(62–66) “And on the Day He calls them, He will say, ‘Where are My partners whom you used to claim?’ * Those against whom the Word has come into effect will say, ‘Our Lord, these are the ones whom we led astray. We led them astray just as we ourselves went astray. We disavow them before You. It was not us that they worshipped.’ * And it will be said, ‘Call upon your partners.’ They will call upon them, but they will not respond; and they will see the punishment. If only they had followed guidance! * And on the Day He calls them, He will say, ‘What response did you give the messengers?’ * All information will be obscured to them that Day, and they will not question one another.”
This is Allah’s account of what all creatures will be questioned about on the Day of Resurrection. He will question them concerning the fundamental matters: the worship of Allah and their response to His messengers. He says, “And on the Day He calls them”—that is, He will call those who associated with Him partners whom they worshipped, hoping that they would benefit them and protect them from harm. He will call them in order to show them the helplessness of those partners and the error of their own ways. “He will say, ‘Where are My partners?’” Allah has no partner, but they claimed and fabricated such partners. He therefore says, “whom you used to claim.” Where are they themselves? Where is their benefit, and where is their protection?
It is well known that (1), in that situation, it will become clear to them that what they worshipped and placed their hopes in was false and had vanished, together with everything they had hoped to receive from it. They will thus acknowledge their own error and waywardness.
Therefore, “Those against whom the Word has come into effect will say”—namely, the chiefs and leaders in disbelief and evil, admitting that they themselves went astray and led others astray—“Our Lord, these are”—the followers—“the ones whom we led astray. We led them astray just as we ourselves went astray.” That is, all of us shared in going astray, and the word of punishment became binding upon us.
“We disavow them before You”—that is, we disavow their worship of us; we are innocent of them and their deeds. “It was not us that they worshipped.” Rather, they were worshipping the devils.
“And it will be said” to them, “Call upon your partners” to bring you the benefit you had hoped to receive from them. They will thus be commanded to call upon them at that dire moment when the worshipper is in desperate need of the one he worshipped.
“They will call upon them” to benefit them or avert even a part of Allah’s punishment from them, “but they will not respond.” Those who disbelieved will then realize that they had been liars and deserved punishment. “And they will see the punishment” that is to befall them plainly with their own eyes, after having denied and rejected it.
“If only they had followed guidance!” That is, what befell them would not have befallen them, and they would have been guided to the path of Paradise, just as they had followed guidance in worldly life. But they did not follow guidance, and so they will not be guided.
“And on the Day He calls them, He will say, ‘What response did you give the messengers?’” Did you believe them [and follow them], or did you deny and oppose them?
“All information will be obscured to them that Day, and they will not question one another.” That is, they will be unable to give any answer to this question or find their way to the correct response.
It is well known that nothing can save a person in this situation except openly giving the correct answer—one that accords with his actual conduct: “We responded to them with faith and submission.” But because they know that they denied the messengers and stubbornly opposed their command, they will utter nothing. Nor will they be able to question one another or confer among themselves about what answer to give, even if it were a lie.