“Indeed, it will be closed over them, in extended columns.” (8–9)

“Indeed, it will be closed over them”: that is, shut tight and sealed. “In extended columns”: Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Abu Bakr recited it as ʿumud, with both vowels pronounced u, while the others recited it as ʿamad, with both vowels pronounced a, as in His saying: “He raised the heavens without pillars that you can see” (al-Raʿd, 2). According to al-Farra’ (2), both are plurals of ʿamud (pillar), just as adim (hide) has the plurals adam and udum (1).

Abu ʿUbaydah said: They are plurals of ʿimad (supporting pillar), just as ihab (hide) has the plurals ahab and uhub (3).

Ibn ʿAbbas said: He placed them within columns, and supporting pillars were extended over them.

It was also said, concerning “in extended columns” (4): the shackles and chains will be around their necks.

It was also said: “They are extended columns at the gate of Hell” (5): the gates were sealed over them by these columns, and they cannot escape (6).

Qatadah said: It has reached us that these are columns by which they will be punished in the Fire.

It was also said: They are the pegs of the enclosing layers that close over the inhabitants of the Fire; that is, it will be sealed over them with extended pegs. In the recitation of ʿAbd Allah, it is read, “with columns,” using the preposition bi-.

Muqatil said: The gates will be closed over them, then sealed with pegs of fiery iron, so that its anguish and heat will rebound upon them. No gate will be opened for them, nor will any air enter them. “Extended” is an adjective describing the columns—that is, lengthened—so that they are more firmly fixed than short ones.