Ayahs 23:76–87وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّ‌عُونَ
And We have already seized them with punishment, but they did not turn humble to their Lord, nor do they supplicate in humility. (23:76)
In the preceding verse it has been stated that when the unbelievers are subjected to chastisement for their sins, they plead to Allah and the Holy Prophet ﷺ for mercy and when Allah who is Merciful relieves their suffering, they return to their evil practices and wicked deeds. This verse relates a similar instance when the unbelievers were punished for their misdeeds. However when they were delivered from their sufferings as a result of the intercession by the Holy Prophet ﷺ on their behalf, they did not humble themselves before Allah but persisted in idolatry and unbelief.
Visitation of famine upon Makkah and its deliverance on the prayers of the Holy Prophet ﷺ
It has been mentioned earlier that the Holy Prophet ﷺ had prayed to Allah to punish the people of Makkah with famine and as a result they were reduced to great straits and were forced to eat dead animals. At last, Abu Sufyan presented himself before the Holy Prophet ﷺ at Madinah and said, "I appeal you in the name of Allah, did you not say that you had been sent by Him as mercy for the whole world?" The Holy Prophet ﷺ replied, "Yes I did, and what I said is true also." Then Abu Sufyan said, "You killed the leaders of your clan with sword at the battle of Badr and now you are killing those who still survive with starvation. Pray to Allah, I beseech you, to remove this curse from over our heads." The Holy Prophet ﷺ then prayed to Allah to forgive the people of Makkah and deliver them from the agony of hunger, and his prayer was granted forthwith. The verse: وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُم بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ (23:76) was revealed on this occasion and refers to this incident. (Mazhari)
Ayahs 23:88–93Commentary
وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ (And who gives protection and no protection can be given against him - 23:88) The meaning of the verse is that Allah alone can deliver a person from pain and suffering as He wills, but there is none who can save a person from divine punishment. This is true of this world because nobody can stop Allah from rewarding virtuous people nor can anyone protect someone whom He chooses to punish. And the same is true of the Hereafter also. (Qurtubi)
Ayah 23:94Commentary
قُل رَّبِّ إِمَّا تُرِ‌يَنِّي مَا يُوعَدُونَ رَبِّ فَلَا تَجْعَلْنِي فِي الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ
(0 prophet) say (in prayer), "0 my Lord, if You are to show me (in my life) that (punishment) which they (the infidels) are threatened with, then, my Lord, do not place me among the wrongdoing people." (23: 93, 94)
There are many verses of the Qur'an which contain warnings of punishment to the unbelievers. While the award of punishment is a certainty on the Day of Judgment, it is possible that it may be awarded in this world also - and even during the life time of the Holy Prophet ﷺ . And when Allah's wrath descends upon a people, it is not confined to sinners alone, but sometimes it afflicts virtuous people too, who may not be punished in the Hereafter and may even be compensated by extra rewards for the undeserved punishment which they suffered in this world. The Qur'an says اتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنكُمْ خَاصَّةً (And beware of a punishment which shall not fall on the wrongdoers only - 8:25). In these verses, the Holy Prophet has been told by Allah to pray to Him that if His wrath were to descend upon the infidels in his life time, then He should be removed from their company. This prayer was suggested to the Holy Prophet ﷺ in spite of the fact that he was impeccable and infallible, the intention being that He should at all times remember Allah and beseech His mercy so as to increase his own reward in the Hereafter.
Ayah 23:95وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ أَن نُّرِ‌يَكَ مَا نَعِدُهُمْ لَقَادِرُ‌ونَ
And of course, We do have the power to show you what We threatened them with. (23:95)
Some commentators say that even though Allah has promised, on account of His regard for the Holy Prophet ﷺ that He will not punish the entire community while he (Holy Prophet ﷺ) lives among them وَمَا كَانَ اللَّـهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah is not to send punishment upon them while you are in their midst-- 8:33) yet the punishment of some selected persons in special circumstance does not negate the promise. The punishment of the infidels of Makkah through famine and through their defeat at the hands of the Muslims at the Battle of Badr had taken place in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet ﷺ ، which is emphasized in this verse that "We have the power to show you what We threatened them with".
