“He will say, ‘Enter the Fire along with the communities of jinn and humankind that passed away before you.’ Whenever a community enters, it will curse its sister, until, when they have all caught up with one another therein, the last of them will say to the first of them, ‘Our Lord, these are the ones who led us astray, so give them a double punishment of the Fire.’ He will say, ‘Each will have a double punishment, but you do not know.’ (38) And the first of them will say to the last of them, ‘You had no advantage over us, so taste the punishment for what you used to earn.’ (39) Indeed, those who deny Our signs and arrogantly turn away from them—the gates of heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel passes through the eye of a needle. Thus do We recompense the criminals. (40)”

“Enter among communities”: that is, Allah will say to them on the Day of Resurrection, “Enter among communities,” meaning, along with groups, “that passed away”—that is, departed—“before you, of jinn and humankind, into the Fire”: meaning the disbelievers from the bygone nations. “Whenever a community enters, it will curse its sister”: that is, its sister in religion, not in lineage. Thus, the Jews will curse the Jews, the Christians the Christians, and every sect will curse its counterpart; the followers will curse the leaders. He did not say “its brother,” because He meant the community and the group.

“Until, when they have all caught up with one another therein”: that is, they will successively join one another and gather in the Fire. “All together, the last of them will say”: Muqatil said: This means the last of them to enter the Fire, namely the followers, “to the first of them”: that is, to those who entered first, namely the leaders, for the leaders enter the Fire before them. Ibn Abbas said: It means the latter of every community speaking to its former members. Al-Suddi said: It means the people of later times speaking to their predecessors, who prescribed that religion for them. “Our Lord, these”—that is, those—“led us astray from guidance,” meaning the leaders, “so give them a double punishment of the Fire”: that is, multiply the punishment for them. Allah, exalted is He, will say: “Each will have a double punishment,” meaning that both the leaders and the followers will have a double share of punishment, “but you do not know” what punishment belongs to each group among you.

The majority recited, “but you do not know,” while Abu Bakr recited, “but they do not know,” with the letter ya; that is, the followers do not know what punishment belongs to the leaders, nor do the leaders know what belongs to the followers.

“And the first of them will say,” meaning the leaders, “to the last of them,” meaning the followers, “You had no advantage over us,” because you disbelieved just as we disbelieved. Thus, we and you are alike in disbelief and alike in punishment. “So taste the punishment for what you used to earn.”

“Indeed, those who deny Our signs and arrogantly turn away from them—the gates of heaven will not be opened for them”: with the letter ta, Abu Amr recited it without gemination, and with the letter ya