Tafsir of Sad 38:59

(This is a troop)—a large gathering of your followers in misguidance—(rushing in)—entering into a severe hardship, or amidst a terrifying intensity—(along with you). The intended meaning is: "This is a troop entering the Fire along with you, experiencing what you are experiencing." This is a narration of what the angels of punishment say to the leaders of misguidance upon their entry into the Fire, by way of rebuke; it is as if it is said to them upon entry: "This is [such-and-such] a troop..."

In Al-Kashshaf, and supported by Abu Hayyan, it is suggested that this is a narration of the leaders speaking to one another regarding their followers, saying: "This is a troop rushing in along with you." The prepositional phrase (along with you) is attached to "rushing in." It has been permitted that it be a second description of the "troop," or a state (hal) derived from it (since it has been described), or a state derived from the hidden pronoun within it.

Abu al-Baqa forbade its being a prepositional phrase, stating: "It would necessitate a corruption of the meaning," and he was followed in this by Al-Kawashi and the author of Al-Anwar. The author of Al-Kashf countered this, saying: If the corruption is because it implies they are crowding together upon entry, and the meaning is not one of crowding between the two groups (the followers and the followed)—because they say this after entering, not during the crowding—then it is not a necessary consequence; for "rushing in" does not imply crowding, nor is it a requirement of it. Just as the expression "I struck Zayd along with him" implies participation in the striking and companionship, so too does the rushing of the leaders into the Fire along with the followers imply the participation of both parties in undergoing the intensity of the Fire at a time that is customarily considered simultaneous.

If it were said, "This is a troop along with you, rushing in," it would not indicate that the addressees are also in that state, and the intended meaning would be corrupted. It is astonishing that those who permitted it to be a state from the pronoun in "rushing in" did not permit it to be a prepositional phrase. If there is some other objection, let them first state its benefit, and then let them object.

Some have said: "The reason for the corruption of [interpreting it as] a prepositional phrase, as opposed to a state, is that the intention is not that they rushed in in company and entered in it, but that they rushed into the Fire while accompanying you and joining you." This is corrupt speech with no substance, because the meaning of "with" (ma‘), expressed by companionship, implies gathering in the occupation of the object of attachment; thus, it implies the participation of both parties in the rushing, not in the companionship as imagined. Nor does it indicate the unity of their times, as explicitly stated in Al-Mughni. Even if it were granted, it is considered unified due to their proximity, as indicated in the expression in Al-Kashf. Thus, the truth is that there is no corruption.

His saying, the Exalted: (No welcome for them)—is an invocation by the leaders against their followers, regardless of whether the speaker is the angels, peace be upon them, or some leaders to others. [This phrase] is a description of the "troop," or a state derived from it, or from its pronoun. In any case, it is interpreted as: "It is said to them, 'No welcome'," for it is an invocation (a prayer), and thus it is an initiation (insha') that cannot be described as a statement. Similarly, it cannot be a state without interpretation. The meaning is that they deserve to be told this, not that they were told it in actuality. Regarding it being a description or a state, it is from the speech of the angels—if they were the ones saying it—or from the speech of some leaders. It has been permitted that it is an initiation by them.

"Welcome" (marhaban) is derived from al-ruhb (with a damma on the ra'), which is spaciousness; hence, al-rahbah for a wide open space. It is an object for a verb that is necessarily omitted. "For them" (bihim) is a clarification of those against whom the invocation is made, and the ba' is for clarification, like the lam in expressions such as "We gave drink to him" (saqayna lahu). The claim that the lam is not for clarification [in such cases] is a claim without evidence—that is, "They did not bring them to a place of spaciousness." It is said that the ba' is for transitiveness, and its genitive is a second object for "brought" (ata), which is based on the claim that the lam cannot be for clarification—though the words of Al-Zamakhshari and Abu Hayyan are sufficient evidence to the contrary. It is said: "Welcome to you" (marhaban bika) in the sense of "May your land be spacious for you," just as one says, "You came to a spacious place of the land, not a narrow one." Some imply it is permissible for "welcome" to be an absolute object for an omitted verb, i.e., "May the abode not be spacious for them—a welcome." The majority adhere to the first view. In any case, the intended meaning is established: it is an invocation of good when positive, and an invocation of evil when negated.

This is a justification from the perspective of the angels for their deserving the invocation made against them, or for their description as mentioned; or it is a justification by the leaders for that. The speech in this regard contains an indication of their lack of benefit from them; as if it were said: "They are entering the Fire due to their deeds just as we are, so what benefit do we have from them? Therefore, no welcome for them."