Al-Ankaboot (The Spider)

55. “On the Day when the chastisement shall cover them from above them, and from beneath their feet, and He shall say: ‘Taste now what you were doing’.”

The encompassing punishment of Hell is because of the continuation of our wrong deeds.

This verse says:

“On the Day when the chastisement shall cover them from above them, and from beneath their feet, and He shall say: ‘Taste now what you were doing’.”

This verse may be an explanation for the punishment of Hell upon disbelievers on the Day of Hereafter, or it may be considered as an independent statement for their painful punishment which, as the result of their deeds, has surrounded them today, and tomorrow it will appear manifestly.

However, that the verse says:

“…from above them, and from beneath their feet…”

but it does not mention other limbs and other sides, it is, in fact, because of the evidence of the subject and clarity of the discussion. Moreover, when the flames of Fire come from under their feet and are poured over their heads from above them, the Fire will envelop the entire of their body and it will be from all sides to cover them.

Principally, this kind of meaning is used in languages including Persian and Arabic that they say so and so, from head to feet is covered with, for example, the pollution of impurity, which means his whole entity is covered with sin.

Thus, keeping this explanation in mind, the question that some commentators have faced with saying that why the sides of above and below have been mentioned and the rest of four sides are not pointed out is removed.

The sentence that Allah says:

“Taste now what you were doing”

not only is a kind of psychological punishment for such persons, but also declares this fact that the divine punishment is nothing but the reflection of the man’s own deeds in the growth of Hereafter.