Tafsir

The Criminals will certainly be avenged -- whether in This World or in the Hereafter

Allah said to His Messenger :وَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِى نَعِدُهُمْ(Whether We show you some of what We promise them (the torment),) We shall avenge them in your lifetime so your eye will be delighted.أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ(Or We cause you to die -- still unto Us is their return,) Allah will then be the Witness watching over their actions for you. Allah then said,وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولٌ فَإِذَا جَآءَ رَسُولُهُمْ(And for every Ummah there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes,) Mujahid said: "This will be on the Day of Resurrection.قُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ(the matter will be judged between them with justice,) is similar to the Ayah:وَأَشْرَقَتِ الاٌّرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا(And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord (Allah),) 39:69 So every nation will be presented before Allah in the presence of its Messenger and the Book of its deeds. All good and evil deeds will be witnessed upon them. Their guardian angels will be witnesses too. The nations will be brought forth, one by one.

Our noble Ummah, while it is the last of the nations, is the first one on the Day of Resurrection to be questioned and judged. This was stated by Allah's Messenger ﷺ in a Hadith recorded by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:«نَحْنُ الْآخِرُونَ السَّابِقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، الْمَقْضِيُّ لَهُمْ قَبْلَ الْخَلَائِق»(We are the last, the first on the Day of Resurrection. We will be judged before the rest of the creatures.) His Ummah attains the honor of precedence only by the honor of its Messenger , may Allah's peace and blesings be upon him forever, until the Day of Judgement.

Commentary

In verse 45, it was said: يَتَعَارَ‌فُونَ بَيْنَهُمْ (they will recognize each other), that is, when the dead will be raised from their graves, they will recognize each other as if not much time had passed when they met last.

Imam al-Baghawi said: This recognition will be possible during theearly stage. Later, when the horrendous happenings of the Qiyamah, the Day of Doom, will unfold, this ability to recognize each other will stand disabled. According to some other narrations, the ability to recognize each other will, though, still remain, but such will be the awe of the situation that they will be unable to say anything. (Mazhari)

ولكل أمة خَلَتْ قبلكم -أيها الناس- رسول أرسلتُه إليهم، كما أرسلت محمدًا إليكم يدعو إلى دين الله وطاعته، فإذا جاء رسولهم في الآخرة قُضِيَ حينئذ بينهم بالعدل، وهم لا يُظلمون مِن جزاء أعمالهم شيئًا.

وقوله : ( ولكل أمة رسول فإذا جاء رسولهم ) قال مجاهد : يعني يوم القيامة .( قضي بينهم بالقسط وهم لا يظلمون ) كما قال تعالى : ( وأشرقت الأرض بنور ربها ووضع الكتاب وجيء بالنبيين والشهداء وقضي بينهم بالحق وهم لا يظلمون ) [ الزمر : 69 ] ، فكل أمة تعرض على الله بحضرة رسولها ، وكتاب أعمالها من خير وشر موضوع شاهد عليهم ، وحفظتهم من الملائكة شهود أيضا أمة بعد أمة . وهذه الأمة الشريفة وإن كانت آخر الأمم في الخلق ، إلا أنها أول الأمم يوم القيامة يفصل بينهم ، ويقضى لهم ، كما جاء في الصحيحين عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال : " نحن الآخرون السابقون يوم القيامة ، المقضي لهم قبل الخلائق " فأمته إنما حازت قصب السبق لشرف رسولها ، صلوات الله وسلامه عليه [ دائما ] إلى يوم الدين .