38:56 Saad (The letter Saad)

ثم فصله فقال: { جَهَنَّمَ } التي جمع فيها كل عذاب، واشتد حرها، وانتهى قرها { يَصْلَوْنَهَا } أي: يعذبون فيها عذابا يحيط بهم من كل وجه، لهم من فوقهم ظلل من النار ومن تحتهم ظلل.{ فَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ } المعد لهم مسكنا ومستقرا.

لما ذكر تبارك وتعالى مآل السعداء ثنى بذكر حال الأشقياء ومرجعهم ومآبهم فى دار معادهم وحسابهم فقال عز وجل "هذا وإن للطاغين" وهم الخارجون عن طاعة اللّه عز وجل المخالفون لرسل اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم "لشر مآب " أي لسوء منقلب ومرجع ثم فسره بقوله جل وعلا "جهنم يصلونها" أي يدخلونها فتغمرهم من جميع جوانبهم " فبئس المهاد هذا فليذوقوه حميم وغساق" أم الحميم فهو الحار الذي قد أنتهى حره وأما الغساق فهو ضده وهو البارد الذي لا يستطاع من شدة برده المؤلم ولهذا قال عز وجل "وآخر من شكله أزواج" أي وأشياء من هذا القبيل: الشيء وضده يعاقبون بها قال الإمام أحمد حدثنا حسن بن موسى حدثنا ابن لهيعة حدثنا دراج عن أبي الهيثم عن أبي سعيد رضي الله عنه عن رسول اللّه صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال "لو أن دلوا من غساق يهراق في الدنيا لأنتن أهل الدنيا" ورواه الترمذي عن سويد بن نصر عن ابن المبارك عن رشدين بن سعد عن عمرو بن الحارث عن دراج به ثم قال لا نعرفه إلا من حديث رشدين كذا قال وقد تقدم من غير حديثه ورواه ابن جرير عن يونس بن عبد الأعلى عن ابن وهب عن عمرو بن الحارث به. وقال كعب الأحبار: غساق عين في جهنم يسيل إليها حمة كل ذات حمة من حية وعقرب وغير ذلك فيستنقع فيؤتي بالآدمي فيغمس فيها غمسة واحدة فيخرج وقد سقط جلده ولحمه عن العظام ويتعلق جلده ولحمه في كعبيه وعقبيه ويجر لحمه كله كما يجر الرجل ثوبه رواه ابن أبي حاتم.

The Final Return of the Doomed

Having mentioned the final of the blessed, Allah follows that with mention of the final return of the doomed when they are resurrected and brought to account. Allah says:

هَـذَا وَإِنَّ لِلطَّـغِينَ

(This is so! And for the Taghin), which refers to those who disobey Allah, may He be glorified, and oppose the Messengers of Allah, peace be upon them,

لَشَرَّ مَـَابٍ

(will be an evil final return.) means, the worst final return. Then Allah explains it by saying,

جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا

(Hell! Where they will enter) means, they will enter it and it will overwhelm them on all sides.

جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا فَبِئْسَ الْمِهَادُ - هَـذَا فَلْيَذُوقُوهُ حَمِيمٌ وَغَسَّاقٌ

(and worst (indeed) is that place to rest! This is so! Then let them taste it -- Hamim and Ghassaq.) Hamim is something that has been heated to the ultimate degree, and Ghassaq is the opposite, something that is so intensely cold that it is unbearable. Allah says:

وَءَاخَرُ مِن شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَجٌ

(And other of similar kind (oppasite pairs) -- all together!) means, and other things of this kind, a thing and its opposite, serving as punishments. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, concerning the Ayah:

وَءَاخَرُ مِن شَكْلِهِ أَزْوَجٌ

(And other of similar kind -- all together!) "Different kinds of punishments." Others said, such as intense cold and intense heat, and drinking Hamim and eating the bitter tree of Az-Zaqqum, and being lifted up and thrown down, and other kinds of paired opposites, all of which are means of punishment.

The Disputes of the People of Hell

هَـذَا فَوْجٌ مُّقْتَحِمٌ مَّعَكُمْ لاَ مَرْحَباً بِهِمْ إِنَّهُمْ صَالُو النَّارِ

(This is a troop entering with you (in Hell), no welcome for them! Verily, they shall enter in the Fire!) Here Allah tells us what the people of Hell will say to one another. This is like the Ayah:

كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا

(Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before)) (7:38), which means, instead of greeting one another, they will curse one another, accuse one another of being liars and reject one another. When a new group arrives, the keepers of Hell will say,

هَـذَا فَوْجٌ مُّقْتَحِمٌ مَّعَكُمْ لاَ مَرْحَباً بِهِمْ إِنَّهُمْ صَالُو النَّارِ

(This is a troop entering with you (in Hell), no welcome for them! Verily, they shall enter in the Fire!) meaning, because they are of the people of Hell.

