Yes, [on the contrary], whoever earns evil and his sin has encompassed him - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
Sahih International
Grammar, phrase by phrase
بَلَىٰ
(Yes, [on the contrary],)
بَلَىٰword 1
Answer Particle (بَلَىٰ / نَعَمْ) · حرف جوابAn answer particle is a one-word reply, and بَلَىٰ 'yes indeed!' is the one that affirms the very thing a preceding denial rejected. Their claim was 'the Fire will never touch us' — بَلَىٰ answers: on the contrary, it will. L20 · R23
Allah says: the matter is not as you have wished and hoped it to be.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:81–82
مَن كَسَبَ سَيِّئَةًۭ
(…whoever earns evil)
Root كسب — to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences) · 67 times in the Quran
Root سوا — evil, bad, wicked · 167 times in the Quran
مَنword 2
Conditional Particle · أداة شرطA conditional word sets up a two-part sentence — a condition and its result, often joined by a result فَ. مَن 'whoever' opens exactly that here: the condition 'whoever earns evil…', with the result arriving at فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ 'then those…'. L16 · R1
كَسَبَword 3
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. كَسَبَ speaks of an action already carried out: 'earned', from the root كسب: to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences). L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past-tense verb describes an action already completed. Its plain base shape — the shape Arabic uses for a single 'he' — carries no who-ending glued to its tail, and كَسَبَ is exactly that bare base: 'earned', from the root كسب: to earn, acquire (deeds, actions, consequences). L8 · R1
سَيِّئَةًۭword 4
Noun · اسمA word that accepts tanwīn — the doubled end-vowel mark ـً — is a noun, a naming word. سَيِّئَةً names an evil deed, from the root سوا — evil, bad, wicked. L1 · R2
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', most often marked by a ة — the round 'tied tā' — at its end. سَيِّئَةً carries exactly that round ة at its end, so it is treated as feminine: 'evil'. L2 · R1
Indefinite Noun · نكرةAn indefinite noun means 'a' or 'any' one of something — no particular one — and it never wears the definite article ال ('the'); instead it shows this with tanwīn, a doubled end-vowel mark. سَيِّئَةً carries the tanwīn ـً — the fathah ـَ doubled — marking it as unspecified: 'evil'. L2 · R8
Accusative · منصوبThe accusative is the ending a naming word takes when the action lands on it, shown by a fathah ـَ — a small slanted stroke above the last letter — doubled here to the tanwīn ـً. سَيِّئَةً ends in exactly that doubled fathah ـً. L2 · R11
Direct Object · مفعول بهThe direct object is the thing the action lands on, standing in the accusative — the landed-on form, here the doubled fathah ـً at the end of سَيِّئَةً. 'An evil' is what the earning lands on. L9 · R3
وَأَحَـٰطَتْ بِهِۦ خَطِيٓـَٔتُهُۥ
(…and his sin has encompassed him —)
Root حوط — to surround, to encompass, to guard · 28 times in the Quran
Root خطا — to sin, commit a sin, error · 22 times in the Quran
وَأَحَـٰطَتْword 5
Conjunction · حرف عطفThe prefix وَ at the front of وَأَحَـٰطَتْ is a conjunction — a small joining word meaning 'and' — linking what follows to what came before; the word it joins in must stand in the same grammatical case as its partner before the joint — the same role in the sentence, even when the two words write that case with different endings. L4 · R4
Verb · فعلA verb is a word for an action or happening that is always tied to a time — past, present/future, or a command. أَحَٰطَتْ speaks of an action already carried out: 'and surrounded him', from the root حوط: to surround, to encompass, to guard. L1 · R7
Past Tense Verb · فعل ماضٍA past tense verb describes what already happened, and who did it is shown by an ending added to the verb. The ending تْ — the 'she' marker, capped with the sukūn ـْ, the small circle meaning its sound stops there — closes أَحَٰطَتْ: 'it surrounded', speaking of the sin as 'she'; the أَ at the front is not a tense marker but belongs to the verb's form. L8 · R2
Weak Verb · فعل معتلA weak verb is a verb that carries و or ي — the 'weak' letters, which love to soften into long vowels or vanish — among its root letters. The root of أَحَٰطَتْ is حوط: to surround, to encompass, to guard — and its middle letter is the weak و, so the weakness sits in the middle of the root. L24 · R4
Form IV Verb · أَفْعَلَA Form IV verb is a verb stamped into the pattern that adds a hamza to the front of its three root letters — the way سَلِمَ 'was safe' becomes أَسْلَمَ 'submitted' — often giving the sense of making or causing the action. أَحَٰطَتْ carries that added hamza at its front: 'and surrounded him', from the root حوط: to surround, to encompass, to guard. L12 · R5
بِهِۦword 6
Preposition · حرف جرThe small prefix بِ at the front of بِهِۦ is a preposition — a little helper word meaning 'in/with' that relates one thing to another. A preposition 'pulls' the word that follows it into the genitive relationship — the 'of / in / with' role a word plays after such a little helper — though not every word shows that role with the same visible ending. L4 · R1
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA pronoun is a mini-word standing in for a name, here هِۦ 'him' — the one who earned the evil. Though the label reads it as a standalone word, it is written joined after the preposition بِ and works like the glued-on endings for 'his/him': around 'him'. L3 · R7
خَطِيٓـَٔتُهُۥword 7
Noun · اسمA word whose final vowel mark changes with its job in the sentence is a noun, a naming word. خَطِيٓـَٔتُ names sin, from the root خطا — to sin, commit a sin, error. L1 · R5
