(11–16) “Say, ‘Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, devoting my religion sincerely to Him, * and I have been commanded to be the first of the Muslims.’ * Say, ‘Indeed, I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day.’ * Say, ‘Allah alone I worship, devoting my religion sincerely to Him. * So worship whatever you wish besides Him.’ Say, ‘The true losers are those who lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Unquestionably, that is the manifest loss. * Above them will be canopies of fire, and beneath them canopies. By this Allah causes His servants to fear. O My servants, then fear Me.’”
That is: “Say,” O Messenger, to the people, “Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, devoting my religion sincerely to Him,” as He stated at the beginning of the surah: “So worship Allah, devoting your religion sincerely to Him.”
“And I have been commanded to be the first of the Muslims,” for I am the one who calls and guides creation to their Lord. This requires me to be the first to obey what I command and the first to submit. This command must be fulfilled by Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and by everyone who claims to be among his followers. There must therefore be submission in outward deeds and sincerity to Allah in both outward and inward deeds.
“Say, ‘Indeed, I fear, if I disobey my Lord’” regarding what He has commanded me of sincerity and submission, “the punishment of a tremendous Day,” in which those who associate partners with Allah will abide forever and those who disobey will be punished.
“Say, ‘Allah alone I worship, devoting my religion sincerely to Him. So worship whatever you wish besides Him,’” just as Allah Most High said: “Say, ‘O disbelievers, * I do not worship what you worship, * nor do you worship what I worship. * Nor will I worship what you have worshipped, * nor will you worship what I worship. * For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.’”
The true “losers” are “those who lose themselves,” having deprived themselves of reward and made themselves deserving of grievous punishment, “and their families on the Day of Resurrection.” That is, they will be separated from them, their grief will intensify, and their loss will be immense. “Unquestionably, that is the manifest loss”—a loss unequalled by any other, a lasting loss after which there will be neither gain nor deliverance.
He then describes the severity of the misery they will suffer, saying: “Above them will be canopies of fire”—that is, masses of torment like immense clouds—“and beneath them canopies.”
Such is the punishment of the inhabitants of the Fire that We have described. It is a whip by which Allah drives His servants toward His mercy: “By this Allah causes His servants to fear. O My servants, then fear Me.” That is, He has made the punishment He prepared for the wretched a summons calling His servants to fear Him and a deterrent from everything that incurs punishment. Glory be to the One who shows mercy to His servants in every regard, makes easy for them the paths leading to Him, urges them to follow those paths, and encourages them with every inducement for which souls long and in which hearts find tranquility. He warns them most emphatically against performing deeds for anyone other than Him and sets before them the deterrents against abandoning devotion to Him.