“And forgive my father, for he was among those astray. (86) And do not disgrace me on the Day they are resurrected—(87) the Day when neither wealth nor children will avail, (88) except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. (89) And the Garden will be brought near to the God-fearing, (90) and Hellfire will be exposed to those astray. (91) And it will be said to them, ‘Where are those you used to worship (92) besides Allah? Can they help you, or help themselves?’ (93) Then they and those astray will be cast headlong into it, (94) along with all the hosts of Iblis. (95) They will say, while disputing therein, (96)”
“And forgive my father, for he was among those astray”: He said this before it became clear to him that his father was an enemy of Allah, as mentioned previously in Surat al-Tawbah.
“And do not disgrace me”: that is, do not expose me to shame, “on the Day they are resurrected—the Day when neither wealth nor children will avail, except one who comes to Allah with a sound heart”: that is, a heart free from associating partners with Allah and from doubt. (1) As for sins, no one is free of them. This is the view of most exegetes.
Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib said: The sound heart is the healthy heart, and it is the heart of the believer, for the heart of the disbeliever and the hypocrite is diseased. Allah Most High says: “In their hearts is disease” (al-Baqarah 2:10). Ibn ‘Uthman al-Naysaburi said: It is the heart free of innovation and firmly settled upon the sunnah. (2)
“And the Garden will be brought near”: that is, brought close, “to the God-fearing. And Hellfire will be exposed”: that is, made manifest, “to those astray”: namely, the disbelievers.
“And it will be said to them” on the Day of Resurrection, “Where are those you used to worship besides Allah? Can they help you”—that is, protect you ⦗51a⦘ from the punishment—“or help themselves?”
“Then they and those astray will be cast headlong into it.” Ibn ‘Abbas said: They will be gathered together. Mujahid said: They will be hurled down. Muqatil said: They will be thrown in. Al-Zajjaj said: Some of them will be cast upon others. Al-Qutaybi said: They will be cast upon their heads.
“They and those astray”: that is, the devils, according to Qatadah and Muqatil. Al-Kalbi said: the disbelieving jinn.
“And all the hosts of Iblis”: they are his followers and all among jinn and humankind who obey him. It is also said: his progeny.
“They will say”: that is, those astray will say to the devils and the beings they worshipped, “while disputing therein”: with the beings they worshipped, each arguing with another.