وَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِى ٱلْأَصْفَادِ
38:39.
Important Words:
مقرنین (bound) is derived from قرن (qarrana) which is derived from قرن (qarana). They say قرن بین الشیء و الشیء i.e. he brought or placed the two things together. قرن الشیء با لشیء means, he bound the thing with the other, placing them together قرنه (qarrana-hu) means, he collected the thing together and bound it. The Arabs say قرنت الاساری فی الحبال i.e. the captives were bound together with ropes (Aqrab).
الاصفاد (chains) is the plural of الصفد which means: (1) a chain or anything with which a thing is bound or tied; (2) favour or gift bestowed on someone, perhaps because it, as it were, binds the receiver to the giver (Aqrab).
Commentary:
The rewards and punishments of the life to come will represent the disbelievers’ actions in the present life. As in this world sinners commit their deeds at the instigation or with the help of each other, therefore, in the life to come, they will be represented as shackled and bound together, the chains representing the misdeeds of the sinful.
38:39.