28 April 2010 By Naushad Shamim Al-Haq In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever
Merciful Before the fire they are brought, morning and
evening, and then on the Day when the Last Hour comes,
it will be said: Cast Pharaoh’s people into the worst
suffering. They will contend with one another in the
fire: The weak will say to those who were arrogant,
“We have been your followers, so can you relieve us of
some share of the fire?” The arrogant will reply: “We
are all in it together. For God has judged between His
creatures.” Those in the fire will say to the keepers
of hell: “Pray to your Lord that He lighten this
suffering of ours, though it be for one day only.”
They will ask: “Did your messengers not come to you
with clear evidence of the truth?” They will say:
“Yes, indeed.” (The keepers of hell) will say: “Pray,
then!” But the prayers of the unbelievers will be all
in vain. (The Forgiving; 40: 46-50) The verse that follows tells us of something that
happens after resurrection. The unbelievers are
shown arguing in hell: “The weak will say to those
who were arrogant, ‘We have been your followers, so
can you relieve us of some share of the fire?’” This
means that the weak are together with the arrogant
in the fire of hell. The weak have not been spared
on account of their weakness, or their being driven
like cattle, having no say or choice. God granted
them a position of honor, which equipped them to
exercise free choice and to be responsible for what
they choose. They relinquished all this and followed
their arrogant leaders instead. They did not object
to anything the leaders said. In fact, it did not
occur to them that they could object. They did not
think about what their arrogant leaders said to
them, or the errors they landed them in: “We have
been your followers.” The fact of their
relinquishing responsibility and what God granted
them could never serve as extenuating circumstances
in God’s sight. Therefore, they will be in hell,
driven there by their leaders, just as they used to
drive them like sheep in the life of this world. We
see them asking their leaders: “Can you relieve us
of some share of the fire?” This question is a
reminder of what such leaders used to assert,
pledging to protect their followers against evil and
harm. Such arrogant leaders, however, are soon fed up
with their weak followers’ requests. Their answer
betrays their boredom, but nonetheless they
acknowledge what has happened: “We are all in it
together. For God has judged between His creatures.” “We are all in it together.” We are all weak,
lacking all support and help. We are all alike. So
why do you put such a question to us when you
realize that the noble and the weaker elements are
all the same? “God has judged between His
creatures.” There can be no review or change to His
judgment. The matter is settled. No creature can
reduce or amend God’s judgment. When all realize that no refuge can be sought
from God’s punishment except with Him, they all
humbly appeal to the guards of hell, in a way that
makes them all equal: “Those in the fire will say to
the keepers of hell: Pray to your Lord that He
lighten this suffering of ours, though it be for one
day only.” They want the guards of hell to intercede on
their behalf, hoping that their terrible ordeal can
be lifted a little. They ask them to pray to God to
reduce their punishment for one day, just to breathe
and have a bit of rest. Even a day’s reduction is
worth such appeals. The guards of hell, however, do not respond to
this humble and passionate appeal. They know their
limits, and they are aware of God’s law and that the
time is long passed. Therefore, they increase the
suffering of the dwellers of hell by rebuking them
and reminding them of the reasons for their
suffering: “They will ask: ‘Did your messengers not
come to you with clear evidence of the truth?’ They
will say: ‘Yes, indeed.’” The question and its answer suffice. There is no
need for any more argument. The guards of hell leave
them to their fate, allowing them to sink into
despair. “(The keepers of hell) will say: Pray,
then!” If any praying will change your situation
even a bit, why do you not offer such prayers
yourselves? The verse concludes with a comment on
such prayers: “But the prayers of the unbelievers
will be all in vain.” Such prayer is ignored,
remains unanswered. Those who say it are forgotten,
be they the leaders or their followers. Comments 💬 التعليقات |