Ayah 23:96ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ السَّيِّئَةَ
Repel evil with that which is best - 23:96
Allah instructs the Holy Prophet ﷺ to counter evil with good, oppression with justice and cruelty with mercy. These virtues of conduct have been taught by Allah to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and are generally observed in settling affairs among the Muslims. Later on these instructions were repealed in so far as the infidels and the unbelievers were concerned when Allah permitted Muslims to embark on (Jihad). Nevertheless even during Jihad the Muslims were told to adopt a humane approach towards the enemy. For example they were forbidden to kill women and children or the priests who did not engage in battle against the Muslims. Similarly, mutilation of the dead bodies of enemies was strictly forbidden. It is for this reason that the Holy Prophet ﷺ is instructed in the next verse to seek protection from Shaitan's evil suggestions even in the battle fields where he may arouse emotions to act against ethics.
Ayah 23:97وَقُل رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِينِ ﴿97﴾ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُ‌ونِ ﴿98﴾
And say, ` 0 my Lord, I seek your refuge from the strokes of the Shaitan, and I seek Your refuge from that they come to me.' (23:97, 98)
The word هَمَز (the infinitive of هَمَزَاتِ Hamazat translated above as 'strokes' ) means "to push, to press" and sometimes is also used to mean "to make a call from behind". This is a very comprehensive prayer often invoked for protection from the guile and mischief of Shaitan and the Holy Prophet ﷺ has urged upon the Muslims to recite it frequently in order to avoid sudden bursts of rage which are brought about by the promptings of and which cause people to lose self-control. This prayer is also very effective in repelling other assaults of Shaitans and Jinns. Sayyidna Khalid ؓ suffered from insomnia and the Holy Prophet ﷺ suggested that he should recite the following prayer before going to bed :
اَعُوذ بِکَلِمَاتِ اللہِ التَّامَّۃِ مِن غضَبِ اللہِ وَعِقَابِہٖ وَمِن شَرِّ عِبَادِہٖ وَمِن ھَمَزٰتِ الشَّیٰطِینِ وَاَن یَّحضُرُونِ
I seek refuge with Allah's Perfect Words from Allah's wrath and His punishment, and from the evils of His slaves, and from the strokes of the Shaitans and from that they come to me.
Sayyidna Khalid ؓ did as advised and was soon cured of insomnia.
Ayah 23:98أَن يَحْضُرُ‌ونِ (from that they come to me - 23:98) According to a Hadith in Sahih of Muslim the Holy Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said that Shaitan meddles in all human affairs and tempts people to do evil deeds, and that this prayer is the best protection against his attempts. (Qurtubi)
Ayah 23:99رَبِّ ارْ‌جِعُونِ (My Lord, send me back - 23:99) When death approaches an infidel and he senses the punishment that awaits him on the Day of Judgment, he wishes for a return to this world, so that by performing good deeds he may escape the punishment which he has richly deserved.
Ibn Jarir has related a story on the authority of Ibn Juraij that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said, "At the time of death when a good Muslim perceives the angels of mercy and all the luxuries of Paradise spread out before him, and the angels ask whether he wishes to be sent back to the world, his reply invariably is in the negative. He refuses to return to a place which is full of woes and suffering and misery, and only desires to be taken to Allah's presence. But when the same question is put to an infidel, his answer is رَبِّ ارْ‌جِعُونِ i.e. he wishes to be sent back to the world."
Ayah 23:100كَلَّا إِنَّهَا كَلِمَةٌ هُوَ قَائِلُهَا وَمِن وَرَ‌ائِهِم بَرْزَخٌ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ
Never! It is just a word he has to utter. And in front of them there is a barrier till the day when they will be resurrected. (23:100)
The word بَرْزَخٌ (Barzakh) means "barrier" and implies anything which intervenes between two conditions or two objects. For this reason it also means the intervening period between death and the Day of Judgment. The meaning of this verse is that the wish of the infidel who has died to be returned to this world is fruitless, because he has reached the Barzakh from which no return is possible and a second life cannot be given until the Day of Resurrection, when all the dead will rise and be brought back to life.
Ayah 23:101Commentary
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ
Thereafter, when the Sur (the trumpet) is blown, there are no ties of kinship between them, - 23:101.
