37:24 As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks)

وبعد ما يتعين أمرهم إلى النار، ويعرفون أنهم من أهل دار البوار، يقال: { وَقِفُوهُمْ } قبل أن توصلوهم إلى جهنم { إِنَّهُمْ مَسْئُولُونَ } عما كانوا يفترونه في الدنيا، ليظهر على رءوس الأشهاد كذبهم وفضيحتهم.

أي قفوهم حتى يسئلوا عن أعمالهم وأقوالهم التي صدرت عنهم في الدار الدنيا كما قال الضحاك عن ابن عباس يعني احبسوهم إنهم محاسبون. وقال ابن أبي حاتم حدثنا أبي حدثنا النفيلي حدثنا المعتمر بن سليمان قال سمعت ليثا يحدث عن بشير عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "أيما داع دعا إلى شيء كان موقوفا معه إلى يوم القيامة لا يغادره ولا يفارقه وإن دعا رجل رجلا" ثم قرأ "وقفوهم إنهم مسئولون" ورواه الترمذي من حديث ليث بن أبي سليم ورواه ابن جرير عن يعقوب بن إبراهيم عن معتمر عن ليث عن رجل عن أنس رضي الله عنه مرفوعا.

The Day of Recompense

Allah tells us what the disbeliever will say on the Day of Resurrection, how they will blame themselves and admit that they wronged themselves in this world. When they see the horrors of the Day of Resurrection with their own eyes, they will be filled with regret at the time when regret will not avail them anything.

وَقَالُواْ يوَيْلَنَا هَـذَا يَوْمُ الدِّينِ

(They will say: "Woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense!") And the angels and the believers will say:

هَـذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ الَّذِى كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ

(This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny.) This will be said to them as a rebuke and reproof. Allah will command the angels to separate the disbeliever from the believers in the place where they are standing. Allah says:

احْشُرُواْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَأَزْوَجَهُمْ

((It will be said to the angels:) Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) An-Nu`man bin Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Their companions means their counterparts, those who are like them." This was also the view of Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Abu Salih, Abu Al-`Aliyah and Zayd bin Aslam." Sharik said, narrating from Simak, from An-Nu`man: "I heard `Umar say:

احْشُرُواْ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ وَأَزْوَجَهُمْ

(Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) means, `Those who are like them. So those who committed Zina will be gathered with others who committed Zina, those who dealt in Riba will be gathered with others who dealt in Riba, those who drank wine will be gathered with others who drank wine.' Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn `Abbas:

وَأَزْوَجُهُمْ

(their companions) means "Their friends."

وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعْبُدُونَمِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

(and what they used to worship. Instead of Allah,) means, instead of Allah, i.e., their idols and false gods will be gathered together with them in the same place.

فَاهْدُوهُمْ إِلَى صِرَطِ الْجَحِيمِ

(and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire.) means, take them to the way to Hell. This is like the Ayah:

وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire) (17:97).

وَقِفُوهُمْ إِنَّهُمْ مَّسْئُولُونَ

(But stop them, verily, they are to be questioned.) means, stop them so that they may be questioned about the things they did and said in this world. As Ad-Dahhak said, narrating from Ibn `Abbas, this means, `detain them, for they are to be brought to account.' `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said, "I heard `Uthman bin Za'idah say, `The first thing about which a man will be asked is the company that he kept. Then by way of rebuke, it will be said to them:

مَا لَكُمْ لاَ تَنَـصَرُونَ

(What is the matter with you Why do you not help one another)."' meaning, `as you claimed that you would all help one another.'

بَلْ هُمُ الْيَوْمَ مُسْتَسْلِمُونَ

(Nay, but that Day they shall surrender.) means, they will be subjected to the command of Allah, and they will not be able to resist it or avoid it. And Allah knows best.

But first stop them detain them on the path for they must be questioned about all their sayings and deeds and it will be said to them in rebuke

After that, a command will go forth to angels: فَاهْدُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ صِرَ‌اطِ الْجَحِيمِ (and show them the way to Jahannam - 37:23). When the angels will take them away, and reach close to the Bridge of Sirat, they will be commanded: YP (make them stop - they are to be questioned - 37:24). Thereupon, at this place, they will be questioned about their beliefs and deeds - that have been mentioned in the Qur'an and Hadith at many places.

And halt them. Surely they will be questioned. One group will be questioned by way of rebuke, and another group will be questioned because of chastisement. Those who are the folk of chastisement will be kept on the bridge of the Narrow Path and will be questioned before witnesses, while God is angry toward them. It will be said to them, “Today I have thrown your judgment back to you: Thy soul suffices thee today as a reckoner against thee [17:14].” Their black register and bad deeds will be held before their faces. It will be said, “When these are someone's works, what is his recompense?” Unwillingly they will say, “His recompense is the Fire.” Then the call will come, “Enter it by your own judgment!” It has been reported that when Pharaoh claimed Godhood and said, “I am your Lord the most high” [79:24], Gabriel came into his road in the form of a mortal man and asked him, “What do you say about a chieftain who pulls up his slave, gives him possessions, position, and blessings, and then makes him the headman and paragon for others, but the slave wants to be the paragon over his own chieftain. What is his recompense?” Pharaoh said, “His recompense is that he be drowned in water so that others may take heed of him.” From the Exalted Presence the command came, “O Gabriel, remember this fatwa on the day when I pull him into the sea and drown him by his own fatwa.” As for the group who are questioned by way of rebuke and not because of chastisement, they are those who are faithful in belief, tawḤīd-voicers through the affection in their hearts and the truthfulness of their love, but they are sinners and have fallen short in their deeds. The Real will question them, but He will conceal their defects from the people. He will remind them of their sins, but He will not hold back His pardon and forgiveness from them, and He will question them in seclusion. A sound report says, “God will bring the person of faith close, then place His wing over him and curtain him. He will say, 'Do you recognize this sin? Do you recognize that sin?' “He will say, 'Yes, my Lord,' until he confirms his sins and sees in himself that he will perish.