(84–87) “And on the Day We raise from every nation a witness, those who disbelieved will not be permitted to offer excuses, nor will they be allowed to make amends. * When those who did wrong see the punishment, it will not be lightened for them, nor will they be granted any respite. * And when those who associated others with Allah see those they took as partners, they will say, ‘Our Lord, these are the partners whom we used to invoke besides You.’ But they will throw their words back at them, saying, ‘You are indeed liars!’ * On that Day they will submit themselves to Allah, and all that they used to fabricate will vanish from them.”
Allah Most High tells us of the condition of those who disbelieved on the Day of Resurrection: no excuse will be accepted from them, their punishment will not be lifted, those they took as partners will disavow them, and they will testify against themselves to their disbelief and their fabrications against Allah. He says: “And on the Day We raise from every nation a witness” who will testify against them concerning their deeds and how they responded to the one who called them to guidance. The witnesses whom Allah will raise are the purest and most just of witnesses: they are the messengers, and once they testify, judgment against their peoples will be complete.
Thus, “those who disbelieved will not be permitted” to offer excuses, for after they have come to know with certainty the falsity of what they followed, their excuses will be lies and will avail them nothing. Even if they ask to be returned to this world so that they may make amends, their request will not be granted, nor will they be afforded that opportunity. Instead, the severe punishment will immediately overtake them; it will not be lightened, and they will be granted neither respite nor delay from the moment they see it. There will be no reckoning for them, since they have no good deeds. Rather, their deeds will merely be numbered and counted; they will be confronted with them, admit to them, and be disgraced.
“And when those who associated others with Allah see those they took as partners” on the Day of Resurrection, they will recognize their falsity and be unable to deny them.
“They will say, ‘Our Lord, these are the partners whom we used to invoke besides You.’” At that point, those partners will afford neither benefit nor intercession. Thus, by their own admission, they will proclaim the falsity of those objects of worship, reject them, and open hatred and enmity will arise between them. “But they will throw their words back at them”—that is, those they took as partners will reply to them, saying: “You are indeed liars!” You made us partners with Allah and worshipped us alongside Him, although we never commanded you to do so or claimed any entitlement to divinity. The blame therefore rests upon you.
They will then surrender themselves to Allah, submit to His judgment, and know that they deserve the punishment.
“And all that they used to fabricate will vanish from them.” They will enter the Fire with their hearts filled with loathing for themselves and praise for their Lord, recognizing that He punished them only for what they had earned.