But what is intended here is the speech of mercy and approval: these three types of people will not be addressed by Allah on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He look at them with a gaze of mercy, compassion, honor, or dignity. Rather, Allah will abase them and will not purify them—that is, He will grant them no spiritual cleanness—and they will remain in perpetual misery; we seek Allah’s protection.

The first is an aged adulterer, that is, an elderly man who commits fornication—Allah forbid. His sin is graver than that of a youth, because the impulses of desire in him are weak, whereas in a young man they are strong and may overpower the dislike of adultery that is in his heart. The old man’s passion is all but dead; therefore, when an elderly person commits adultery—may Allah protect us—it reveals the corruption of his inner self and that he actually loves the act, for he did not do it out of overwhelming lust.

The second is a lying king. A king is a ruler who possesses authority: when he speaks, he acts. Ibn al-Mawardi said in his well-known Lamiyyah:

Keep your distance from the ruler; beware his wrath…
Never dispute with one whose word is deed.

The ruler speaks, executes, and carries out; he has no need to lie. It is usually common folk who may have to lie to save themselves, whereas the king has no such need. If, in spite of that, he lies, he is among those whom Allah will neither speak to on the Day of Resurrection nor look at, nor purify; for them is a painful punishment—Allah’s refuge is sought.

The third is an arrogant pauper. The term ʿāʾil means a poor man. Glory be to Allah—imagine a poor man who still behaves arrogantly toward people! A wealthy person may grow haughty because of his riches, just as Allah, Exalted is He, has said: “No! …”