Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:145

(Meaning: in the lowest layer of it, which is its bottom. It has seven layers, as it is said: the first is Jahannam, the second Laza, the third Al-Hutamah, the fourth As-Sa'ir, the fifth Saqar, the sixth Al-Jahim, and the seventh Al-Hawiyah. All of the Fire may be referred to by the name of the first layer, and some layers by the names of others, because the term 'Fire' encompasses them all. These layers are called darakāt because they are stacked sequentially, one below the other. The darak is like the daraj (staircase), except that darak is used with regard to descent, while daraj is used with regard to ascent. That the hypocrite is in the lowest depth is an indication of the severity of his torment. Ibn Abi al-Dunya extracted from Al-Ahwas, from Ibn Mas'ud, that the hypocrite is placed in a chest of iron which is locked upon him, and then he is placed in the lowest depth. He is more severely punished than other disbelievers because he added to the shared disbelief mockery of Islam and deception of its people.

As for what is narrated in the Sahihayn regarding the statement of the Prophet (may Allah's blessings be upon him): "There are four traits, whoever possesses all of them is a pure hypocrite, and whoever possesses one of them has a trait of hypocrisy until he abandons it: when he is entrusted, he betrays; when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he disputes, he acts immorally"—the scholars of Hadith have said regarding this: it was specific to the time of the Prophet (may Allah's blessings be upon him) because he was informed by the light of revelation of the inner states of those possessing these traits. Thus, he (peace and blessings be upon him) informed his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of their signs so they might be cautious of them, without naming them, out of fear of civil strife (fitnah) or their apostasy, in which case they would have been treated as combatants. It has also been said: it is not specific, but rather interpreted as applying to whoever deems these actions permissible; or that the intent is that whoever is described by this is like the pure hypocrites, and the Prophet (may Allah's blessings be upon him) used this term to intimidate and threaten him. This applies to one who has made this a habit, not one from whom it happens rarely. Or, he is a hypocrite in matters of religion by convention. In convention, a 'hypocrite' is applied to everyone who conceals the opposite of what he displays in a manner that causes harm, even if it does not reach the level of faith and disbelief. It is as if it is derived from the nafiqa (the burrow of a jerboa). The intent is not restriction, and this was issued by him (peace and blessings be upon him) as the situation demanded, which is why in some narrations it says "three" and in others "four."

The Kufans read ad-dark with a sukun on the ra', and it is a linguistic variant like satar and satr. The fathah (vowel on the ra') is more frequent and more eloquent because its plural form comes as af'al, and af'al is common and standard for a word with a moved vowel, whereas its occurrence with a silent vowel is rare, like farkh and afrakh, and zand and aznad. While it is permissible for the plural of one to suffice for the other, it is contrary to the apparent meaning and does not negate the preference for the other. The speech is intended in its literal sense. Abu al-Qasim al-Balkhi claimed that there are no layers in the Fire and that this is merely a statement indicating the reaching of an extreme in punishment, just as it is said: "The Sultan brought such-and-such to the hadid (low point) and such-and-such to the arsh (throne)," intending by that the degradation or elevation of status, not distance. It is not hidden that this is contrary to what has come down in the traditions.

"Of the Fire" (min an-nar) is in the place of an accusative for the state (hal), and regarding its possessor (sahibaha), there are two views: first, that it is the darak (depth), and the operative factor is the settled state (istiqrar); second, that it is the hidden pronoun in "lowest" (al-asfal), because it is an adjective, so it allows for the pronoun—meaning, in the state that this belongs to the Fire.

"And you will never find for them a helper" who can bring them out of it or lighten what they are in on the Day of Resurrection when they are in the lowest depth. The interpretation that it means "you will never find for them a helper in the world," so that the verse describes them as having lost both the world and the Hereafter, is baseless, as is not hidden. The address is for everyone for whom it is appropriate.)