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she', typically marked by a ة at its end. خَطِيٓئَة 'sin' is such a word — and with the 'his' ending glued straight on, that marker appears here in its open written shape ت. This is why the verb before it wears the 'she' ending تْ. L2 · R1
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject of its sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. خَطِيٓـَٔتُ carries exactly that ḍammah ـُ on its ت. L2 · R10
Doer (Fa'il) · فاعلThe doer is the one performing the action in a verb-first sentence, standing in the nominative — shown here by the ḍammah ـُ, the small curl on the ت of خَطِيٓـَٔتُهُۥ. His own sin is what did the surrounding. L9 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word glued onto the end of another word; attached to a naming word, it shows possession. The ending هُۥ on خَطِيٓـَٔتُهُۥ stands for 'his': HIS sin. L3 · R6
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهA possessive (iḍāfah) chains two naming words into an 'of' phrase, and the owner comes second, taking the genitive — the owner's ending, usually a kasrah ـِ, a small stroke below the last letter. The ending هُۥ fills that owner slot: 'the sin OF him'; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the genitive is the role it fills. L5 · R5
"And his sin has surrounded him" — Abu Hurayrah, Abu Wa'il, 'Ata' and Al-Hasan said it means his Shirk has surrounded him; Ar-Rabi' bin Khuthaym said, whoever dies before repenting from his wrongs; Abu Al-'Aliyah, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and Ar-Rabi' bin Anas said it refers to major sins — all carrying similar meanings.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:81–82
فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ
(…those are the companions of the Fire;)
Root صحب — to accompany; companion, associate, dweller · 97 times in the Quran
Root نور — fire, light · 194 times in the Quran
فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَword 8
Result Particle · فاء الجوابThe result particle is a فَ that introduces the 'then' half of a condition — what follows once the condition holds. The prefix فَ here delivers the sentence's verdict: whoever earns evil and is engulfed by it — THEN those are the companions of the Fire. L14 · R2
Demonstrative Pronoun · اسم إشارةA demonstrative pronoun is a pointing word that singles out specific ones, near or far, and أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ is the far pointing word for a group: 'those'. L3 · R8
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ 'those' is that topic; a pointing word keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
أَصْحَـٰبُword 9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. أَصْحَٰبُ names such a thing: '(are the) companions', from the root صحب: to accompany; companion, associate, dweller. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. أَصْحَـٰبُ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is treated as 'he': a masculine noun. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more, made either by adding an ending or by reshaping the word from the inside — a 'broken' plural. أَصْحَٰبُ is such a reshaped plural: 'companions'. L2 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the ending a naming word takes as the subject or predicate of a sentence, shown by a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. أَصْحَٰبُ ends in exactly that ḍammah ـُ. L2 · R10
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that completes the meaning about the topic — Arabic implies the 'are' without writing it — and it can be a whole 'of' phrase. أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ 'companions of the Fire' is exactly that, completing 'those': those ARE the companions of the Fire; أَصْحَٰبُ keeps its own nominative ḍammah ـُ. L6 · R4
ٱلنَّارِ ۖword 10
Definite Article · أل التعريفThe definite article is the prefix ٱل at the front of a noun (a naming word); it means 'the' — one specific, known one. Because the next letter, ن, is one of the fourteen 'sun-letters' — letters made in the same part of the mouth as ل itself, which swallow the ل of ٱل so it is written but not heard — the ل of the prefix melts into it and doubles it, shown by the shaddah ـّ — a small w-shaped doubling mark written above the letter: ٱلنَّارِ. L2 · R9
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. نَّارِ names such a thing: '(of) the Fire', from the root نور: fire, light. L1 · R6
Feminine Noun · اسم مؤنثA feminine noun is a naming word Arabic treats as grammatically 'she'. Most feminine nouns wear a visible marker — a ة at the end, a final ى, or اء — but نَّارِ shows none of these: it is one of the words Arabic simply knows as feminine, learned with the word itself: '(of) the Fire'. L2 · R2
Genitive · مجرورThe genitive is the ending a noun (a naming word) takes as the owner in an 'of' phrase, marked by a kasrah ـِ — a small slanted stroke written below the final letter. أَصْحَـٰبُ and ٱلنَّارِ form such a pair, '(are the) companions (of) the Fire', and as the owner-word of that pair, ٱلنَّارِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L2 · R12
Possessive (Idafa) · مضاف إليهArabic says 'of' by chaining two nouns — two naming words — directly together: أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ reads '(are the) companions — (of) the Fire'. The second word of such a chain, the owner, always takes the genitive — the after-'of' ending, shown by a kasrah ـِ, a small slanted stroke written below the letter — and ٱلنَّارِ ends with exactly that kasrah ـِ. L5 · R5
Whoever does an evil deed and abides purposefully in his error, coming on the Day of Resurrection with no good deeds, only evil deeds, will be among the people of the Fire.
