(1–8) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. Competition for more distracts you, until you visit the graves. No indeed! You will come to know. Again, no indeed! You will come to know. No indeed! If only you knew with certain knowledge! You will surely see the Hellfire. Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then, on that Day, you will surely be questioned about your blessings.”

Allah Most High rebukes His servants for being distracted from the purpose for which they were created: to worship Him alone, without partner; to know Him; to turn to Him; and to place love for Him above all else. “Distracts you” from all that “competition for more.” He does not specify what people compete to acquire in abundance, so that this encompasses everything they use to outdo one another and boast: wealth, children, supporters, soldiers, servants, social standing, and anything else by which one person seeks to surpass another rather than sincerely seeking Allah Most High.(1)

Thus your heedlessness, diversion, [and preoccupation] continued “until you visited the graves.” The veil was then lifted from you, but ⦗934⦘ only after it had become impossible for you to make a fresh start.

The words “until you visited the graves” indicate that the barzakh (intermediate realm) is a realm through which one is meant to pass into the everlasting abode (2), for Allah called them visitors and did not call them permanent residents.

This indicates the resurrection and recompense for deeds (3) in an everlasting realm that will never perish. He therefore warns them with His words: “No indeed! You will come to know. Again, no indeed! You will come to know. No indeed! If only you knew with certain knowledge!” That is, had you known what lies ahead of you with knowledge that penetrates the heart, competition for more would not have distracted you, and you would have hastened to perform righteous deeds.

But your lack of true knowledge brought you to the state you now see. “You will surely see the Hellfire”—that is, you will surely reach the Day of Resurrection and see the Hellfire that Allah has prepared for the disbelievers.

“Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty”—that is, with your own physical eyes, as Allah Most High says: “The evildoers will see the Fire and realize that they are bound to fall into it, and they will find no escape from it.”

“Then, on that Day, you will surely be questioned about your blessings”—the blessings you enjoyed in this worldly life. You will be asked: Did you give thanks for them, fulfill Allah’s right concerning them, and refrain from using them to disobey Him, so that He might grant you bliss loftier and better than them?

Or were you deluded by them and failed to give thanks? Indeed, perhaps you even used them to disobey Allah, in which case He will punish you for that. Allah Most High says: “On the Day those who disbelieved are exposed to the Fire: ‘You exhausted your share of good things in your worldly life and enjoyed them. So today you will be repaid with the punishment of humiliation…’” to the end of the verse.