and adversity, hardship, and ease. (1)

Saʿīd ibn Jubayr said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will command those who wore themselves out in this world for the sake of beholding idols (2) to enter Hell along with their idols. But they will not enter, knowing that the punishment of Hell is everlasting. Then He will say to the believers, while they are before the disbelievers: ‘If you are My beloved ones, then enter Hell.’ So they will plunge into it, whereupon a caller from beneath the Throne will proclaim: ‘But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah.’”

It was also said that He said, “But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah,” because Allah loved them first, and then they loved Him. Whoever is declared beloved by the One worshipped has a more complete love. Allah, exalted is He, says: “He loves them, and they love Him” (5:54).

His saying, exalted is He, “If only those who wronged could see”: Nāfiʿ, Ibn ʿĀmir, and Yaʿqūb read it as “if only you could see,” with the feminine-prefix form, while the others read it as “if only those who wronged could see.” The apodosis of “if only” here is omitted, as frequently occurs in the Quran, such as His saying, exalted is He: “If there had been a Quran by which mountains were made to move, or the earth were rent asunder...” (13:31)—meaning, it would have been this Quran.

According to the reading “if only you could see,” its meaning is: If you, Muhammad, could see those who wronged themselves amid the severity of the punishment, you would see something tremendous. It was also said that its meaning is: Say, Muhammad: O wrongdoer, if you could see those who wronged or associated partners with Allah amid the severity of the punishment, you would see something dreadful.

According to the reading “if only those who wronged could see,” its meaning is: If those who wronged themselves could see at the time of seeing the punishment—that is, if they saw the severity of Allah’s punishment and retribution when they behold the punishment—they would know the harm of disbelief and that the idols they took would not benefit them.

His saying, exalted is He, “when they see the punishment”: Ibn ʿĀmir read it with the initial letter vowelled with ḍammah, while the rest read it with fatḥah: “that all power belongs entirely to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment”—that is, because all power belongs entirely to Allah. Its meaning is that they would see and know with certainty that all power belongs entirely to Allah.

Abū Jaʿfar and Yaʿqūb read, “Indeed, all power belongs to Allah, and indeed Allah...,” with the initial letters vowelled with kasrah, as a new sentence. The statement is complete at His saying, “when they see the punishment,” with the response understood but omitted.

“When those who were followed disown those who followed them, and they see the punishment, and all ties between them are severed. And those who followed will say, ‘If only we had another return, we would disown them as they have disowned us.’ Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets upon them, and they will not leave the Fire.” (166–167)

“When those who were followed disown those who followed them, and they see the punishment”: this will take place on the Day of Resurrection, ⦗23/a⦘ when Allah gathers the leaders and the followers, and they disown one another. This is the view of most exegetes. Al-Suddī said: They are the devils, who will disown humankind. “And all ties between them are severed”: that is, severed from them—the connections that existed between them in this world, such as kinship and friendship; their close friendship will become enmity. Ibn Jurayj said: These are kinship ties, as Allah, exalted is He, says: “On that Day there will be no ties of kinship between them” (23:101). Al-Suddī said: It means the deeds which they used to