Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:34

(Those who are gathered upon their faces to Hell) means: they are gathered walking upon their faces. Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection in three categories: a category walking, a category riding, and a category upon their faces." It was said: "O Messenger of Allah, how will they walk upon their faces?" He said: "He who made them walk upon their feet is capable of making them walk upon their faces. Indeed, they will shield themselves with their faces against every uneven ground and thorn."

This could be interpreted as their faces and everything on that side—such as their chests, stomachs, and similar parts—touching the earth, or it could mean they are inverted upon their heads, with their faces directed toward the ground and their feet and the rest of their bodies raised. The hadith is perhaps more evident in the first interpretation.

It is also said: The angels (peace be upon them) drag and pull them upon their faces to Hell, and the matter is obvious in this view, containing no strangeness.

It is also said: Gathering upon the face is a metaphor for extreme humiliation, disgrace, and ignominy.

It is also said: It is derived from the Arabs' saying, "So-and-so went upon his face," meaning he did not know where he was going.

It is also said: The expression is a metonymy or a representational metaphor, meaning they are gathered while their hearts are attached to the lowly things of the world and its adornments, with their faces directed toward them. Perhaps this state during the gathering exists because the traces of such attachments remain; otherwise, they are, in that place, preoccupied with what prevents them from turning toward the world and its adornments or having their hearts attached to them.

The place of the relative pronoun al-ladhina (those who) is either accusative, based on an implied adhummu (I condemn) or a‘ni (I mean), or nominative, as the predicate of an omitted subject—that is, "They are those who..."—or as a subject, with the Almighty’s saying, "Those (first mentioned)..." being a substitute for it or an explanation of it.

The Almighty’s saying, "are worse in position and further astray" is the predicate for it [the relative pronoun], or the demonstrative pronoun "those" is the second subject, and "worse" is its predicate, with the whole sentence being the predicate of the relative pronoun.

The author of al-Fara'id said: It is possible for the relative pronoun to be a substitute for the pronoun in "they come to you," and "Those are worse in position" is an initiating statement. The most plausible view is that the relative pronoun is the subject and what follows it is the predicate.

Al-Tayyibi said: This is from the category of an impartial argument and "letting the reins loose." The separation of "Those who are gathered" from what preceded it is by way of initiation, because the previous consolation stirred [the Prophet]—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to ask: "With what should I answer them, and what shall I say to them?" So it was said: Say to them, "Those who are gathered upon their faces to Hell are worse in position and further astray." This means: Your intention behind this stubbornness concerns my position and my way being astray. I do not say to you what you say; rather, I say: Those who are gathered upon their faces to Hell are worse in position and further astray. So look with the eye of fairness and reflect on who is more worthy of this description—us or you—so that you may know that your position is worse than our position, and your way is more astray than our way. Upon this is the Almighty’s saying, "And indeed, we or you are upon guidance or in clear error."

"Position" refers to rank and status. It is also permissible that it refers to the abode and dwelling. "Worse" and "further" are taken as comparative adjectives in the style of the Almighty’s saying, "Say: 'Shall I inform you of [what is] worse than that as a penalty from Allah? [It is that of] whom Allah has cursed and with whom He became angry.'" The author of al-Fara'id deemed this to be for the sake of affirming all evil for their position and all error for their way. Describing the "way" as "astray" is a figurative attribution for the sake of hyperbole.

The verse, as you have heard, is connected to what preceded it, from the Almighty’s saying, "And they do not come to you..." etc. Al-Kirmani said: It is connected to the Almighty’s saying, "The companions of Paradise on that day..." (it is said: It is also permissible that it be connected to His saying, "And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy from among the criminals"). That which was mentioned first is deeper in its objective.