Yunus: (28-29) And the Day We will gather them all...

Issues Discussed:

This verse introduces another category of the exposure of the infidels' disgrace.

1. The Referent of the Pronoun: The pronoun in {And the Day We will gather them} refers back to those previously mentioned, specifically {And those who earned evil deeds} (Yunus: 27).
2. Implication: By describing those who are gathered as polytheists and disbelievers, it clarifies that "those who earned evil deeds" refers to the disbelievers.
3. The Core Event: The essence is that Allah gathers both the worshipper and the worshipped entity. Then, the worshipped entity disavows the worshipper, making it clear that the worship was not done by its knowledge or will.
4. Purpose: This refutes the claim of the polytheists who said, {These are our intercessors with Allah} (Yunus: 18). Allah shows that these entities will not intercede for the disbelievers; rather, they will disown them, signifying the utmost shame and punishment for the disbelievers.
5. Similar Verses: This is analogous to verses like: {When those who were followed disavow those who followed them} (Al-Baqarah: 166), and {Then He will say to the angels, ‘Was it these that used to worship you?’ They will say, ‘Exalted are You! You are our Protector instead of them. Rather, they used to worship the jinn’} (Saba: 40-41).

A Subtle Intellectual Point: This passage hints at a rational subtlety: everything other than the One, the Unique Truth (Allah) is contingent in its essence, and the contingent is inherently needy according to its nature. It is impossible for a single entity to be both the recipient (potential) and the agent (actualizer) simultaneously. Therefore, anything other than the One True God has no power in creation or origination. A created contingent being is not fit to be worshipped by another; the only worthy object of worship is the True Originator, which is the Necessary Existent in itself. The disavowal of the worshipped from the worshippers may refer to this very point. (Allah knows best His intent.)

• {Gathering (الحشر)}: Means assembling everyone from every direction to a single standing place.
• {All (جميعا)}: Is in the accusative case (mansub) as a hal (state), meaning We gather everyone while they are assembled.
• {Stay in your places (مكانكم)}: Is accusative by implying the command "Adhere to" (الزموا). The meaning is: "Adhere to your places."
• {And you (أنتم)}: Is an emphasis for the pronoun in makanakum.
• {And your partners (وشركاؤكم)}: Is coordinated with the preceding phrase.

The phrase {Stay in your places} is specific to threat, warning, and reprimand. Allah tells both the worshippers and the worshipped, "Stay in your places until you are questioned." This is similar to His saying: {Gather those who wronged, and their spouses and what they used to worship besides Allah. And guide them to the path of Hellfire. And stop them, for they will be questioned} (As-Saffat: 22-24).

Regarding {Then We separated between you and your partners}:

First Inquiry: This verb comes in the past tense after the future tense verb {Then We will say} (نقول), which seems unexpected. The reason is that what Allah has decreed will happen is treated as if it is already an established reality now. This is similar to His saying: {And the inhabitants of Paradise will call out} (Al-A'raf: 44).

Second Inquiry: {We separated (زيلنا)} means We distinguished or differentiated. Al-Farra' said that {fazzalna} is not from azaltu (I caused to slip), but from zalat (it separated/slipped) when meaning differentiation. Arabs say: Zallat al-da'n min al-ma'z (The sheep were separated from the goats), meaning they were distinguished, even if the distinction was not perfectly clear. Al-Wahidi stated that az-zayl, at-tazyil, al-muzayalah, at-tamyees, and at-tafreeq all mean separation/distinction.

Al-Wahidi also mentioned a variant reading: {so that He may judge between them} (ليحكم بينهم), which is similar in meaning to {We separated}. He also narrated from Ibn Qutaybah who interpreted it as being from zala yazoolu (to depart) and azaltuhu ana (I caused it to depart). Al-Azhari refuted this, saying it confuses zala yazoolu (to depart) with zala yuzilu (to cause to depart), which are very different. The correct view is that of Al-Farra'.

The exegetes state that {We separated} means We differentiated between the polytheists and their partners (idols and deities), thus cutting off the connection they had in the worldly life.

Regarding {And their partners said, ‘You did not use to worship us’}:

First Inquiry: The partners are attributed to them (the worshippers) for several reasons:

1. They allocated a portion of their wealth to these idols, making them partners in that wealth. Hence, Allah says, {And their partners said}.
2. The attribution is valid even with the slightest connection. Since the disbelievers were the ones who established this partnership, attributing the partners to them is appropriate.
3. Since Allah addressed both the worshippers and the worshipped with {Stay in your places}, they became partners in this address.

Second Inquiry: There is a difference of opinion regarding who these partners are:

1. Some said they are the angels, citing the verse: {Then He will say to the angels, ‘Was it these that used to worship you?’} (Saba: 40).
2. Others said they are the idols, arguing that this address involves threat and warning, which is unsuitable for the near angels.

If they are idols, how did they speak this statement?

• Some said Allah creates life, intellect, and speech within them, enabling them to speak.
• Others said Allah creates the speech in them without creating life, so the speech is heard from them. This view is weak because the apparent meaning of {And their partners said} implies that the partners themselves are the agents of that speech.

Objection: If Allah gives them life, will He keep them alive or annihilate them? Response: Both possibilities are permissible, and there is no ground for objection against Allah in any of His actions. The conditions of the Resurrection are largely unknown, except for what Allah has informed us in the Qur'an.

3. A Third View: These partners refer to everything worshipped besides Allah: idols, the sun, the moon, humans, jinn, and angels.

Third Inquiry: This address is undoubtedly a threat to the worshippers. Is it also a threat to the worshipped entities?

• The Mu'tazila asserted that it cannot be a threat to the worshipped, as the worshipped entity has no sin. It would be improper for Allah to direct fear, threat, or warning toward one without sin.
• Our companions (Ahl al-Sunnah) say that Allah is not questioned about what He does.

Fourth Inquiry: The partners said, {You did not use to worship us}, even though the disbelievers did worship them. This appears to be a lie. We have already discussed the difference of opinion regarding whether people of the Resurrection lie in Surah Al-An'am. Here, we mention:

1. Interpretation 1 (Not a lie): What is meant by {You did not use to worship us} is: "You did not worship us by Our command or will." The evidence for this interpretation is twofold:
   • They called Allah to witness: {And sufficient is Allah as Witness between us and you}.
   • They said: {Indeed, we were heedless of your worship}. They affirmed the worship but claimed they were heedless of it. They were truthful in this, as the greatest cause of heedlessness is being inanimate objects lacking any sensation or awareness whatsoever.

2. Interpretation 2 (Apparent meaning/Lie): Some took the verse at its apparent meaning (i.e., they lied). They offered several justifications for this apparent lie:
   • That station (the Day of Judgment) is a place of astonishment and confusion, so the lie is like the lying of children or the insane/confused.
   • They did not value the actions of the disbelievers, treating them as non-existent due to their falsehood. For this reason, they said, "You did not worship us."
   • The worshippers imagined many attributes for the idols they worshipped. In reality, they worshipped entities described by those attributes. Since the idols themselves were devoid of those attributes, they did not worship the idols themselves, but rather imagined concepts that had no existence in reality—attributes like causing harm, benefiting, or interceding without Allah's permission.

{There every soul will be tested with what it put forth [of deeds], and they will be returned to Allah, their true Master, and there will vanish from them what they used to invent.}