“Indeed, the righteous will surely be in bliss, * and indeed, the wicked will surely be in Hellfire. * They will burn in it on the Day of Judgment, * and they will never be absent from it. * What will make you realize what the Day of Judgment is? * Again, what will make you realize what the Day of Judgment is? * It is the Day when no soul will have power to do anything for another soul, and all command on that Day will belong to Allah.”
“Indeed, the righteous will surely be in bliss.” This describes the final outcome and recompense. “The righteous” is a plural term referring to those who frequently do good and keep far away from evil. “Will surely be in bliss” means bliss in the heart and bliss in the body. Hence, you will find no one with a more wholesome heart or a more tranquil mind than the righteous—those devoted to goodness. One of the early Muslims even said, “If kings and princes knew the bliss we experience, they would fight us for it with their swords.”
This bliss is experienced both in this world and in the Hereafter. In the Hereafter, it is Paradise; in this world, it is the heart’s bliss, tranquility, and contentment with Allah’s decree and predestination. This is true bliss. Worldly bliss does not consist in indulging the body in luxury; true bliss is the bliss of the heart.
“And indeed, the wicked”—the wicked are the disbelievers, the opposite of the righteous—“will surely be in Hellfire,” meaning a blazing Fire. “They will burn in it,” meaning that it will consume them, “on the Day of Judgment,” that is, the Day of Recompense, which is the Day of Resurrection. “And they will never be absent from it,” meaning that they will never escape it by emerging from it, as Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says, “Nor will they ever emerge from it” [al-Mā’idah: 37], for they will remain therein forever—Allah’s refuge is sought.
“What will make you realize what the Day of Judgment is? Again, what will make you realize what the Day of Judgment is?” This question magnifies and exalts that Day. It means: What could make you comprehend the Day of Judgment? The intended meaning is: Know the gravity of this Day and appreciate its true magnitude.
“It is the Day when no soul will have power to do anything for another soul.” On the Day of Resurrection, no one will have power to do anything for anyone else, whether by securing some benefit or averting some harm, except by the permission of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He. This is indicated by His words, “And all command on that Day will belong to Allah.” In this world, there are people who issue commands, including rulers, ministers, leaders, fathers, and mothers. In the Hereafter, however, all command will belong to Allah, the Mighty—