54. That is, although you appeal to them, but they, were they to be alive, would make no claim to divinity. Another interpretation renders “da`wah” in the sense of “response,” i.e., if called, they cannot respond (Zamakhshari, Razi).

Yet another possible rendition is, as Majid did: that which has no right to be invoked.

The Qur’an said elsewhere (35 14),“If you invoke them, they do not hear your invocation, and, even if they heard, they cannot respond to you”(Ibn Kathir).

Therefore, is it anything but ignorance of the highest order to keep calling those who cannot respond? Allah said (46: 5),“And who can be in greater wrong than him who calls those – apart from Allah – who will not answer until the Day of Judgment, when in fact, they are unaware of their call?”

In this case the situation is all the more hopeless, for, not that these false gods do not answer their call, but, they in fact cannot (Shabbir).

55. That is, it will not be too long before punishment strikes you, if you stayed on the path of disbelief. Then it is that you will remember me and recall my words and regret not having heeded (Au.).

56. This indicates that either he had already been threatened with death (Razi), or he felt sure he was risking his life by exposing himself (Au.).

57. Perhaps Fir`awn’s government plotted to get him assassinated, in the fashion of modern day governments in the East and the West, who get their security men assassinate anyone they depict to their public as the enemy of the state, in most cases, the victims being Muslims; claiming that they were killed in an encounter, when, in fact, it is cold-blooded murder. Today’s world is teeming with the Fara`ina as heads of democratic states preaching human rights, equality, freedom of the people, and all those slogans. In the face of mounting persecution of Muslims, one can only draw comfort from the words, “On the day the Hour strikes, (it will be said), ‘Admit the folks of Fir`awn into a more severe torture” (Au.).

58. Hudhayl b. Shurahbil and Suddi have said in reference to this verse that the souls of the folks of Fir`awn are in the bodies of birds that are exposed to the Fire everyday, burning their feathers and blackening them thereby, to be whole once again by next morning for the cycle to repeat (Ibn Jarir, Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir).

Thus, this is in contrast to the treatment of the believers in the world of Barzakh who are in the form of green birds, feeding themselves from any part of Paradise they will (Shabbir).

This ayah is a Qur’anic evidence for punishment in the world of Barzakh, or simply, in the graves (Zamakhshari), especially the use of the words “morning and evening,” since the allusion could not be to Hell where the criminals will not be exposed to the fire merely in the morning and evening, but rather all the time (Razi).

Ibn Kathir reconciles the contradiction between this Makkan verse and a couple of ahadith that say that early in Madinah the Prophet (saws) denied the possibility of punishment in Barzakh. How could he deny when this verse had already been revealed in Makkah? Of course, the simplest answer is that we cannot be definite about the revelation of this particular ayah in Makkah, even if this chapter is Makkan. In fact, some of the earliest commentators have though that verse 55 and 56 are Makkan. Can we rule out the possibility of this ayah, (no. 46), being Madinan simply because there are no reports? (Au.).

At all events, Ibn Kathir reconciles in the following manner. First he reports a hadith in Ahmed which he declares Sahih. It says,`A’isha reports that a Jewish woman used to serve her. Now never did `A’isha do a good thing to her but the Jewess said, “May Allah protect you from the punishment in the grave.” `A’isha says when the Prophet entered upon her she asked her whether there was going to be punishment in the grave before the Judgment Day. He answered, “No. And who says that?” She told him that she never did a good thing to the Jewess but she said, “May Allah protect you from the punishment in the grave.” He said, “The Jews lied, and they are pretty fast at fastening a lie on Allah.” Then he remained as long as Allah wished him to remain (on this opinion) until one day he came out at mid-day gathering his clothes around him, red-eyed, pronouncing in a loud voice, “O people. Tribulations have overshadowed you like a dark night. O people. If you knew what I know, surely, you would have cried much and laughed little. O people, seek Allah’s refuge from the punishment in the grave, for punishment in the grave is true.”