قَالُواْ بَلْ أَنتُمْ لاَ مَرْحَباً بِكُمْ

(Nay, you (too)! No welcome for you!) means, those who are coming in will say,

بَلْ أَنتُمْ لاَ مَرْحَباً بِكُمْ أَنتُمْ قَدَّمْتُمُوهُ لَنَا

(Nay, you (too)! No welcome for you! It is you who brought this upon us,) meaning, `you called us to that which led us to this fate.'

فَبِئْسَ الْقَرَارُ

(so evil is this place to stay in!) means, evil is this abode and this destination.

قَالُواْ رَبَّنَا مَن قَدَّمَ لَنَا هَـذَا فَزِدْهُ عَذَاباً ضِعْفاً فِى النَّارِ

(They will say: "Our Lord! Whoever brought this upon us, add to him a double torment in the Fire!"). This is like the Ayah,

قَالَتْ أُخْرَاهُمْ لاٍّولَـهُمْ رَبَّنَا هَـؤُلاءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَاتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ النَّارِ قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَعْلَمُونَ

(The last of them will say to the first of them: "Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire." He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.") (7:38), which means that each of them will be punished as he deserves.

وَقَالُواْ مَا لَنَا لاَ نَرَى رِجَالاً كُنَّا نَعُدُّهُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّشْرَارِ - أَتَّخَذْنَـهُمْ سِخْرِيّاً أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنْهُمُ الأَبْصَـرُ

(And they will say: "What is the matter with us that we see not men whom we used to count among the bad ones Did we take them as an object of mockery, or have (our) eyes failed to perceive them") Here Allah tells us that when they are in Hell, the disbelievers will notice that they do not see people who they thought were misguided, while they thought of themselves as believers. They will say, `why do we not see them with us in the Fire' Mujahid said, "This is what Abu Jahl will say; he will say, `what is the matter with me that I do not see Bilal and `Ammar and Suhayb and so-and-so...' This is an example; all the disbelievers are like this, they think that the believers will go to Hell, so when the disbelievers enter Hell, they will wonder why they do not see them there, and they will say,

مَا لَنَا لاَ نَرَى رِجَالاً كُنَّا نَعُدُّهُمْ مِّنَ الاٌّشْرَارِأَتَّخَذْنَـهُمْ سِخْرِيّاً

(What is the matter with us that we see not men whom we used to count among the bad ones Did we take them as an object of mockery,) means, in this world,

أَمْ زَاغَتْ عَنْهُمُ الأَبْصَـرُ

(or have (our) eyes failed to perceive them) means, they will try to console themselves with this wishful thinking, so they will say, perhaps they are here in Hell with us, but we have not laid eyes on them. Then they will find out that they (the believers) are in the lofty levels of Paradise, as Allah says:

وَنَادَى أَصْحَـبُ الْجَنَّةِ أَصْحَـبَ النَّارِ أَن قَدْ وَجَدْنَا مَا وَعَدَنَا رَبُّنَا حَقًّا فَهَلْ وَجَدتُّم مَّا وَعَدَ رَبُّكُمْ حَقًّا قَالُواْ نَعَمْ فَأَذَّنَ مُؤَذِّنٌ بَيْنَهُمْ أَن لَّعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّـلِمِينَ

(And the dwellers of Paradise will call out to the dwellers of the Fire (saying): "We have indeed found true what our Lord had promised us; have you also found true what your Lord promised (warned)" They shall say: "Yes." Then a crier will proclaim between them: "The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers.") until:

ادْخُلُواْ الْجَنَّةَ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلاَ أَنتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ

(Enter Paradise, no fear shall be on you, nor shall you grieve.) (7:44-49)

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ

(Verily, that is the very truth -- the mutual dispute of the people of the Fire!) means, `this that We have told you, O Muhammad, about the dispute among the people of Hell and their cursing one another, is true and there is no doubt concerning it.'

Hell which they will enter — an evil resting place!

In verse 52, it was said: وَعِندَهُمْ قَاصِرَ‌اتُ الطَّرْ‌فِ أَتْرَ‌ابٌ (and in their company there will be females restricting their glances ] to their husbands, and[ of matching ages.). Meant by these are the Hurs or Houris of Jannah (referred to, fondly enough for some people, even as 'nymphs of Paradise' ). Being of matching ages could mean that they will be of the same age as among themselves. And it could also mean that they will be of the same age as their spouses. In the first situation, if they were of the same age, the good thing. about it would be that they would be relating to each other in mutual amity as friends, and not as 'the other woman' something very welcome for spouses.

Consideration of matching age between spouses is better

Then there is the other situation. If being of the same age is taken to mean that spouses will be of the same age, the good thing about it would be that there would be temperamental harmony between them, and they will have consideration for each other's preferences. This tells us that consideration should be made to keep ages of spouses matched, for it generates mutual love, and makes the relationship of marriage pleasant and permanent.