The clear intent of this is to be a completion of what the magicians
admonished Fir`awn with. They warned him of the vengeance of Allah and His
eternal and everlasting punishment. They also encouraged him to seek Allah's
eternal and endless reward. They said,
[إِنَّهُ مَن يَأْتِ
رَبَّهُ مُجْرِماً]
(Verily, whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal,) This means, whoever meets
Allah on the Day of Judgment while being a criminal.
[فَإِنَّ لَهُ
جَهَنَّمَ لاَ يَمُوتُ فِيهَا وَلاَ يَحْيَى]
(then surely, for him is Hell, wherein he will neither die nor live.) This is
similar to Allah's statement,
[لاَ يُقْضَى
عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُواْ وَلاَ يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِّنْ عَذَابِهَا كَذَلِكَ
نَجْزِى كُلَّ كَفُورٍ]
(Neither will it have a complete killing effect on them so that they die, nor
shall its torment be lightened for them. Thus do We requite every disbeliever!)
[35:36] Allah also said,
[وَيَتَجَنَّبُهَا
الاٌّشْقَى - الَّذِى يَصْلَى النَّارَ الْكُبْرَى - ثُمَّ لاَ يَمُوتُ فِيهَا
وَلاَ يَحْيَا ]
(But it will be avoided by the wretched, who will enter the great Fire. There
he will neither die nor live.) [87:11-13]
[وَنَادَوْاْ
يمَـلِكُ لِيَقْضِ عَلَيْنَا رَبُّكَ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ مَّـكِثُونَ ]
(And they will cry: "O Malik (Keeper of Hell)! Let your Lord made an end of
us.'' He will say: "Verily, you shall abide forever.'') [43:77] Imam Ahmad bin
Hanbal recorded that Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«أَمَّا أَهْلُ
النَّارِ الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَهْلُهَا، فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَمُوتُونَ فِيهَا وَلَا
يَحْيَوْنَ، وَلكِنْ أُنَاسٌ تُصِيبُهُمُ النَّارُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ فَتُمِيتُهُمْ
إِمَاتَةً حَتَّى إِذَا صَارُوا فَحْمًا أُذِنَ فِي الشَّفَاعَةِ فَجِيءَ بِهِمْ
ضَبَائِرَ ضَبَائِرَ، فَبُثُّوا عَلَى أَنْهَارِ الْجَنَّةِ، فَيُقَالُ: يَا أَهْلَ
الْجَنَّةِ أَفِيضُوا عَلَيْهِمْ، فَيَنْبُتُونَ نَبَاتَ الْحِبَّةِ تَكُونُ فِي
حَمِيلِ السَّيْل»
(The dwellers of Hellfire, who are those who deserve it, they will not die in
it, nor will they be living. Rather, they will be a people who will be punished
by the Fire due to their sins. It will be gradually killing them and devouring
them until they become burnt coals. Then, intercession will be allowed and they
will be brought (out of Hell) group by group and they will be spread on the
rivers of Paradise. It will then be said, "O people of Paradise, pour (water)
over them.'' Then, they will start to grow like the growing of a seed on the
muddy banks of a flowing river.) A man among the people said, "It is as if the
Messenger of Allah lived in the desert.'' This is how Muslim recorded this
narration in his Sahih. Concerning Allah's statement,
[وَمَن يَأْتِهِ
مُؤْمِناً قَدْ عَمِلَ الصَّـلِحَـتِ]
(But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer, and has done righteous good
deeds,) whoever meets his Lord on the Day of Judgment as a believer in his
heart, then verily, his intentions in his heart will be affirmed to be true by
his statements and deeds.
[فَأُوْلَـئِكَ
لَهُمُ الدَّرَجَـتُ الْعُلَى]
(for such are the high ranks,) Paradise, which has the highest levels, the
most tranquil rooms and the nicest homes. Imam Ahmad reported from `Ubadah bin
As-Samit that the Prophet said,
«الْجَنَّةُ مِائَةُ
دَرَجَةٍ مَا بَيْنَ كُلِّ دَرَجَتَيْنِ كَمَا بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ،
وَالْفِرْدَوْسُ أَعْلَاهَا دَرَجَةً، وَمِنْهَا تَخْرُجُ الْأَنْهَارُ
الْأَرْبَعَةُ، وَالْعَرْشُ فَوْقَهَا، فَإِذَا سَأَلْتُمُ اللهَ فَاسْأَلُوهُ
الْفِرْدَوْس»
(Paradise has one hundred levels and between each level is a distance like
the distance between the sky and the earth. Al-Firdaws is the name of the
highest of its levels. From it springs the four rivers and the Throne is above
it. Therefore, when you ask Allah, then ask Him for Al-Firdaws.) This narration
was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi. In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that the
Messenger of Allah said,
«إِنَّ أَهْلَ
عِلِّيِّينَ لَيَرَوْنَ مَنْ فَوْقَهُمْ كَمَا تَرَوْنَ الْكَوْكَبَ الْغَابِرَ فِي
أُفُقِ السَّمَاءِ لِتَفَاضُلِ مَا بَيْنَهُمْ قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ تِلْكَ
مَنَازِلُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَالَ: بَلى، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ رِجَالٌ آمَنُوا
بِاللهِ وَصَدَّقُوا الْمُرْسَلِين»
(Verily, the people of the `Illiyyin will see those who are above them just
as you see the fading star in the horizon of the sky, due to the different
status of virtue between them. ) The people said, "O Messenger of Allah, these
are the dwellings of the Prophets.'' He replied, (Of course. And I swear by the
One Whom my soul is in His Hand, (it is for) men who had faith in Allah and they
believed the Messengers.) In the Sunan collections this narration is mentioned
with the additional wording,
«وَإِنَّ أَبَا
بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ لَمِنْهُمْ وَأَنْعَمَا»
(And verily Abu Bakr and `Umar are of them and they will be most favored.)
His saying,
[جَنَّـتِ
عَدْنٍ]
(Adn Gardens,) meaning established as a residence. It is merely used here in
reference to the high ranks mentioned previously.
[تَجْرِى مِن
تَحْتِهَا الاٌّنْهَارُ خَـالِدِينَ فِيهَا]
(under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever,) meaning that they
will abide in it for eternity.
[وَذلِكَ جَزَآءُ مَن
تَزَكَّى]
(and such is the reward of those who purify themselves.) One who purifies
himself from dirt, filth and associating partners with Allah. This is the person
who worships Allah alone, without ascribing partners to Him, and he follows the
Messengers in the good they came with all that they claim.
[وَلَقَدْ
أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى مُوسَى أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِى فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى
الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً لاَّ تَخَافُ دَرَكاً وَلاَ تَخْشَى - فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ
بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُمْ مِّنَ الْيَمِّ مَا غَشِيَهُمْ - وَأَضَلَّ فِرْعَوْنُ
قَوْمَهُ وَمَا هَدَى ]
(77. And indeed We revealed to Musa: "Travel by night with My servants and
strike a dry path for them in the sea, fearing neither to be overtaken nor being
afraid.'') (78. Then Fir`awn pursued them with his hosts, but the sea [Al-Yamm]
completely overwhelmed them and covered them up.) (79. And Fir`awn led his
people astray, and he did not guide them.)