There are other reports of this nature in other collections. And the reconciliation is simple. In fact, reconciliation is not required. One can see that the Qur’anic statement as here, is not speaking of Fir`awn’s folks being actually tormented. It says that they are brought to the Fire morning and evening, in Qur’an’s own words, “The Fire to which they are exposed morning and evening.” Thus, they are merely exposed to the Fire while they are in the Barzakh. Later the Sunnah confirmed that not merely exposed, but the evildoers in general are indeed punished in the graves. In addition, there is another possibility. When the Prophet (saws) denied that the believers will be punished in the grave, it was because he did not know that Muslims too would be punished. In view of this Qur’anic ayah he could have surmised that it is unbelievers alone who will be punished, not believers. Indeed, this is strengthened by another version of the hadith in Musnad of Ahmed which reports that he reacted angrily, “But rather, it is Jews who will be punished.” However, later he was informed by Allah that even believers are likely to be punished, which he hurried to announce. The hadith of Ahmed is as follows,`Urwah ibn al-Zubayr heard ‘A’isha say that a Jewess entered upon her and said that “I understand that you will be punished in the grave.” She said, “The Prophet heard it and felt frightened. Then he said, ‘Indeed, Jews will be punished.’” ‘A’isha said, “A few nights passed over me when the Prophet said, ‘Are you aware that it has been revealed to me that you will be punished in the graves?’”

(Thanwi states that this is the right and simple explanation of the apparent contradiction).

In any case, ahadith promising punishment in the graves are several (Ibn Kathir).

We also have in the hadith literature, the story of how the folks of Fir`awn are shunted up and down to be exposed to the Fire. Describing one of the incidents that the Prophet noticed during his Night Journey and Ascension, he said: “Then Jibril took me along until I passed over a people remarkable for their big tummies like huge houses. They were blocking the way of Fir`awn’s folks. These latter ones are exposed to the Fire, morning and evening. So that when they return, they are like sick camels who cannot make the difference between a rock and a tree, neither hearing nor understanding anything. When these people with big tummies feel them coming their way, they try to rise up (and move away) but because of their heavy tummies tumble down. They rise up again but again fall down, until Fir`awn’s folks arrive and run over them. They trample them coming and going. This is their punishment in the purgatory between this world and the next. The folks of Fir`awn cry out to Allah, ‘O Lord! Do not ever bring forth the Resurrection’” (Ibn Kathir).

For Arabic text of the above hadith, see note no. 588 of Surah al-Baqarah of this work (Au.).

Then there are reports of the believers rewarded during their life in Barzakh. One of the report says, as in Ibn Abi Hatim,`Abdullah ibn Mas`ud said, “The souls of martyrs are in the bodies of green birds that fly about in Paradise as they like. The souls of minor Muslim children are in the bodies of green birds that fly about in Paradise as they will, to return to lanterns hanging by the `Arsh. And the souls of Fir`awn’s folks are in the bodies of the birds that pass by Jahannum morning and evening, and that is their exposure to Jahannum (Ibn Kathir).

The above is a statement of ibn Mas`ud, but ahadith concerning souls of the martyrs in the bodies of green birds in Paradise, are trustworthy and found in several collections such as Tirmidhi, Abu Da’ud and others (Au.).

To continue with the subject at hand, there is a report in Ahmed and the Sahihayn which says,`Abdullah ibn `Umar reports the Prophet (saws) as having said, “When one of you dies, his place is shown to him morning and evening. If he is of the inhabitants of Paradise, then Paradise, but if of the inhabitants of the Fire, then the Fire, and he is told, ‘This is your place (that you will get) when Allah raises you on the Day of Judgment’” (Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir, Shawkani).

59. That is, the affair is all over: those who had to go to Paradise are gone while those that were destined for the Fire are here. Now there is no departure from here (Au.).

60. To paraphrase the passage, the angels will reply in words, “We are here to punish and torture you. Intercession is not part of our duty. Intercession in fact was the prerogative of the Prophets and Messengers. But you denied them when they came to you. That door is now closed. But if you believe there is some use in supplications, then do it, although the fact is, the time for supplications is also over. Today’s supplication is lost to the wind (Au. with a point from Shabbir).