Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:44

"And warn the people"—This is an address to the Master of those addressed [the Prophet ﷺ], following the notification to him of why the punishment of the disbelievers is delayed, and an order for him to warn and frighten them of it. By "the people," it is meant the disbelievers, who are described as the "wrongdoers" (ẓālimīn), as necessitated by the manifest arrival of the punishment. Abu Hayyan and others held this view.

The rationale for using "the people" instead of a pronoun—as stated by Shaykh al-Islam—is to signal that the purpose of the warning is to restrain them from the wrongdoing they are engaged in, out of compassion for them, rather than mere intimidation for the sake of causing distress or harm; thus, it is appropriate not to describe them by the title of "wrongdoers" at that moment. Al-Jubba’i and Abu Muslim argued that "the people" includes those wrongdoers as well as other accountable individuals, as warning is directed toward both disbelievers and others, as in His saying: “You can only warn those who follow the Reminder.” Mentioning the arrival [of the punishment] encompasses both groups, as both are present at the standing [of Judgment], even if it is specifically associated with the disbelievers.

In any case, "the people" is the first object of the verb "warn," and His saying: "the day the punishment comes to them" is the second object, meaning: warn them of its horror and what it contains. Thus, the verb is applied figuratively, or it is by the omission of a genitive addition. It cannot be an adverb of time for the warning, because the warning takes place in this world, while this "day" is the well-known day—the day described as making minds bewildered, which is the Day of Resurrection. It is also said: it is the day of their death, when they are tormented by the throes [of death] and meet the angels without glad tidings; this is reported from Abu Muslim. Or, it is the day of their destruction by an immediate punishment, though this is rebutted by the fact that the previous restriction [of the afterlife] invalidates it.

"Then those who did wrong will say"—meaning they will say. The shift from using a pronoun to the explicit noun in the majestic arrangement serves to record their wrongdoing against them and signals that their wrongdoing is the cause for the intensity they face, which is signaled by their speech. In choosing [the noun] "those who did wrong" (alladhīna ẓalamū) over "the wrongdoers" (al-ẓālimīn), while still achieving the aforementioned effect and maintaining brevity, it is said to indicate that wrongdoing in any measure is sufficient to lead to the state they have reached, without the need for persistence in it, as is suggested by the form of the active participle. According to al-Jubba’i and Abu Muslim, "those who did wrong from among them" refers to the disbelievers. It is also said that it refers to everyone who has committed wrong through polytheism and denial, both those warned and others from previous nations.

"Our Lord, delay us"—meaning, delay us from the punishment, or delay our punishment. There is an elliptical addition or a metaphorical relation. Al-Dahhak and Mujahid said: They are requesting a return to the world and a reprieve "for a short term"—meaning, a near span and limit of time. It is also said that they are asking for the removal of the punishment and a return to the state of accountability for a short duration to perform what pleases Him. According to the view narrated from Abu Muslim, the meaning is: delay our appointed times and let us remain for a few days, "we will answer Your call"—meaning, the call to You and to Your oneness, or Your call [extended] through the tongues of the messengers. This implies that they acknowledged that they were indeed the messengers of Allah.

"And follow the messengers"—in what they brought; meaning, we will rectify what we failed to do regarding answering the call and following the messengers. The mention of both sentences is not devoid of emphasis, and the context is worthy of it. The plural [in "messengers"] is used either because of the consensus of all on [the message of] Monotheism and because their disobedience to the Messenger ﷺ is disobedience to all of them, or because what is narrated is the speech of the wrongdoers of all nations, and the intent is to state the promise of every nation to [adhere to] Monotheism and follow its own messenger.

"Had you not sworn before"—This is a clause dependent on an implied "it is said," coordinated with "will say." The clause to which it is coordinated is that one; meaning, it is said to them, rebuking and silencing them: Had you not been delayed in the world, and had you not sworn at that time with your tongues—out of pride, arrogance, foolishness, and ignorance—"that you would have no end"—meaning, no passing away from what you were in, of enjoying worldly fortunes; or [sworn] with the "tongues of circumstances" and the evidence of actions, as you built high structures and hoped for the distant future, never imagining for yourselves a transition to these states and horrors. It contains an indication of the length of the delay and its distant duration. Or [it means]: you have no end or transition from the abode of this world to another for retribution, as in His saying: “And they swore by Allah their strongest oaths that Allah will not resurrect those who die.” This is reported from Mujahid. Regardless, "that you would have"... is the answer to the oath, and "min" is a particle added for the emphasis of negation. The form of address is kept to observe the state of the address in "you swore" (aqsamtum), similar to "He swore by Allah that he would surely go out," and it is more biting in rebuke than saying "we have no end," which would observe the state of those whose speech is being narrated in answer to their oath. It is said that this is a separate statement from Allah as an answer to their saying "Our Lord, delay us," meaning: you have no end from this state, and the answer to the oath [regarding the afterlife]—"Allah will not resurrect those from the graves"—is omitted; but this is contrary to what is immediately apparent.

This is one of the answers given to the people of the Fire according to what is in some traditions. Al-Bayhaqi mentioned from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi that he said: The people of the Fire have five pleas, and Allah answers them in four of them, but when it reaches the fifth, they will never speak thereafter. They say: "Our Lord, You made us lifeless twice and gave us life twice, and we have confessed our sins, so is there any way to get out?" And Allah answers them: “That is because, when Allah was called upon alone, you disbelieved; but if others were associated with Him, you believed. So the judgment is with Allah, the Most High, the Grand.” Then they say: "Our Lord, we have seen and heard, so return us [to the world] that we may do righteousness. Indeed, we are [now] certain." And He, the Almighty, answers them: “So taste [the punishment] because you forgot the meeting of this day of yours,” to the end of the verse. Then they say: "Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers." And He, the Blessed and Exalted, answers them: “Had you not sworn before,” to the end of the verse. Then they say: "Our Lord, bring us out; we will do righteousness other than what we used to do." And He, the Majesty of His Glory, answers them: “Did We not grant you life long enough for whoever would remember to remember? And the warner had come to you. So taste [the punishment], for there is not for the wrongdoers any helper.” Then they say: "Our Lord, our wretchedness overcame us, and we were a people astray." And He, the Almighty and Exalted, answers them: “Remain despised therein and do not speak to Me.” They will never speak after that; there is only sighing and wailing. At that point, their hope is severed, and they turn toward one another, snarling in each other's faces, and Hell is closed upon them.

O Allah, we seek refuge in You from Your anger, and we seek shelter under Your protection from Your punishment. We ask You for the success to do righteous deeds in our day for our tomorrow, and to draw near to You by what pleases You before the matter passes from our hands.