The Rock, Stoneland, Rock City — Verse 43

The Threat of Iblis to tempt Mankind, and Allah's Promise of Hell for him Allah informed about the rebellion and arrogance of Iblis, in that he said to the Lord: بِمَآ أَغْوَيْتَنِى (Because You misled me,) i.e., because You misled me and misguided me. لأُزَيِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ (I shall indeed adorn the path of error for them) meaning, for the progeny of Adam. فِى الاٌّرْضِ (on the earth,) meaning - I will make sin dear to them, and will encourage, provoke and harass them to commit sin. وَلأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (and I shall mislead them all.) meaning - just as You have misled me and have ordained that for me. إِلاَّ عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ (Except Your chosen, (guided) servants among them.) This is like the Ayah: أَرَءَيْتَكَ هَـذَا الَّذِى كَرَّمْتَ عَلَىَّ لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ لأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إَلاَّ قَلِيلاً ("Do you see this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite until the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring, all but a few!") (17:62). قَالَ ((Allah) said), i.e., threatening and warning Iblis. هَذَا صِرَطٌ عَلَىَّ مُسْتَقِيمٌ (This is the way which will lead straight to Me.) means, `all of you will return to Me, and I will reward or punish you according to your deeds: if they are good then I will reward you, and if they are bad then I will punish you.' This is like the Ayah: إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ (Verily, your Lord is ever watchful.) (89:14) and وَعَلَى اللَّهِ قَصْدُ السَّبِيلِ (And it is up to Allah to show the right way.) (16:9) إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـنٌ (Certainly, you shall have no authority over My servants) meaning, `you will have no way to reach those for whom I have decreed guidance.' إِلاَّ مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ (except those of the astray who follow you.) Ibn Jarir mentioned that Yazid bin Qusayt said: "The Prophets used to have Masjids outside their cities, and if a Prophet wanted to consult with his Lord about something, he would go out to his place of worship and pray as Allah decreed. Then he would ask Him about whatever was concerning him. Once while a Prophet was in his place of worship, the enemy of Allah - meaning Iblis - came and sat between him and the Qiblah (direction of prayer). The Prophet said, `I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan.' The enemy of Allah said, `Do you know who you are seeking refuge from Here he is!' The Prophet said, `I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan', and he repeated that three times. Then the enemy of Allah said, `Tell me about anything in which you will be saved from me.' The Prophet twice said, `No, you tell me about something in which you can overpower the son of Adam' Each of them was insisting that the other answer first, then the Prophet said, Allah says, إِنَّ عِبَادِى لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـنٌ إِلاَّ مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ (Certainly, you shall have no authority over My servants, except those of the astray who follow you.) The enemy of Allah said, `I heard this before you were even born.' The Prophet said, `And Allah says, وَإِمَّا يَنَزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَـنِ نَزْغٌ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing) (7: 200). By Allah, I never sense that you are near but I seek refuge with Allah from you.' The enemy of Allah said, `You have spoken the truth. In this way you will be saved from me.' The Prophet said, `Tell me in what ways you overpower the son of Adam.' He said, `I seize him at times of anger and times of desire.' وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (And surely, Hell is the place promised for them all.) meaning, Hell is the abode designated for all those who follow Iblis, as Allah says in the Qur'an: وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الاٌّحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُ (but those of the sects (Jews, Christians and all the other non-Muslim nations) that reject it (the Qur'an), the Fire will be their promised meeting place.)(11:17) The Gates of Hell are Seven Then Allah tells us that Hell has seven gates: لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَّقْسُومٌ (for each of those gates is a (special) class (of sinners) assigned.) means, for each gate a portion of the followers of Iblis have been decreed, and they will have no choice in the matter. May Allah save us from that. Each one will enter a gate according to his deeds, and will settle in a level of Hell according to his deeds. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Samurah bin Jundub reported from the Prophet about, لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَّقْسُومٌ (for each of those gates is a class assigned.) He said, «إِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ مَنْ تَأْخُذُهُ النَّارُ إِلَى كَعْبَيْهِ، وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَأْخُذُهُ النَّارُ إِلَى حُجْزَتِهِ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَأْخُذُهُ النَّارُ إِلَى تَرَاقِيه» (Among the people of Hell are those whom the Fire will swallow up to the ankles, and those whom it will swallow up to the waist, and those whom it will swallow up to the collarbone.) The degree of which will depend upon their deeds. This is like the Ayah; لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَّقْسُومٌ (for each of those gates is a class assigned.)

And truly Hell shall be their tryst all of them that is all those who follow you shall be with you in Hell.

