The Call to contemplate the various Manifestations of Allah’s Power
Allah says,
أَلَمْ نُهْلِكِ الاٌّوَّلِينَ
(Did We not destroy the ancients) meaning, those who rejected the Messengers and opposed what they came to them with.
ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ الاٌّخِرِينَ
(So shall We make later generations to follow them.) meaning, from those who are similar to them. Thus, Allah says,
كَذَلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِالْمُجْرِمِينَ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
(Thus do We deal with the criminals. Woe that Day to the deniers!) Ibn Jarir said this. Then Allah reminding His creatures of His favor, and using the beginning of creation to support the idea of repeating it, He says:
أَلَمْ نَخْلُقكُّم مِّن مَّآءٍ مَّهِينٍ
(Did We not create you from a despised water) meaning, weak and despised in comparison to the power of the Creator. This is similar to what has been reported in the Hadith of Busr bin Jahhash (that Allah says),
«ابْنَ آدَمَ أَنْى تُعْجِزُنِي وَقَدْ خَلَقْتُكَ مِنْ مِثْلِ هَذِهِ؟»
(“(O) Son of Adam ! How can you think that I am unable, and yet I created you from something like this (i.e., semen)”)
فَجَعَلْنَـهُ فِى قَرَارٍ مَّكِينٍ
(Then We placed it in a place of safety,) meaning, `We gathered him in the womb, where the fluid of the man and the woman settles. The womb has been prepared for this, as a protector of the fluid deposited in it. Allah said:
إِلَى قَدَرٍ مَّعْلُومٍ
(For a known period) meaning, for a fixed period of time, which is from six months to nine months. Thus, Allah says,
فَقَدَرْنَا فَنِعْمَ الْقَـدِرُونَ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
(So We did measure; and We are the best to measure. Woe that Day to the deniers!) Then Allah says,
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الاٌّرْضَ كِفَاتاً – أَحْيَآءً وَأَمْوتاً
(Have We not made the earth Kifat for the living and the dead) Ibn `Abbas said, “Kifat means a place of shelter.” Mujahid said, “It holds the dead so that nothing is seen of it.” Ash-Sha`bi said, “Its interior is for your dead and its surface is for your living.” Mujahid and Qatadah also said this.
وَجَعَلْنَا فِيهَا رَوَاسِىَ شَـمِخَـتٍ
(And have placed therein fixed towers,) meaning, the mountains. The earth is held in place with them so that it does not shake and sway.
وَأَسْقَيْنَـكُم مَّآءً فُرَاتاً
(and have given you Furat water) meaning, cold and delicious water from the clouds or from what He causes to gush forth from the springs of the earth.
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
(Woe that Day to the deniers!) meaning, woe to whoever reflects upon these created things which demonstrate the greatness of their Creator, then after that continues to reject Him and disbelieve in Him.
The driving of the Criminals to their Final Abode in Hell and how it will be done
Allah informs about the disbelievers who deny the final abode, the recompense, Paradise, and the Hellfire. On the Day of Judgement it will be said to them:
انطَلِقُواْ إِلَى مَا كُنتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ – انطَلِقُواْ إِلَى ظِلٍّ ذِى ثَلَـثِ شُعَبٍ
(Depart you to that which you used to deny! Depart you to a shadow in three columns,) meaning, a flame of fire when it rises and ascends with smoke. So due to its severity and strength, it will have three columns.
لاَّ ظَلِيلٍ وَلاَ يُغْنِى مِنَ اللَّهَبِ
(Neither shady nor of any use against the fierce flame of the Fire.) meaning, shade of the smoke that comes from the flame — which itself will not have a shade, nor will it benefit against the flame. This means it will not protect them from the heat of the flame. Allah said,
إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ
(Verily, it throws sparks as Al-Qasr,) meaning, its sparks will shoot out from its flame like huge castles. Ibn Mas`ud said, “Like forts.” Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and Malik who reported from Zayd bin Aslam and others said, “This means the trunk of trees.”
كَأَنَّهُ جِمَـلَةٌ صُفْرٌ
(As if they were Sufr camels.) means, black camels. This is the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Ad-Dahhak, and Ibn Jarir favored this view. Ibn `Abbas Mujahid, and Sa`id bin Jubayr said about,
جِمَـلَةٌ صُفْرٌ
(Sufr camels.) “Meaning ropes of ships.”
إِنَّهَا تَرْمِى بِشَرَرٍ كَالْقَصْرِ
(Verily, it (Hell) throws sparks as Al-Qasr.) Imam Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said: “We were directed to the timber a length of three cubits or more in order to use it for construction of buildings. We used to call it Al-Qasr.
كَأَنَّهُ جِمَـلَةٌ صُفْرٌ
(As if they were Sufr camels.) These (Jimalat) are ropes of ships that are bundled until they resemble the intestines of men.”
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
(Woe that Day to the deniers!)
The Inability of the Criminals to speak, make Excuses, or step forward on the Day of Judgement
Then Allah says,
هَـذَا يَوْمُ لاَ يَنطِقُونَ
(That will be a Day when they shall not speak,) meaning, they will not speak.
وَلاَ يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ
(And they will not be permitted to put forth any excuse.) meaning, they will not be able to speak, nor will they be granted permission to speak so that they can make excuses. Rather, the proof will be established against them, and they will be called upon to speak about the wrong that they did, but they will not be able to say anything. The courts of the Day of Judgement will occur in stages. Sometimes the Lord informs of this stage and sometimes He informs of that stage. This is to show the terrors and calamities of that Day. Thus, after all the details of this discussion, He says:
وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ
(Woe that Day to the deniers!) Then Allah says,
هَـذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ جَمَعْنَـكُمْ وَالاٌّوَّلِينَ – فَإِن كَانَ لَكمُ كَيْدٌ فَكِيدُونِ
(That will be a Day of Decision! We have brought you and the men of old together! So if you have a plot, use it against Me!) This is an address from the Creator to His servants. He says to them,
هَـذَا يَوْمُ الْفَصْلِ جَمَعْنَـكُمْ وَالاٌّوَّلِينَ
(That will be a Day of Decision! We have brought you and the men of old together!) meaning, He will gather all of them by His power on one common plane, He will make them hear the caller and He will cause them to see. Then He says,
فَإِن كَانَ لَكمُ كَيْدٌ فَكِيدُونِ
(So, if you have a plot, use it against Me!) This is a serious threat and a harsh warning. It means, `if you are able to save yourselves from being seized by Me, and rescue yourselves from My ruling, then do so. But you are certainly not able to do so.’ This is as Allah says,
يمَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُواْ مِنْ أَقْطَـرِ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ فَانفُذُواْ لاَ تَنفُذُونَ إِلاَّ بِسُلْطَـنٍ
(O assembly of Jinn and men! If you have power to pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass them, except with authority (from Allah)!) (55:33) Allah also says,
وَلاَ تَضُرُّونَهُ شَيْئًا
(And you will not harm Him in the least.) (11:57) It is narrated in a Hadith (that Allah said),
«يَا عِبَادِي، إِنَّكُمْ لَنْ تَبْلُغُوا نَفْعِي فَتَنْفَعُونِي، وَلَنْ تَبْلُغُوا ضَرِّي فَتَضُرُّونِي»
(“O My servants! You all can never attain My benefit and thereby benefit Me, and you all can never attain My harm and thereby harm Me.”)