On the Day of Judgment the صُور (trumpet) will be sounded twice. The result of the first sound will be that everything - the earth, the skies and every living thing in between will perish and when the second sound is given, every dead thing will come back to life. This is clearly mentioned in the Qur'an in the verse ثُمَّ نُفِخَ فِيهِ أُخْرَ‌ىٰ فَإِذَا هُمْ قِيَامٌ يَنظُرُ‌ونَ (Then it shall be blown again, and lo! They shall stand beholding - 39:68). There is difference of opinion whether in the present verse the reference is to the first call or to the second call. According to Ibn Jubair, Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ thought that it refers to the first call. On the other hand Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہما says that reference here is to second call and, according to ` Ata (رح) as Sayyidna ` Abbas ؓ also supports this view and which has also been adopted in Tafsir Mazhari. Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn Masud ؓ says that on the Day of Judgment every man and woman will be assembled in the gathering place (مَحشَر) where a herald appointed by Allah will identify each person by his name and his father's name and invite any one from amongst those present who has a claim against him to come forward and receive it. This proclamation will please everyone - a father having a claim against his son, a wife having a claim against her husband, a sister having a claim against her brother (and vice versa) - and they will all come forward to receive their dues. The present verse describes this situation: فَلَا أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ (There are no ties of kinship between them - 23:101). The same situation has been described in the verse يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ الْمَرْ‌ءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ وَصَاحِبَتِهِ وَبَنِيهِ (Upon the day when a man shall flee from his brother, his mother, his father, his consort, his sons, - 80:34).
Difference between the condition of believers and infidels in mahshar (gathering place on the Day of Judgment)
The condition described above will apply to the unbelievers only who in their selfishness will abandon their dear and near relatives. As for the believers, Allah has said أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّ‌يَّتَهُمْ (We shall join their seed with them. - 52:21) which means that the children of good Muslims, if they themselves are believers also, will be united with their parents. According to a hadith the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "On the Day of Judgment when everybody will be dry with thirst, Muslim children who had died as minors will come out carrying water from Paradise, and when people will ask them for it, they will reply that water is for their parents only whom they are searching". The gist of this discussion is that whereas in the case of infidels no one will be of any help to each other nor will anyone recognize the dear ones in mahshar, the case of Muslim will be exactly the opposite. The believers will help each other and will also intercede for other Muslims.
There is also a hadith which Ibn ` Asakir has related on the authority of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "On the Day of Judgment all relationships arising out of a common ancestry or from marriage ties will be severed except in my own case." Scholars have interpreted this verse to mean that all the Muslims of the Ummah of the Holy Prophet ﷺ are part of his family, because he is the father of the Ummah and his wives are the mothers.
وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ (nor will they question one another - 23:101). However their is another verse وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ (And advance one upon another, asking each other question - 37:27). Discussing this latter verse Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that in mahshar there will be different stations, and the conditions in each station will be different. There will be a time when nobody will speak to anybody, but in another station when the terror which earlier overwhelmed the gathering abates, people will converse with one another. (Mazhari)
Ayahs 23:102–103فَمَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ﴿102﴾ وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُ‌وا أَنفُسَهُمْ فِي جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدُونَ ﴿103﴾
So, the one whose scales (of good deeds) turn out to be heavy, then such people are the successful ones, [ 102] and the one whose scales turn out to be light, then such people are the ones who harmed their own selves; in Jahannam (Hell) they are to remain forever. (23: 102, 103)
