Having told us how the blessed will be (in Paradise), Allah now starts to
tell us what the state of doomed will be. He says:
[وَالَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ]
(But those who disbelieve, for them will be the fire of Hell. Neither will it
have a complete killing effect on them so that they die) This is like the Ayah:
[لاَ يَمُوتُ فِيهَا
وَلاَ يَحْيَى]
(Wherein he will neither die nor live) (20:74). It was reported in Sahih
Muslim that the Messenger of Allah said:
«أَمَّا أَهْلُ
النَّارِ الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَهْلُهَا، فَلَا يَمُوتُونَ فِيهَا وَلَا
يَحْيَوْن»
(As for the people of Hell who will dwell therein, they will neither live nor
die there. ) And Allah says:
[وَنَادَوْاْ
يمَـلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ مَّـكِثُونَ ]
(And they will cry (to the keeper of Hell): "O Malik! Let your Lord make an
end of us.'' He will say: "Verily, you shall abide forever.'') (43:77). When
they are in this state, they will think that if only they could die, it would be
a time of rest for them, but that can never happen to them. Allah says:
[لاَ يُقْضَى
عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ وَلاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا]
(Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die nor
shall its torment be lightened for them. ) This is like the Ayat:
[إِنَّ
الْمُجْرِمِينَ فِى عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ خَـلِدُونَ - لاَ يُفَتَّرُ عَنْهُمْ وَهُمْ
فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ ]
(Verily, the criminals will be in the torment of Hell to abide therein
forever. (That) will not be lightened for them, and they will be plunged into
destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and in despair therein.) (43:74-75).
[كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ
زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا]
(whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire)
(17:97), and
[فَذُوقُواْ فَلَن
نَّزِيدَكُمْ إِلاَّ عَذَاباً ]
(So taste you. No increase shall We give you, except in torment.) (78:30).
Then Allah says:
[كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى
كُلَّ كَفُورٍ]
(Thus do We requite every disbeliever!) meaning, this is the recompense of
everyone who disbelieved in his Lord and denied the truth.
[وَهُمْ
يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا]
(Therein they will cry) means, they will call out in the Fire, beseeching
Allah with their voices:
[رَبَّنَآ
أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَـلِحاً غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُـنَّا نَعْمَلُ]
("Our Lord! Bring us out, we shall do righteous good deeds, not that we used
to do.'') which means, they will ask to go back to the worldly life so that they
can do something different to the first deeds they did. But Allah, may He be
glorified, knows that if He sent them back to this world, they would go back to
what they had been forbidden to do, and He knows that they are lying, so He will
not respond to their plea. This is like the Ayah where Allah tells us that they
will say:
[فَهَلْ إِلَى
خُرُوجٍ مِّن سَبِيلٍذَلِكُم بِأَنَّهُ إِذَا دُعِىَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ كَـفَرْتُمْ
وَإِن يُشْرَكْ بِهِ تُؤْمِنُواْ]
(Then is there any way to get out (of the Fire). (It will be said): "This is
because, when Allah Alone was invoked you disbelieved (denied), but when
partners were joined to Him, you believed!) (40:11,12) i.e., `there will be no
response for you because you were like that; if you were to return to this
world, you would just go back to that which you had been forbidden to do.' Allah
says here:
[أَوَلَمْ
نُعَمِّرْكُمْ مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَآءَكُمُ
النَّذِيرُ]
(Did We not give you lives long enough, so that whosoever would receive
admonition could receive it And the warner came to you.) meaning, `did you not
live for long enough in the world that if you were to be among those who would
benefit from the truth, you would have benefited from it during your lifetimes'
Imam Ahmad recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that
the Prophet said:
«لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ
اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى عَبْدٍ أَحْيَاهُ حَتْى بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ أَوْ سَبْعِينَ
سَنَةً، لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ، لَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ اللهُ تَعَالَى
إِلَيْه»
(Allah has left no excuse for the person who lives to be sixty or seventy
years old; Allah has left no excuse for him; Allah has left no excuse for him.)
Imam Al-Bukhari also recorded, in the Book of Riqaq in his Sahih, that Abu
Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah said:
«أَعْذَرَ اللهُ
عَزَّ وَجَلَّ إِلَى امْرِىءٍ أَخَّرَ عُمْرَهُ حَتْى بَلَغَ سِتِّينَ
سَنَة»
(Allah has left no excuse for a man who reaches the age of sixty.)'' Ibn
Jarir recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The
Messenger of Allah said:
«مَنْ عَمَّرَهُ
اللهُ تَعَالَى سِتِّينَ سَنَةً فَقَدْ أَعْذَرَ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْعُمْر»
(Whoever is granted a long life until the age of sixty, Allah has left no
excuse for him.)'' This was also recorded by Imam Ahmad and An-Nasa'i in
Ar-Riqaq. Because this is the age at which Allah removes any excuse from His
servants, this is the usual age of people in this Ummah, as was reported in the
Hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, "The Messenger
of Allah said:
«أَعْمَارُ أُمَّتِي
مَا بَيْنَ السِّتِّينَ إِلَى السَّبْعِينَ، وَأَقَلُّهُمْ مَنْ يَجُوزُ
ذَلِك»
(The usual life span in my Ummah is between sixty and seventy years, and only
a few pass this age.)'' This was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah in
the Book of Zuhd [of his Sunan].
