Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:22

(Gather those who committed injustice): This is an address from Allah, the Exalted, to the angels, or from the angels to one another. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—that the angels say to the keepers of Hell: "Gather them," and so on. It is a command to gather the unjust from their various locations to the station of judgment. It has also been said that it means gathering them from the station of judgment to Hell, though the preceding context and the flow of the passage support the first interpretation.

(And their counterparts [azwajuhum]): Abd al-Razzaq, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Muni’ in his Musnad, and al-Hakim—who classified it as authentic—along with a group, recorded via the path of Nu’man ibn Bashir from Umar ibn al-Khattab—may Allah be pleased with him—that he said: "Their counterparts are those who are like them. The people of usury are gathered with the people of usury, the people of adultery with the people of adultery, and the people of wine with the people of wine."

A group also recorded from Ibn Abbas in one wording, "their likes," and in another, "their equals." The interpretation of azwaj (counterparts) as such was also narrated from Ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, and Ikrimah. The root meaning of zawj is that which accompanies, like the pair of sandals; thus, it was applied to its implication, which is the similar one. It has come in a narration from Ibn Abbas that he said: "Meaning their wives who are disbelievers," a view favored by al-Rummani. It has also been said: "Their companions from among the devils," and this was narrated from al-Dahhak, with the waw (and) being for conjunction, or perhaps indicating accompaniment.

Isa ibn Sulayman al-Hijazi read it as wa-azwajuhum (in the nominative case), as a conjunction to the pronoun in zalamu (those who committed injustice), according to what is mentioned in al-Bahr, meaning: "And their wives/counterparts also committed injustice." You know, however, the weakness of conjoining to an elevated pronoun in such a context, and that reading is anomalous.

(And what they used to worship)