وإن النار الشديدة لَموعدُ إبليس وأتباعه أجمعين، لها سبعة أبواب كل باب أسفل من الآخر، لكل بابٍ مِن أتباع إبليس قسم ونصيب بحسب أعمالهم.

وقوله " وإن جهنم لموعدهم أجمعين أي جهنم موعد جميع من اتبع إبليس كما قال عن القرآن " ومن يكفر به من الأحزاب فالنار موعده.

ثم بين - سبحانه - سوء عاقبة المتبعين لإِبليس فقال : ( وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ لَهَا سَبْعَةُ أَبْوَابٍ لِكُلِّ بَابٍ مِّنْهُمْ جُزْءٌ مَّقْسُومٌ ) .والضمير فى قوله ( لموعدهم ) يعود إلى الغاوين ، أو إلى ( من اتبعك ) والموعد : مكان الوعد .والمراد به هنا المكان الذى سينتهون إليه حتمًا بعد أن كانوا غافلين عنها فى الدنيا ، وهو جهنم أى وإن جهنم لمكان محتوم لهؤلاء الذين أغواهم إبليس دون أن يفلت أحد من سعيرها .

يقول تعالى ذكره لإبليس: وإن جهنم لموعد من تبعك أجمعين .

( وإن جهنم لموعدهم أجمعين ) يعني موعد إبليس ومن تبعه .

وضمير «مَوعدهم» عائد إلى { من اتبعك } ، والموعد مكان الوعد . وأطلق هنا على المصير إلى الله استعير الموعد لمكان اللقاء تشبيهاً له بالمكان المعين بين الناس للقاء معين وهو الوعد .ووجه الشبه تحقّق المجيء بجامع الحرص عليه شأن المواعيد ، لأن إخلاف الوعد محاور ، وفي ذلك تَمليح بهم لأنهم ينكرون البعث والجزاء ، فجُعلوا بمنزلة من عيّن ذلك المكان للإتيان .

{ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَوْعِدُهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ } أي: إبليس وجنوده

يعني إبليس ومن اتبعه .

According to Mujahid, Hassan and Qatada, the meaning of ‘straight path’ is reported to be the ‘way of Truth’, which leads towards God and ends there. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). If a man adopts the path of polytheism, that path will not let him reach God but will lead towards the supposed partners of God. If he adopts the way of arrogance, his goal will be his own self. If he leads an unrestricted life, he will wander aimlessly hither and thither; his journey never leading to God. But if a man makes God his entire centre of attention and, considering Him everything, lives his life focused on God, it is quite natural that his journey should carry him towards God and that finally he should reach God. God is All-Powerful and man is totally powerless. So there can be only one true relationship between God and His subject and that is one of man’s subordination. Adopting the way of subordination to God is the means of establishing a perfect relationship with God, and Satan has no power over one who has done so. One who does not do so develops a relationship with Satan. Then he follows the suggestions of Satan, to such an extent that he reaches that very place where Satan is finally destined to arrive. Hell, which is the final destination of Satan and his companions, consists of seven stages. Ikrama says seven gates means seven stages. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). People consigned to Hell will be divided into seven big groups according to their different deeds and, on that basis, they will find a place in one of the seven sections of hell.

The Meaning of Shaitan Having No Power over Special Servants of Allah From the verse: إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ (My servants are such that you have no power over them - 42), we learn that there are special and chosen servants of Allah Ta’ ala who are not affected by Shaitanic deception. But, within this event relating to Sayyidna 'Adam ill, it has also been said that the deception of Shaitan worked in the case of Sayyidna 'Adam and Hawwa' (علیہما السلام) . Similarly, about the noble Companions, the Qur’ an has said: إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا ۖ (Shaitan had but made them slip for some of their deeds - 3:155) which tells us that there was an occasion (during the Battle of Uhud) when the evil plan of the Shaitan worked against the Companions as well. Therefore, in the present verse, the sense of saying that the special servants of Allah are such that Shaitan has no power over them is that their hearts and minds never come under the power and sway of Shaitan to the extent that would just not become alerted to their error at all, be-cause of which, they would remain deprived of necessary repentance for ever, or that they fall into some sin the forgiveness of which would be-come impossible. As for the events mentioned above, they offer no contradiction be-cause 'Adam and Hawwa' (علیہما السلام) made their Taubah and this repentance was accepted. Similarly, the noble Companions referred to above had also made their Taubah. Thus, whatever sin they fell into because of the mechanization of Shaitan was forgiven.

(And lo! for all such, hell will be the promised place) the destination of those who obey you.