Surah Al A'raf Tafseer

People of the Fire will dispute and curse Each Other

Allah mentioned what He will say to those who associate others with Him, invent lies about Him, and reject His Ayat,

قَالَ ادْخُلُواْ فِي أُمَمٍ

(Allah) will say:Enter you in the company of nations,

who are your likes and similar to you in conduct,

قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُم

Who passed away before you,

from the earlier disbelieving nations,

مِّن الْجِنِّ وَالاِنسِ فِي النَّارِ

Of men and Jinn, into the Fire.

Allah said next,

كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا

Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before),

Al-Khalil (Prophet Ibrahim), peace be upon him, said,

ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ

"But on the Day of Resurrection, you shall deny each other. (29:25)

Also, Allah said,

إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُواْ مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ حَسَرَتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُم بِخَـرِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

When those who were followed declare themselves innocent of those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them. And those who followed will say:"If only we had one more chance to return (to the worldly life), we would declare ourselves as innocent from them as they have declared themselves as innocent from us."

Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets for them. And they will never get out of the Fire. (2:166-167)

Allah's statement,

حَتَّى إِذَا ادَّارَكُواْ فِيهَا جَمِيعًا

until they are all together in the Fire,

means, they are all gathered in the Fire,

قَالَتْ أُخْرَاهُمْ لاُولَاهُمْ

The last of them will say to the first of them,

that is, the nation of followers that enter last will say this to the first nations to enter.

This is because the earlier nations were worse criminals than those who followed them, and this is why they entered the Fire first. For this reason, their followers will complain against them to Allah, because they were the ones who misguided them from the correct path, saying,

رَبَّنَا هَـوُلاء أَضَلُّونَا فَأتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ النَّارِ

"Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire."

multiply their share of the torment.

Allah said in another instance,

يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يلَيْتَنَأ أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا

وَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَأ إِنَّأ أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلْ

رَبَّنَأ ءَاتِهِمْ ضِعْفَيْنِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ

On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say:"Oh! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger." And they will say:"Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (right) way. Our Lord! Give them a double torment." (33:66-68)

Allah said in reply,

قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَعْلَمُونَ

He will say:"For each one there is double (torment) but you know not."

We did what you asked, and recompensed each according to their deeds.'

Allah said in another Ayah,

الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا

Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment. (16:88)

Furthermore, Allah said,

وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالاً مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ

And verily, they shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own. (29:13)

and,

وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

And also (some thing) of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge. (16:25)