Ash-Shu'ara: (91) "And Hellfire will be brought forth to the deviants."

"And Hellfire will be brought forth to the deviants" — the ones who have strayed from the path of truth, which is piety and faith. That is, it will be made manifest and exposed to them so that they can see it, along with all the forms of terrifying conditions it contains, and they will lament that they were driven toward it.

Regarding the difference between the two verbs [in the preceding verse "brought near/uzlifat" for Paradise and "brought forth/burrizat" for Hellfire], some investigators state that there is a preference for the side of promise. The expression al-izlaf (bringing near) denotes the ultimate degree of proximity, indicating the nearness of entry and its certainty; hence it was mentioned first due to the precedence of His—Exalted is He—mercy. In contrast, al-ibraz (bringing forth) is merely a showing, even if from a distance, which leaves room for hope of salvation, as is said: "Between one column and another, there is relief."

Ibn Kamal stated that the difference in the two verbs indicates that the land of gathering is closer to Hellfire. The essence of this is that Paradise is distant from the land of gathering in terms of spatial distance, while the Fire is close to it in terms of spatial distance. Thus, the izlaf (bringing near) is attributed to Paradise and not to Hellfire. It has been said—and perhaps this is based on the belief that Paradise is in the heaven and that the Fire is beneath the earth—that the changing of the earth on the Day of Resurrection by extending it and removing its ruggedness will reveal the matter of distance and proximity. However, it is not hidden that the fact that Paradise is in the heaven is something held by the People of the Sunnah, and there is no significant disagreement among them regarding this. As for the Fire being beneath the earth, there is hesitation. Al-Jalal al-Suyuti said in Itmam al-Dirayah: "We believe that Paradise is in the heaven, but we pause regarding the Fire and say: its location is known only to Allah, the Exalted. There is no authentic hadith I rely upon regarding that; it has been said it is beneath the earth." This concludes his words.

The notion that the changing of the earth involves extending it and removing its ruggedness is a statement by some. Imam al-Qurtubi, after citing many hadiths in al-Tadhkirah, chose the view that the changing of the earth means Allah, the Exalted, will create another earth, white like silver, upon which no blood has ever been shed and no injustice has ever been committed. The most appropriate thing to say regarding the distance of Paradise and the proximity of the Fire to the land of gathering is that arriving at Paradise occurs by crossing the Sirat (bridge), which is installed over the back of Hell, as the reports have stated. Therefore, reaching Hell occurs first and reaching Paradise occurs last, by means of crossing, which is evident in the proximity and distance.

Furthermore, the apparent meaning of the verse necessitates that Paradise be moved from its place today on the Day of Resurrection, as "bringing near" implies movement. In the hadiths that we know of, there is nothing indicating that. Yes, there are reports indicating the moving of the Fire. In al-Tadhkirah, it is narrated that Muslim recorded from Abdullah bin Mas'ud that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Hell will be brought forth that day, having seventy thousand bridles, with each bridle seventy thousand angels." The apparent meaning of "brought forth" is that it is brought from the place where Allah, the Exalted, created it, and this has been explicitly stated in al-Tadhkirah.

Abu Bakr al-Razi said in his questions: If it is said: "Allah, the Exalted, said: 'And Paradise will be brought near for the righteous' (meaning it was moved near), but Paradise does not move from its place or shift," we answer: Its meaning is that the righteous were brought near to Paradise. This is like saying, "When the pilgrims draw near to Makkah, Makkah has drawn near to us." It has also been said: Its meaning is that it was veiled from them, so when the veils between it and them were lifted, that was the "bringing near." This ends his words.

The objection to the latter is that the same could be said regarding Hellfire, and then one would ask about the reason for the difference between the two verbs. The objection to the claim that Paradise does not move from its place is that it contradicts the apparent meaning of the verse. Furthermore, for such a statement to be valid, it is not required to produce a hadith that explicitly indicates its movement on that day. Therefore, there is no impediment to stating it and entrusting the modality to the knowledge of the One whom nothing escapes and who is All-Knowing of everything.

If interpretation is desired, let it be by taking "bringing near" to mean proximity in terms of sight, even if there is no physical movement. A thing might be seen as near even if, in reality, it is at the ultimate distance, as is observed with the stars. The distant may appear near in vision through telescopes and instruments designed for that, and the situation may even be reversed through them, so that the near appears distant. Since it is possible for this to occur via instruments in this worldly life, it is possible for it to occur in the other realm in a way known only to the Subtle, the All-Aware. So reflect on this, and Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Al-A'mash recited wa burizat (with a fatha and takhif/light articulation) and al-jahimu (in the nominative case as the agent).