Surah Fatir Tafseer

وَهُمْ يَصْطَرِخُونَ فِيهَا

Therein they will cry,

means, they will call out in the Fire, beseeching Allah with their voices:

رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا نَعْمَلْ صَالِحًا غَيْرَ الَّذِي كُنَّا 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 تُوْمِنُواْ

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 نُعَمِّرْكُم مَّا يَتَذَكَّرُ فِيهِ مَن تَذَكَّرَ وَجَاءكُمُ 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).

وَجَاءكُمُ 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 جِيْنَـكُم 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 خَزَنَتُهَأ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ

قَالُواْ بَلَى قَدْ جَأءَنَا 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)

فَذُوقُوا فَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ 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.