Al-An'am: (128) "And the Day He will gather them together..."

(And the Day He will gather them together): It is in the accusative case due to its function as an adverb of time (zarf), and the operative factor is implied; meaning: "Mention," or "Say," or "The event occurred on a day that is not mentioned due to its atrocity." It is also permitted that it be a direct object of an implied verb, meaning: "Mention that Day." The attached pronoun refers to those among the two heavy groups (jinn and mankind) who are gathered. It has been said: It refers specifically to the disbelievers. Hafs from ‘Asim and Rawh from Ya’qub read "Yahshuruhum" (He will gather them) with the ya (third person), while the others read it with the nun (first person) as a sign of majesty, shifting to address for the sake of underscoring the gravity of the matter.

And His saying, Exalted is He: "(O company of jinn)"—this implies the addition of the word "Say." The "Ma’shar" (company/assembly) is a group whose affairs are one. Al-Tabarsi said: "It is the complete group from a people that encompasses all types of classes; from this comes 'ten' (ashara), for it is the completion of the decade." The intended meaning of the "Jinn" or their "company," as has been said, is the devils. Some scholars of merit mentioned that the term "Jinn" is applied in two ways: First, for spiritual beings hidden from all senses, thus including angels and devils. Second, for spiritual beings other than angels. Others said that spiritual beings are of three types: the good ones, who are the angels; the evil ones, who are the devils; and those in between who include both good and evil. Regardless, the intent of the address is the evil ones who lead people astray, for they are the ones meant by the address of the Exalted:

(You have acquired many of mankind): Meaning, you have overindulged in leading them astray and causing them to go off-course, as stated by Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), Mujahid, and Al-Zajjaj. Thus, the speech involves the omission of a genitive addition (mudaf), or it means "from among them" by making them your followers so that they were gathered with you, just as one says, "The commander acquired many soldiers." This is by way of rebuke and reprimand.

It is said: The "company" (ma’shar) was mentioned in relation to the Jinn but not in relation to mankind because leading others astray often necessitates posturing and cooperation, and the term "ma’shar" contains a hint toward that, whereas mere "straying" (ghawa) does not.

(And their allies): Meaning those who obeyed them and followed them, (from among mankind): meaning those who are of mankind, or existing among them. "Min" (from) is for explaining the type (bayan al-jins), or it is attached to an omitted element that functions as a state (hal) for the "allies." (Our Lord, some of us enjoyed one another): Meaning, mankind benefited from the Jinn when they guided them to their desires and the means to reach them; and the Jinn benefited from mankind when they took them as leaders and chiefs, followed their commands, and were brought pleasure by that.

It is related from Al-Hasan, Ibn Jurayj, Al-Zajjaj, and others that the enjoyment of mankind with them was that when one of them traveled and feared the Jinn, he would say: "I seek refuge in the master of this valley," and the enjoyment of the Jinn with mankind was their admission that they were capable of providing refuge and protection. From Muhammad ibn Ka’b, it is stated that the meaning of "enjoying one another" is their mutual obedience and agreement. Al-Balkhi said: "It is possible that the enjoyment is restricted to mankind, so that mankind enjoyed some of the Jinn, not that the Jinn enjoyed mankind."

(And we have reached our term which You appointed for us): This is the Day of Resurrection, according to what has been said by more than one. From Al-Hasan, Al-Suddi, and Ibn Jurayj, it is the time of death. The first is more appropriate. The allies only said what they said as an admission of what they had done—obeying the devils, following whims, denying the resurrection—and as a display of regret over it, sorrow for their condition, and submission to their Lord; otherwise, the information itself and its implications have no realization in reality. It is said: Perhaps the limitation to recounting the words of those who were led astray is to indicate that those who led them astray were rendered completely speechless, to the point they could not speak at all. It was also read as "ajaluna" (pl. terms) and "alladhi" (masculine singular relative pronoun). Abu ‘Ali said: "It is a generic singular, or 'alladhi' was placed in the position of 'allati'."

(He said): An expository resumption, as if it were asked: "What did Allah, the Exalted, say then?" So it is said: (The Fire is your abode): meaning your dwelling and place of residence, or the place of your remaining, if "mathwa" is a place noun or a verbal noun (masdar). (Abiding therein): A state (hal) from the pronoun of the plural; the operator is "mathwa" if it is a verbal noun. If "mathwa" is a place noun, they implied an operator, meaning "they will dwell, abiding therein," because a place noun does not function as an operator. Abu al-Baqa’ said: "The operator in the state, on this assumption, is the meaning of the genitive construction (idafa)." They rejected this by stating that the genitive relationship does not act as an operator and cannot govern the state (hal).

(Except what Allah should will): It is reported from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that He, the Exalted, exempted a people whom He knew in His foreknowledge would submit and believe in the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is based on the idea that the exception is not from what was narrated, and that "ma" (what) means "man" (who). It is not hidden that the use of "ma" for rational beings is rare, so this is far-fetched, just as the suitability of what preceded for the excepted party is far-fetched.