[وَجَآءَكُمُ
النَّذِيرُ]
(And the warner came to you. ) It was reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be
pleased with him, `Ikrimah, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir, may Allah be pleased with him,
Qatadah and Sufyan bin `Uyaynah said, "This means grey hair.'' As-Suddi and
`Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said, "This means the Messenger of Allah '' and
Ibn Zayd recited,
[هَـذَا نَذِيرٌ
مِّنَ النُّذُرِ الاٍّوْلَى ]
(This is a warner of the (series of) warners of old.) (53:56). This is the
correct view according to Shayban who narrated that Qatadah said, "Proof will be
established against them by the fact that they lived long enough and that
Messengers came to them.'' This is also the view favored by Ibn Jarir, and it is
the apparent meaning of the Ayah:
[وَنَادَوْاْ
يمَـلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ مَّـكِثُونَ - لَقَدْ
جِئْنَـكُم بِالْحَقِّ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَكُمْ لِلْحَقِّ كَـرِهُونَ ]
(And they will cry (to the keeper of Hell): "O Malik! Let your Lord make an
end of us.'' He will say: "Verily, you shall abide forever.'' Indeed We have
brought the truth to you, but most of you have a hatred for the
truth.)(43:77-78) meaning: `We showed you the truth clearly through the
Messengers, but you rejected it and opposed it.' And Allah says:
[وَمَا كُنَّا
مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً]
(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger) (17:15).
[تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ
مِنَ الغَيْظِ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِىَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ
يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ - قَالُواْ بَلَى قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا وَقُلْنَا
مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ مِن شَىْءٍ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ فِى ضَلَـلٍ كَبِيرٍ ]
(Every time a group is cast therein, its keepers will ask: "Did no warner
come to you'' They will say: "Yes, indeed a warner did come to us, but we denied
him and said: `Allah never sent down anything; you are only in great error'.'')
(67:8-9).
[فَذُوقُواْ فَمَا
لِلظَّـلِمِينَ مِن نَّصِيرٍ]
(So taste you. For the wrongdoers there is no helper.) means, `taste the
punishment of the Fire, as a recompense for your going against the Prophets in
all your deeds, for today you will have no helper to save you from your fate of
punishment and chains.'
[إِنَّ اللَّهَ
عَـلِمُ غَيْبِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ
]
[هُوَ الَّذِى
جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـئِفَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَمَن كَفَرَ فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ وَلاَ
يَزِيدُ الْكَـفِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلاَّ مَقْتاً وَلاَ يَزِيدُ
الْكَـفِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ إِلاَّ خَسَاراً ]
(38. Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of the Unseen of the heavens and the
earth. Verily, He is the All-Knower of that is in the breasts.) (39. He it is
Who has made you successors generations after generations in the earth, so
whosoever disbelieves, on him will be his disbelief. And the disbelief of the
disbelievers adds nothing but hatred of their Lord. And the disbelief of the
disbelievers adds nothing but loss.) Here Allah tells us that He knows the
unseen in the heavens and earth, and that He knows all that is hidden and the
secrets of the hearts. And He tells us that He will reward or punish everyone
according to his deeds. Then Allah says:
[هُوَ الَّذِى
جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَـئِفَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ]
(He it is Who has made you successors generations after generations in the
earth,) meaning, all people succeed one another, generation after generation.
This is like the Ayah:
[وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ
حُلَفَآءَ الاٌّرْضِ]
(and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations)
(27:62).
[فَمَن كَفَرَ
فَعَلَيْهِ كُفْرُهُ]
(so whosoever disbelieves, on him will be his disbelief.) means, he and no
one else will have to bear the consequences of that.
[وَلاَ يَزِيدُ
الْكَـفِرِينَ كُفْرُهُمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ إِلاَّ مَقْتاً]
(And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but hatred of their
Lord.) means, the longer they persist in their disbelief, the more Allah hates
them, and the longer they persist in it, the more they and their families will
lose on the Day of Resurrection. This is in contrast to the believers, for the
longer they live and do good deeds, the higher their status in Paradise will be,
the greater their reward, and the more beloved they will be to their Creator.
[قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ
شُرَكَآءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَرُونِى مَاذَا خَلَقُواْ
مِنَ الاٌّرْضِ أَمْ لَهُمْ شِرْكٌ فِى السَّمَـوَتِ أَمْ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ كِتَـباً
فَهُمْ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْهُ بَلْ إِن يَعِدُ الظَّـلِمُونَ بَعْضُهُم بَعْضاً
إِلاَّ غُرُوراً - إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضَ أَن تَزُولاَ
وَلَئِن زَالَتَآ إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُمَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ
حَلِيماً غَفُوراً ]
(40. Say: "Have you considered your partners whom you call upon besides Allah
Show Me, what they have created of the earth. Or have they any share in the
heavens Or have We given them a Book, so that they act on clear proof therefrom
Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another nothing but delusions.'') (41. Verily,
Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they should move away from their
places, and if they were to move away from their places, there is not one that
could grasp them after Him. Truly, He is Ever Most Forbearing,
Oft-Forgiving.)
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