In this verse there is a comparison between perfect Muslims and the infidels and their deeds and the end which awaits them. There is further evidence in the Qur'an that in the case of perfect Muslims the pan in which evil deeds are placed for balancing will be totally empty, whereas in the case of unbelievers the pan in which the good deeds are placed will be empty. At another place the Qur’ an says فَلَا نُقِيمُ لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَزْنًا (We shall not assign to them any weight - 18:105) meaning that on the Day of Judgment, the infidels or their deeds will carry no weight. This is so far as the perfect Muslims and the infidels are concerned. As for the Muslims who have committed sins and whose good deeds and evil deeds will be placed in the two pans of the scale for weighing, there is no specific mention about them in the Qur'an which is, in general, silent about the punishment and reward of erring Muslims. Perhaps the reason for this is that during the period when the Qur'an was being revealed, all the Companions ؓ were upright men and generally free from major sins, but if somebody committed a sin incidentally, he repented and was forgiven by Allah. (Mazhari)
There is a verse of the Qur'an which deals with people who have a mixed bag of good and evil deeds (خَلَطُوا عَمَلًا صَالِحًا وَآخَرَ سَيِّئًا) (They had mixed a good deed with another that was evil - 9:102). Sayyidna ` Abbas ؓ says about such people that if their good deeds exceed their bad deeds, even by a single deed they will go to Paradise and if their evil deeds exceed their good by a single deed, they would go to Hell. But a believer Muslim will be sent to Hell for the purpose of purification only just as gold and iron and other metals are subjected to heating process to remove their impurities and as soon as they are purged of their sins, they will be admitted to Paradise. Also according to Sayyidna ` Abbas ؓ on the Day of Judgment the weighing scale will be so precise and finely tuned that it will be tipped by a grain of رَایٔی rye and a man whose good and bad deeds are of equal weight in the scale will join of (People of A` raf) and spend a while between heaven and hell waiting for a decision, but ultimately he too would go to Paradise (Ibn Abi Hatim, Mazhari). The above story of Sayyidna ` Abbas ؓ deals only with believers who have committed sins, and makes no mention of unbelievers.
How will the deeds be weighed?
There are different versions about the method for the weighing of deeds, and all of them are derived from hadith. One version is that the believers and the infidels will be weighed bodily in the scale of justice and the infidel will not be able to tilt the scale however obese and corpulent he may be (Bukhari and Muslim, quoting Abu Hurairah ؓ . Another version says that the scrolls on which their deeds are recorded will be weighed. Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hayyan have taken this version from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Umar ؓ . And according to a third version a man's deeds which were weightless and intangible in this world, will be made solid on the Day of Judgment and will be placed on the scales and weighed. Tabrani has related this version from the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the authority of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ . The words and the text: of all these hadiths are given in full in Tafsir Mazhari which may be consulted if required. Abdur Razzaq has quoted a hadith in his book under the chapter on فَضلُ اِلعِلَم (the merits of knowledge) on the authority of Ibrahim Nakha` i which supports the just preceded version. This version has it that on the Day of Judgment a person's deeds will be brought for weighing and when placed in the pan, they will fail to tilt it. Then something resembling clouds will be brought and put in the pan of good deeds which will then weigh down. The man will then be asked what was it that lent weight to the pan of his good deeds, but he will express his ignorance. Then he will be informed that the object in question was his learning which he used to impart to other people. Dhahabi has included a hadith in فَضلُ اِلعِلَم which he heard from Sayyidna ` Imran Ibn Husain ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "On the Day of Judgment the blood of the martyrs will be weighed against the ink of scholars (with which they wrote books on the science of religion) and the latter will be heavier than the former." (Mazhari) After giving the above mentioned versions about the weighing of deeds, Tafsir Mazhari says that it is not wholly inconceivable that man himself and his deeds may be weighed physically or that he and his record of deeds may be weighed together. Thus there is no inconsistency in these three versions.
Ayahs 23:104–107وَهُمْ فِيهَا كَالِحُونَ And they will be disfigured therein - 23:104). The word is used for a person whose lips do not meet and leave his teeth fully exposed, which looks very ugly. It is said that the upper lip of a person consigned to Hell will be drawn up and his lower lip will be drawn down so that his teeth will remain visible at all times.
Ayahs 23:108–115وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ (Do not speak to Me - 23:108). According to Hasan al-Basri (رح) these will be the last words of the people who are cast in hell and in reply Allah will say, "Do not speak to Me." After this they will not be able to speak like human beings, but will make animal sounds to each other. Baihaqi and others have quoted Muhammad Ibn Ka` b as saying that the Qur'an mentions five requests made by the people condemned to hell. Out of the five, replies were furnished to four, but in reply to the fifth Allah commanded them not to speak to Him. Thus these are the last words to be uttered by them after which they will not be able to speak. (Mazhari)