(47–52) “So do not think that Allah will break His promise to His messengers. Indeed, Allah is Almighty, Lord of Retribution. * On the Day when the earth will be changed into another earth, as will the heavens, and all will come forth before Allah, the One, the Supreme Subduer. * On that Day you will see the criminals bound together in shackles, * their garments made of pitch and the Fire covering their faces, * so that Allah may repay every soul for what it earned. Indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning. * This is a proclamation to humanity, so that they may be warned by it, know that He is only One God, and so that people of understanding may take heed.”
Allah Most High says: “So do not think that Allah will break His promise to His messengers” to save them and their followers, grant them felicity, destroy their enemies, and forsake those enemies in this world and punish them in the Hereafter. This must inevitably come to pass, for it was promised by the One who is truthful in speech through the most truthful of His creation—the messengers. This is the highest degree of certainty that any report can possess, especially since it accords with divine wisdom, the ways established by the Lord, and sound reason. Nothing can thwart Allah, for He is “Almighty, Lord of Retribution.”
That is, when He wills to take retribution upon anyone, that person cannot escape Him or thwart Him. This will occur on the Day of Resurrection: “On the Day when the earth will be changed into another earth, as will the heavens”—the heavens will likewise be changed into other heavens. This change will be a change in their attributes, not in their essence. On the Day of Resurrection, the earth will be leveled and stretched flat like a hide, and every mountain and landmark upon its surface will be cast away. It will become a level, barren plain in which no depression or elevation can be seen. The sky will be like molten metal because of the severity of that Day’s terrors; then Allah Most High will fold it up in His right hand.
“And all will come forth”—that is, all creatures will come forth from their graves upon being resurrected and raised, in a place where none of them will be hidden from Allah—“before Allah, the One, the Supreme Subduer.” He alone possesses greatness, His names and attributes, and His mighty acts, and He subdues all worlds. They are all under His control and governance: nothing that moves does so, and nothing that remains still does so, except by His permission.
“On that Day you will see the criminals”—those characterized by criminality and an abundance of sins—“bound together in shackles.” Each group of criminals who shared the same deeds will be chained together with chains of fire and driven to the punishment in the most humiliating, hideous, and repulsive state.
“Their garments”—that is, their clothing—will be “made of pitch,” because it causes the fire upon them to burn more fiercely and intensely and produces a foul stench. “And the Fire covering their faces”—the noblest parts of their bodies—surrounding and scorching them from every side. This necessarily applies even more so to the rest of their bodies. Allah is not wronging them by this; it is merely the recompense for what they sent ahead and earned. Allah Most High therefore says: “So that Allah may repay every soul for what it earned,” whether good or evil, with perfect justice and equity, containing no injustice whatsoever.
“Indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning.” This is like His statement: “The people’s reckoning has drawn near, yet they turn away in heedlessness.” It may also mean that He is swift in calling to account: He will call all creation to account in a single hour, just as He provides for them and governs them in countless ways in a single moment. No matter distracts Him from another, and none of this is difficult for Him.
Having set forth this lucid exposition in the Quran, He praised it, saying: “This is a proclamation to humanity.” That is, through it they obtain what they need and take provisions for the journey toward the highest stations and the finest honors, because it encompasses foundational and subsidiary teachings and every branch of knowledge that Allah’s servants require.
“So that they may be warned by it,” because it warns against evil deeds and against the punishment Allah has prepared for those who commit them; “and know that He is only One God,” for the proofs and demonstrations of His exclusive divinity and oneness are presented in it in such varied forms that this becomes certain beyond doubt; “and so that people of understanding may take heed”—those of sound and complete minds, who act upon what benefits them and abandon what harms them. By doing so, they become people of understanding and insight.
Through the Quran, their knowledge and sound judgment increased and their thoughts were illumined, because they received it fresh and pristine. It calls only to the highest and finest ⦗429⦘ character and deeds, and argues for them only with the strongest and clearest proofs.
When an intelligent servant trains himself according to this principle, he will continue forever to ascend and advance in every praiseworthy quality.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds.
The commentary on Surah Abraham, the Intimate Friend, peace and blessings be upon him, is complete.