smell, and taste, are in it and human beings are basically recognized through their faces; that is why they try to shield their hands, arms, and other organs against it to save it from perils. However, the wrong doing people of Hell have to defend themselves with their faces, as their hands and feet are in fetters and shackles as mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an28:
Some have maintained that the expression indicates that they will be cast into Fire on their faces, so that their first organ touching the fire will be their faces, as it is mentioned in 27:90,
It is also held that the expression solely implies their inability to save themselves from Hell fire. The three interpretations are not inconsistent and they may all be comprehended from the contextual content of the Verse. The blessed Verse further adds:
Angels responsible for inflicting torment inform them of the excruciating reality that the torment is the consequence of what you used to earn. Now they embrace and hurt you and the expression per se is another mental torment for them. It is worthy of note that the Verse does not say: “Taste the consequences of your deeds,” but it says:
which is another piece of evidence for
Footnotes