Ash-Shu'araa - Ayah 97

Those Who have Taqwa and the Astray on the Day of Resurrection, and the Arguments and Sorrow of the Erring وَأُزْلِفَتِ الْجَنَّةُ (And Paradise will be brought near) means, it will be brought close to its people, adorned and decorated for them to behold it. Its people are the pious who preferred it to whatever was in this world, and strove for it in this world. وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ (And the (Hell) Fire will be placed in full view of the astray.) meaning, it will be shown to them and a neck will stretch forth from it, moaning and sighing, and their hearts will reach their throats. It will be said to its people by way of reproach and rebuke: وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ - مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَنتَصِرُونَ (Where are those that you used to worship instead of Allah Can they help you or help themselves) meaning, `the gods and idols whom you used to worship instead of Allah cannot help you today, and they cannot even protect themselves. You and they are fuel for Hell today, which you will surely enter.' فَكُبْكِبُواْ فِيهَا هُمْ وَالْغَاوُونَ (Then they will be thrown on their faces into it (the Fire), they and the astray.) Mujahid said, "This means, they will be hurled into it." Others said: "They will be thrown on top of one another, the disbelievers and their leaders who called them to Shirk. " وَجُنُودُ إِبْلِيسَ أَجْمَعُونَ (And all of the hosts of Iblis together.) they will all be thrown into it. قَالُواْ وَهُمْ فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ - تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ - إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (They will say while contending therein, "By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error, when we held you as equals with the Lord of all that exists.") The weak ones among them will say to their arrogant leaders: `Verily, we were following you; can you avail us anything from the Fire' Then they will realize that themselves are to blame and will say: a تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ - إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error, when we held you as equals with the Lord of all that exists.) meaning, `we obeyed your commands as we should have obeyed the commands of the Lord of the all that exits, and we worshipped you along with the Lord of all that exits.' وَمَآ أَضَلَّنَآ إِلاَّ الْمُجْرِمُونَ (And none has brought us into error except the criminals.) meaning, `nobody called us to do that except the evildoers.' فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَـفِعِينَ (Now we have no intercessors.) This is like the Ayah which tells us that they will say: فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُواْ لَنَآ أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ (...now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf Or could we be sent back so that we might do deeds other than those deeds which we used to do) (7:53). Similarly, in this Surah, Allah tells us that they will say: فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَـفِعِينَ - وَلاَ صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ (Now we have no intercessors, nor a close friend.) فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ((Alas!) If we only had a chance to return, we shall truly be among the believers!) They will wish that they could come back to this world so that they could do deeds of obedience to their Lord -- as they claim -- but Allah knows that if they were to come back to this world, they would only go back to doing forbidden things, and He knows that they are liars. Allah tells us in Surah Sad about how the people of Hell will argue with one another, as He says: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ (Verily, that is the very truth -- the mutual dispute of the people of the Fire!) (38:64) Then He says: إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ (Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.) meaning, in the dispute of Ibrahim with his people and his proof of Tawhid there is a sign, i.e., clear evidence that there is no God but Allah. إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ - وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ (yet most of them are not believers. And verily, your Lord, He is truly the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)