Al-Farra’ mentioned another view concerning, “In whatever form He willed, He assembled you”: If He willed, He could have made you in the form of a human being; and if He willed, in the form of a beast or some other animal.

“No indeed! Rather, you deny the Recompense, though over you are guardians—noble scribes, who know whatever you do. Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, and indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire, entering it on the Day of Recompense; nor will they be absent from it. And what will make you realize what the Day of Recompense is? Then again, what will make you realize what the Day of Recompense is?”

“No indeed! Rather, you deny”: Abu Ja‘far recited it with the third-person pronoun, while the others recited it with the second-person pronoun, as indicated by His saying, “though over you are guardians.” “The Recompense” means requital and reckoning. “Though over you are guardians”: watchful angels who preserve a record of your deeds. “Noble”: noble before Allah. “Scribes”: they write down your words and deeds. “Who know whatever you do”: whether good or evil.

His saying, exalted is He: “Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss”: the righteous are those who have acted righteously and been true in their faith by fulfilling Allah’s obligatory commands and avoiding disobedience to Him.

“And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.” It is reported that Sulayman ibn ‘Abd al-Malik said to Abu Hazim al-Madani: “I wonder what awaits us with Allah.” He replied, “Compare your deeds with the Book of Allah, and you will know what awaits you with Allah.” He said, “Where may I find this in the Book of Allah?” He replied, “In His saying: ‘Indeed, the righteous will be in bliss, and indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.’” Sulayman said, “Then where is Allah’s mercy?” He replied, “It is near to those who do good” (al-A‘raf 7:56).

His saying, exalted is He: “Entering it on the Day of Recompense; nor will they be absent from it”: They will enter it on the Day of Resurrection. He then magnified the gravity of that Day, saying: “And what will make you realize what the Day of Recompense is?” Then He repeated it, emphasizing the tremendous nature of that Day: “Then again, what will make you realize what the Day of Recompense is?”

“A Day when no soul will avail another soul in any way, and all authority on that Day belongs to Allah.”

“A Day when no soul will avail”: The scholars of Kufah and Basrah recited, “The Day,”