(12–15) “On the Day you see believing men and believing women, their light streaming ahead of them and to their right, they will be told, ‘Your glad tidings this Day are Gardens under which rivers flow, where you will remain forever. That is the supreme triumph.’ On the Day the hypocrite men and women say to those who believe, ‘Wait for us so that we may borrow some of your light,’ they will be told, ‘Go back behind you and seek a light.’ Then a wall with a gate will be erected between them: inside it will be mercy, while outside it will be punishment. They will call out to them, ‘Were we not with you?’ They will reply, ‘Yes, but you led yourselves into temptation, waited, doubted, and were deceived by false hopes until Allah’s decree came. The Deceiver deceived you concerning Allah. So today no ransom will be accepted from you, nor from those who disbelieved. Your abode is the Fire. It is your master—what an evil destination!’”
Allah Most High says, explaining the excellence of faith and how delighted its people will be with it on the Day of Resurrection: “On the Day you see believing men and believing women, their light streaming ahead of them and to their right.” That is, when the Day of Resurrection comes, the sun is folded up, the moon is eclipsed, people are plunged into darkness, and the sirāt (bridge) is erected over Hell, you will then see believing men and believing women, their light streaming ahead of them and to their right. They will proceed by its light through that terrifying and difficult scene, each according to the measure of his faith. They will then receive the greatest of glad tidings, for it will be said: “Your glad tidings this Day are Gardens under which rivers flow, where you will remain forever. That is the supreme triumph.” How sweet these glad tidings will be to their hearts and how delightful to their souls, for they will have obtained everything [beloved] they desired and escaped every evil and dreaded thing.
When the hypocrites see the believers walking by that light (1), while their own light has gone out and they remain bewildered in the darkness, they will say to the believers: “Wait for us so that we may borrow some of your light.” That is, give us time to obtain some of your light by which we may walk and thus escape the punishment. They will be “told: ‘Go back behind you and seek a light’”—if that were possible, though in fact it is utterly impossible. Then “a wall” will be erected between the believers and the hypocrites—that is, an impregnable wall and a secure fortification—“with a gate; inside it will be mercy,” on the side facing the believers, “while outside it will be punishment,” on the side facing the hypocrites.
The hypocrites will call out to the believers, pleading for mercy: “Were we not with you” in the world, saying, “There is no deity except Allah,” praying, fasting, striving in jihad, and performing deeds like yours? “They will reply, ‘Yes.’” You were with us in the world and [outwardly] performed deeds like ours, but your deeds were those of hypocrites, without faith or any sound [sincere] intention. Rather, “you led yourselves into temptation, waited, and doubted”—that is, you doubted Allah’s report, which admits of no doubt—“and were deceived by false hopes,” for (2) you hoped to attain what the believers attained even though you had no certainty, “until ⦗840⦘ Allah’s decree came”—that is, until death came to you while you remained in that blameworthy state.
“The Deceiver deceived you concerning Allah.” This was Satan, who made disbelief and doubt seem attractive to you. You grew complacent with them, trusted his promise, and believed what he told you.
“So today no ransom will be accepted from you, nor from those who disbelieved.” Even if you offered the earth’s fill of gold and as much again as ransom, it would not be accepted from you. “Your abode is the Fire”—that is, your settled dwelling. “It is your master”: it will take charge of you and draw you into itself. “What an evil destination” the Fire is!
[Allah Most High says:] “As for the one whose scales are light, his home will be the Abyss. And what will make you realize what that is? A scorching Fire.”