Allah says:
[وَأُزْلِفَتِ
الْجَنَّةُ]
(And Paradise will be brought near) means, it will be brought close to its
people, adorned and decorated for them to behold it. Its people are the pious
who preferred it to whatever was in this world, and strove for it in this world.
[وَبُرِّزَتِ
الْجَحِيمُ لِلْغَاوِينَ ]
(And the (Hell) Fire will be placed in full view of the astray.) meaning, it
will be shown to them and a neck will stretch forth from it, moaning and
sighing, and their hearts will reach their throats. It will be said to its
people by way of reproach and rebuke:
[وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ
أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ - مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ
يَنتَصِرُونَ ]
(Where are those that you used to worship instead of Allah Can they help you
or help themselves) meaning, `the gods and idols whom you used to worship
instead of Allah cannot help you today, and they cannot even protect themselves.
You and they are fuel for Hell today, which you will surely enter.'
[فَكُبْكِبُواْ
فِيهَا هُمْ وَالْغَاوُونَ ]
(Then they will be thrown on their faces into it (the Fire), they and the
astray.) Mujahid said, "This means, they will be hurled into it.'' Others said:
"They will be thrown on top of one another, the disbelievers and their leaders
who called them to Shirk. ''
[وَجُنُودُ إِبْلِيسَ
أَجْمَعُونَ ]
(And all of the hosts of Iblis together.) they will all be thrown into it.
[قَالُواْ وَهُمْ
فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ - تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ - إِذْ
نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ]
(They will say while contending therein, "By Allah, we were truly in a
manifest error, when we held you as equals with the Lord of all that exists.'')
The weak ones among them will say to their arrogant leaders: `Verily, we were
following you; can you avail us anything from the Fire' Then they will realize
that themselves are to blame and will say: a
[تَاللَّهِ إِن
كُنَّا لَفِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ - إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ ]
(By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error, when we held you as equals with
the Lord of all that exists.) meaning, `we obeyed your commands as we should
have obeyed the commands of the Lord of the all that exits, and we worshipped
you along with the Lord of all that exits.'
[وَمَآ أَضَلَّنَآ
إِلاَّ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ]
(And none has brought us into error except the criminals.) meaning, `nobody
called us to do that except the evildoers.'
[فَمَا لَنَا مِن
شَـفِعِينَ ]
(Now we have no intercessors.) This is like the Ayah which tells us that they
will say:
[فَهَل لَّنَا مِن
شُفَعَآءَ فَيَشْفَعُواْ لَنَآ أَوْ نُرَدُّ فَنَعْمَلَ غَيْرَ الَّذِى كُنَّا
نَعْمَلُ]
(...now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our
behalf Or could we be sent back so that we might do deeds other than those deeds
which we used to do) (7:53). Similarly, in this Surah, Allah tells us that they
will say:
[فَمَا لَنَا مِن
شَـفِعِينَ - وَلاَ صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ ]
(Now we have no intercessors, nor a close friend.)
[فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا
كَرَّةً فَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ]
((Alas!) If we only had a chance to return, we shall truly be among the
believers!) They will wish that they could come back to this world so that they
could do deeds of obedience to their Lord -- as they claim -- but Allah knows
that if they were to come back to this world, they would only go back to doing
forbidden things, and He knows that they are liars. Allah tells us in Surah Sad
about how the people of Hell will argue with one another, as He says:
[إِنَّ ذَلِكَ
لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهْلِ النَّارِ ]
(Verily, that is the very truth -- the mutual dispute of the people of the
Fire!) (38:64) Then He says:
[إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ
لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ ]
(Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.)
meaning, in the dispute of Ibrahim with his people and his proof of Tawhid there
is a sign, i.e., clear evidence that there is no God but Allah.
[إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ
لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُّؤْمِنِينَ - وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ
الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ]
(yet most of them are not believers. And verily, your Lord, He is truly the
All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)
[كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ
نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ -
إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ - فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ - وَمَآ
أَسْـَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ
فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ]
(105. The people of Nuh denied the Messengers.) (106. When their brother Nuh
said to them: "Will you not have Taqwa'') (107. "I am a trustworthy Messenger to
you.'') (108. "So have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me.'') (109. "No reward do I ask
of you for it; my reward is only from the Lord of all that exists.'') (110. "So
have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me.'')