the very bones once they have crumbled to dust and to give them life a second time. Hence Allah the Exalted said, “Say: He will give them life Who produced them the first time” (Ya Sin 79). If He originated them the first time when they were nothing, then all the more certainly He is able to bring them back again.
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Exegesis of Sura al-Zumar

Question: Kindly explain these verses from Sura al-Zumar and clarify their meaning: “Those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups until, when they arrive there, its gates will be opened and its keepers will say to them, ‘Did there not come to you messengers from among yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?’ They will say, ‘Yes indeed, but the decree of punishment has come to pass against the disbelievers.’ It will be said, ‘Enter the gates of Hell to abide therein, and wretched is the abode of the arrogant.’ But those who feared their Lord will be led to Paradise in groups until, when they arrive there and its gates have been opened, its keepers will say to them, ‘Peace be upon you; you have done well, so enter it to live forever.’ They will say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Who has fulfilled His promise to us and made us inherit the land, so we may dwell in Paradise wherever we wish—how excellent is the reward of those who act!’ And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, glorifying their Lord with His praise. Judgment will be passed between them in truth, and it will be said, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all creation’” (al-Zumar 71–75).

Answer: These verses portray the conditions of people on the Day of Resurrection—both the state of the disbelievers and the state of the believers. The disbelievers will be herded toward Jahannam, the Fire—may Allah protect us. When they reach it, its gates will be opened for them to enter, and at that point the angels will rebuke and threaten them, questioning them in a tone of censure, for they themselves are the cause of landing in this dreadful predicament. They did not respond to the messengers of Allah in the worldly life, even though Allah, mighty and sublime, had sent to them