Al-Mudázir 74:31 وما جعلنا اصحاب النار الا ملايكة وما جعلنا عدتهم الا فتنة للذين كفروا ليستيقن الذين اوتوا الكتاب ويزداد الذين امنوا ايمانا ولا يرتاب الذين اوتوا الكتاب والمومنون وليقول الذين في قلوبهم مرض والكافرون ماذا اراد الله بهاذا مثلا كذالك يضل الله من يشاء ويهدي من يشاء وما يعلم جنود ربك الا هو وما هي الا ذكرى للبشر ٣١
وَمَا
جَعَلۡنَآ
أَصۡحَٰبَ
ٱلنَّارِ
إِلَّا
مَلَٰٓئِكَةٗۖ
وَمَا
جَعَلۡنَا
عِدَّتَهُمۡ
إِلَّا
فِتۡنَةٗ
لِّلَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
لِيَسۡتَيۡقِنَ
ٱلَّذِينَ
أُوتُواْ
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
وَيَزۡدَادَ
ٱلَّذِينَ
ءَامَنُوٓاْ
إِيمَٰنٗا
وَلَا
يَرۡتَابَ
ٱلَّذِينَ
أُوتُواْ
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ
وَلِيَقُولَ
ٱلَّذِينَ
فِي
قُلُوبِهِم
مَّرَضٞ
وَٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ
مَاذَآ
أَرَادَ
ٱللَّهُ
بِهَٰذَا
مَثَلٗاۚ
كَذَٰلِكَ
يُضِلُّ
ٱللَّهُ
مَن
يَشَآءُ
وَيَهۡدِي
مَن
يَشَآءُۚ
وَمَا
يَعۡلَمُ
جُنُودَ
رَبِّكَ
إِلَّا
هُوَۚ
وَمَا
هِيَ
إِلَّا
ذِكۡرَىٰ
لِلۡبَشَرِ
٣١
And We have not made the keepers of the Fire except angels. And We have not made their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve - that those who were given the Scripture will be convinced and those who have believed will increase in faith and those who were given the Scripture and the believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease [i.e., hypocrisy] and the disbelievers will say, "What does Allāh intend by this as an example?" Thus does Allāh send astray whom He wills and guide whom He wills. And none knows the soldiers of your Lord except Him. And it [i.e., mention of the Fire] is not but a reminder to humanity.
— Saheeh International
We have appointed only ˹stern˺ angels as wardens of the Fire. And We have made their number only as a test for the disbelievers,1 so that the People of the Book will be certain, and the believers will increase in faith, and neither the People of the Book nor the believers will have any doubts, and so that those ˹hypocrites˺ with sickness in their hearts and the disbelievers will argue, “What does Allah mean by such a number?” In this way Allah leaves whoever He wills to stray and guides whoever He wills. And none knows the forces of your Lord except He. And this ˹description of Hell˺ is only a reminder to humanity.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Lee Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Number of Guardians of Hell and what the Disbelievers said about that
Allah says,
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَبَ النَّارِ
(And We have set none as (Ashab) guardians of the Fire) meaning, its guardians.
إِلاَّ مَلَئِكَةً
(but angels.) Guardian angels, stern and severe. This is a refutation of the idolators
…The Number of Guardians of Hell and what the Disbelievers said about that
Allah says,
وَمَا جَعَلْنَآ أَصْحَبَ النَّارِ
(And We have set none as (Ashab)
…