It is said: "Ma" is an infinitive of time (masdariyyah waqtiyyah), as is apparent, and the intent is "except the time during which they are transferred to the Zamharir (bitter cold)." It is narrated that they enter a valley of Zamharir that separates their limbs from one another, so they wail and request to be returned to the Hellfire. This was rejected on the grounds that it diverts the word "Fire" from its conventional meaning—the abode of torment—to a linguistic one. It was answered that there is no harm in this if necessity demands it. It was countered that the dissenter does not admit a necessity for this interpretation, especially since His saying, "your abode," apparently requires what the dissenter went toward.

It is said: There is a time during which they leave the abode of torment; it is narrated that the gates of Paradise are opened for them and they leave the Fire, but as they head to enter, the gates are closed in their faces to mock them. This is pointed to by His saying: "So today those who believed are laughing at the disbelievers." You know that the literal meanings of the verses are clear that there is no lightening of torment for the disbelievers after they have entered the Fire, and in this "leaving," there is a lightening—any lightening—even if what follows it makes one's hair turn gray. Perhaps the report regarding that is not authentic. The famous opinion is that the hypocrites are brought near to Paradise until, when they smell its scent and see what Allah has prepared for His servants therein, they are called out to: "Turn them away from it, they have no share in it"—the report in its entirety. We have mentioned this previously, and it occurs before their entry into the Fire, as is not hidden to one who consults the Hadith.

It is said: The excepted time is the period of their respite before entering, as if it were said: "The Fire is your abode forever, except for what He granted you as respite." Abu Hayyan rejected this, noting that in an exception, it is a condition that the time of the excluded and the time of the thing excluded from must be identical. If you say "The people stood except Zayd," it means "except Zayd, he did not stand." It is not correct for the meaning to be "except Zayd, he will not stand in the future." Likewise, "I will strike the people except Zayd" means "except Zayd, for I will not strike him in the future." It cannot mean "except Zayd, for I have not struck him." It was answered that this applies if the exception is not disjointed (munqati'); however, if it is disjointed, it is permissible, as in His saying: "They will not taste therein the death except the first death"—meaning, "but the first death, for they have tasted it." Perhaps the one who said that the exception is the time of their respite accepts that the exception is disjointed, as in this verse, and there is no harm in it given that the like of it appears in the Qur'an. This contains an obvious consideration.

Al-Zajjaj went to a subtle view, which is only evident through expansion. He said: "The intent, and Allah knows best, is 'except what Allah wills' of increasing the torment." He did not clarify how the exception and the excepted party are compatible under this interpretation. Ibn al-Munir said: "We will clarify it, and say: The torment—and we seek refuge in Allah, the Almighty—is of varying degrees. It is as if the intent is that they are abiding in the category of torment, except what your Lord wills of an increase that reaches the limit and ends at the ultimate extreme, until, by reaching the limit and being distinct from other types of torment in intensity, it is considered as if it were outside of it and not of the category of torment. When a thing reaches the limit, they express it by its opposite, just as they express the abundance of an action with 'rubba' (rarely), even though they are placed for the opposite of abundance, which is scarcity. This is something customary in the language of the Arabs."

Abu al-Tayyib hovered around this, saying: "And I was generous until I almost became a stingy veil for the ultimate end, and from the joy of you, weeping." Thus, when these people are moved to the limit of torment and the extremity of intensity, they have reached the boundary that almost exits from the absolute name of "torment," such that it is permissible to treat it in expression as something different. It is a good view that is barely understood from the speech of Al-Zajjaj except after this elaboration, and in the interpretation of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) is that which supports it.

It is reported from some that this exception is attached to the will of Allah, the Exalted, to lift the torment—that they are abiding until Allah wills—if He were to will. Its benefit is to display power and acknowledge that their abiding is only because Allah, the Exalted, has willed it, and it was a logical possibility in His will not to torment them, and if He tormented them, not to make them abide therein, and that this is not a mandatory matter for Him; rather, it is the requirement of His will and intent. In this verse, there is a pushback against the chests of the Mu’tazila, who claim that the abiding of the disbelievers is mandatory upon Allah according to the requirement of wisdom, and that the opposite of this is not permissible in the intellect. Perhaps this is the truth from which there is no escape.

In its meaning is what was said: The intent is the exaggeration of abiding, in the sense that it is not nullified except at the time of Allah's will, and it is a matter that does not occur; mentioning it in the form of "exiting" and giving them hope is a way of mocking and intensifying the matter for them. Among the great contemporary scholars of merit is one who claimed this view for himself and that it has been missing from the books, yet it is mentioned in more than one place. If he does not know, that is a calamity; and if he knows, the calamity is greater. And God willing, the rest of the discussion on this will come at His saying, Exalted is He: "(Except what your Lord wills)."

(Indeed, your Lord is Wise): In tormenting and rewarding, or in all His actions, (Knowing): of the conditions of the two heavy groups and their deeds, and of what befits them in terms of requital, or of everything, and what was mentioned enters into this primarily.