Tafsir

The Dispute of the People of Hell

Allah tells us how the people of Hell will dispute and argue with one another, and Fir`awn and his people will be among them. The weak, who were the followers, will say to those who were arrogant, who were the leaders and masters:إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا(Verily, we followed you,) meaning, `we obeyed you and heeded your call to disbelief and misguidance in the world, 'فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّغْنُونَ عَنَّا نَصِيباً مِّنَ النَّارِ(can you then take from us some portion of the Fire) means, `can you carry a part of our burden for us'قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ إِنَّا كُلٌّ فِيهَآ(Those who were arrogant will say: "We are all (together) in this (Fire)!...") meaning, `we will not bear any part of your burden for you; our own punishment is enough for us to bear.'إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ حَكَمَ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ(Verily, Allah has judged (His) servants!) means, `He has shared out the punishment among us according to what each of us deserves'.

This is like the Ayah:قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَعْلَمُونَ(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.") (7:38)وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ فِى النَّارِ لِخَزَنَةِ جَهَنَّمَ ادْعُواْ رَبَّكُمْ يُخَفِّفْ عَنَّا يَوْماً مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ (And those in the Fire will say to the keepers (angels) of Hell: "Call upon your Lord to lighten for us the torment for a day!") They know that Allah will not answer them and will not listen to their prayer, because He said,اخْسَئُواْ فِيهَا وَلاَ تُكَلِّمُونِ(Remain you in it with ignominy! And speak you not to Me!) (23:108), so they will ask the keepers of Hell, who are like jailers watching over the people of Hell, to pray to Allah to lessen the Fire for them if only for one day.

But the keepers of Hell will refuse, saying to them,أَوَلَمْ تَكُ تَأْتِيكُمْ رُسُلُكُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ(Did there not come to you, your Messengers with (clear) evidences) meaning, was not proof established in the world on the lips of the Messengersقَالُواْ بَلَى قَالُواْ فَادْعُواْ(They will say: "Yes." They will reply: "Then call (as you like)!...") means, you are on your own. We will not pray for you or listen to you; we do not want you to be saved and we have nothing to do with you. Moreover, we tell you that it is all the same whether you offer supplication or not, because Allah will not respond and He will not lighten the torment for you.' They will say:وَمَا دُعَآءُ الْكَـفِرِينَ إِلاَّ فِى ضَلَـلٍ(And the invocation of the disbelievers is nothing but in vain!) meaning, it will not be accepted or responded to.