(71–72) “On the Day We summon every people with their leader, whoever is given their record in their right hand will read it, and they will not be wronged in the least. But whoever was blind in this world will be blind in the Hereafter and even further astray from the way.”

Allah Most High informs us of the state of creation on the Day of Resurrection. He will summon every people together with their leader and guide to righteousness—namely, the messengers and their representatives. Each nation will be brought forward in the presence of the messenger who called them, and their deeds will be measured against the Scripture to which that messenger called them, to determine whether they conformed to it. They will consequently be divided into two groups:

“Whoever is given their record in their right hand”—because they followed their leader, who guided them to a straight path, and were guided by his Scripture, so their good deeds were many and their evil deeds few—“will read it” with joy and delight at the things they find in it that bring them happiness and pleasure. “And they will not be wronged in the least” regarding any of the good deeds they performed.

“But whoever was blind in this world” to the truth, neither accepting nor submitting to it, but instead following misguidance, “will be blind in the Hereafter” to the path leading to Paradise, just as they did not follow it in this world, “and even further astray from the way.” Recompense is of the same nature as the deed: as you act, so shall you be requited.

This verse provides evidence that every nation will be summoned in relation to its religion and Scripture, to determine whether it acted according to them; that people will not be held accountable under the law of a prophet whom they were not commanded to follow; and that Allah does not punish anyone until the proof has been established against them and they have acted contrary to it.