Ibn Kathir (abridged), on 2:81–82
هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
(…they will abide therein eternally.)
Root خلد — to abide eternally, to remain forever, eternity · 87 times in the Quran
هُمْword 11
Detached Pronoun · ضمير منفصلA detached pronoun is a standalone word for 'I/you/he/she/they'. هُمْ is the 'they' of that set — the companions of the Fire. L3 · R2
Subject (Mubtada') · مبتدأThe subject is the word a sentence opens by talking about — its topic — standing in the nominative, the topic's form, usually shown by a ḍammah ـُ, a small curl above the last letter. هُمْ 'they' is that topic; a pronoun keeps one fixed written shape, so the nominative is the role it fills. L6 · R2
فِيهَاword 12
Particle · حرفA particle is a small helper word of one to three letters that works like glue — it connects or adjusts other words rather than naming something or describing an action, and it can never be the one a sentence is about. فِي · 'in' is such a helper. L1 · R9
Preposition · حرف جرA preposition is a little helper word that relates one thing to another; Arabic keeps a short list of them — small words like فِي 'in', مِنْ 'from', and عَلَىٰ 'on'. فِي · 'in' is one of these relation-words. L4 · R2
Attached Pronoun · ضمير متصلAn attached pronoun is a mini-word for 'me / us / them' that cannot stand alone — it is glued onto the end of another word, and each form carries within it exactly who is meant. هَا · 'her/her' hangs on the little relation-word in فِيهَا, governed by the word it is fastened to. L3 · R6
خَـٰلِدُونَword 13
Noun · اسمA noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. خَٰلِدُونَ is such a naming word: '(will) abide forever', from the root خلد: to abide eternally, to remain forever, eternity. L1 · R6
Masculine Noun · اسم مذكرArabic treats every noun — every naming word — as grammatically 'he' or 'she'. Even as a plural, خَـٰلِدُونَ carries no feminine marker — no ة at its end, no final ى, no اء — so it takes the default and is a masculine noun; its ending is the 'sound' plural ending Arabic reserves for masculine nouns. L2 · R3
Plural Noun · جمعA plural noun refers to three or more of something. The sound masculine plural carries its role in its ending — ـُونَ for the nominative (the 'subject form', with the ḍammah ـُ sound), ـِينَ for the accusative and genitive (the 'object' and 'of' forms); خَـٰلِدُونَ closes with exactly such an ending: not one, but a whole group. L2 · R6
Nominative · مرفوعThe nominative is the form a naming word takes as the subject or predicate of its sentence, usually a ḍammah ـُ — a small curl above the last letter. This plural shows it instead by its ending ـُونَ, the subject form carrying the ḍammah ـُ sound — the form a completing word keeps. L2 · R6
Predicate (Khabar) · خبرThe predicate is the part that completes the meaning about the topic — Arabic implies the 'are' without writing it — and it stands in the nominative, shown here by the plural's subject-form ending ـُونَ. It completes هُمْ: they ARE abiding ones in it, forever. L6 · R3
Active Participle · اسم فاعلAn active participle is a naming word built from a verb's root, on the pattern فَاعِل, to name the doer of the action. خَٰلِدُونَ is on exactly that pattern — the long ā after its خ, written as the small raised stroke ٰ, and the kasrah ـِ, the small stroke below the ل — naming 'ones who abide'. L11 · R1
So far: “Yes, [on the contrary], whoever earns evil and his sin has encompassed him - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.”