39:24 Az-Zumar (The Groups)

أي: أفيستوي هذا الذي هداه اللّه، ووفقه لسلوك الطريق الموصلة لدار كرامته، كمن كان في الضلال واستمر على عناده حتى قدم القيامة، فجاءه العذاب العظيم فجعل يتقي بوجهه الذي هو أشرف الأعضاء، وأدنى شيء من العذاب يؤثر فيه، فهو يتقي فيه سوء العذاب لأنه قد غلت يداه ورجلاه، { وَقِيلَ لِلظَّالِمِينَ } أنفسهم، بالكفر والمعاصي، توبيخا وتقريعا: { ذُوقُوا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ }

يقول تعالى "أفمن يتقي بوجهه سوء العذاب يوم القيامة" ويقرع فيقال له ولأمثاله من الظالمين "ذوقوا ما كنتم تكسبون" كمن يأتي آمنا يوم القيامة كما قال عز وجل "أفمن يمشي مكبا على وجهه أهدى أم من يمشي سويا على صراط مستقيم" وقال جل وعلا "يوم يسحبون في النار على وجوههم ذوقوا مس سقر" وقال تبارك وتعالى "أفمن يلقى في النار خير أم من يأتي آمنا يوم القيامة" واكتفى في هذه الآية بأحد القسمين عن الآخر كقول الشاعر: فما أدري إذا يممت أرضا أريد الخير أيهما يليني يعنى الخير أو الشر.

The Final Destination of the Disbelievers

أَفَمَن يَتَّقِى بِوَجْهِهِ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ

(Is he then, who will confront with his face the awful torment on the Day of Resurrection) he will be rebuked and he and the evildoers like him will be told:

ذُوقُواْ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ

(Taste what you used to earn!) `Is this like the one who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection' as Allah says:

أَفَمَن يَمْشِى مُكِبّاً عَلَى وَجْهِهِ أَهْدَى أَمَّن يَمْشِى سَوِيّاً عَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

(Is he who walks prone on his face, more rightly guided, or he who walks upright on the straight way) (67:22);

يَوْمَ يُسْحَبُونَ فِى النَّارِ عَلَى وُجُوهِهِمْ ذُوقُواْ مَسَّ سَقَرَ

(The Day they will be dragged on their faces into the Fire (it will be said to them): "Taste you the touch of Hell!") (54:48), and

أَفَمَن يُلْقَى فِى النَّارِ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّن يَأْتِى ءَامِناً يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ

(Is he who is cast into the Fire better or he who comes secure on the Day of Resurrection) (41:40) In each of these Ayat, it was sufficient to refer to one of the two groups.

كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَـهُمُ الْعَـذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ

(Those before them denied, and so the torment came on them from directions they perceived not.) means, the previous generations who denied the Messengers were destroyed by Allah for their sins. And none had they to protect them from Allah.

فَأَذَاقَهُمُ اللَّهُ الْخِزْىَ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا

(So Allah made them to taste the disgrace in the present life,) means, by means of the punishment and revenge which He sent down upon them, and the rejoicing of the believers for what happened to them. So, let those who are addressed beware, for they have rejected the noblest of the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets . And what Allah has promised them of severe punishment in the Hereafter is worse than whatever befell them in this world. Allah says:

وَلَعَذَابُ الاٌّخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ

(but greater is the torment of the Hereafter if they only knew!)

وَلَقَدْ ضَرَبْنَا لِلنَّاسِ فِى هَـذَا الْقُرْءَانِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ - قُرْءَاناً عَرَبِيّاً غَيْرَ ذِى عِوَجٍ لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ

Is he who will be fending off is he who will encounter with his face the awful chastisement on the Day of Resurrection …? that is the most severe chastisement when he is flung into the Fire with his hands bound to his neck in fetters is he like one who will be secure from it by entering Paradise? And it will be said to the wrongdoers namely the disbelievers of Mecca ‘Taste now what you used to earn’ that is taste the requital for it.

Commentary

Verse أَفَمَن يَتَّقِي بِوَجْهِهِ (Tell Me about the one who tries to save himself from the worst punishment with his face ...) carries a description of the terrifying scenario of Jahannam. If one faces something hurtful in his mortal life, he tries to fight it off by using his hands and feet as defensive shields to protect his face. But, refuge with Allah, the people of Jahannam will not be able to use even their hands and feet to defend themselves. The punishment that comes will fall directly on their faces. Even if he wished to ward off the punishment in defense, he would have no option but to use his very face as the shield, because he would have been thrown in Jahannam with his hands and feet tied. We seek refuge with Allah from such a fate.

Out of the authorities of Tafsir, ` Ata and Ibn Zayd said that a person condemned to Jahannam will have his hands and feet tied before being dragged in there. (Qurtubi)