Tafsir of Al-Hijr 15:42-44

Al-Hijr: (42 - 44) Indeed, My servants—no authority will you have over them...

When Iblīs said: {I will surely make [evil] pleasing to them on the earth, and I will surely mislead them all, * Except Your servants among them who are purified [sincere]} (Al-Hijr: 39-40), this statement implied that he had dominion over God's servants who were the sincere ones.

Therefore, the Almighty clarifies in this verse that he has no authority over any of God's servants, whether they are sincere or not. Rather, whoever follows Iblīs by their own choice becomes his follower. However, this following does not occur because Iblīs coerces or compels them into it.

The essence of this statement is that Iblīs suggested he had authority over some of God's servants, and the Almighty refuted his lie, stating that he has absolutely no authority or power over any of them.

A similar verse is His saying, recounting Iblīs: {And I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me} (Ibrāhīm: 22).

And in another verse, He says: {Indeed, he has no authority over those who believe and rely upon their Lord. * His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who associate others with Him} (An-Naḥl: 99-100).

Al-Jubbā’ī said: This verse proves the falsehood of the view held by those who claim that devils and jinn can cause people to have seizures or remove their intellects, as the common people say, sometimes attributing this to sorcerers. He stated that this contradicts what God has explicitly stated.

There is another interpretation of the verse: When Iblīs said: {Except Your servants among them who are purified} (Al-Hijr: 40), stating that he could not mislead the sincere ones, God confirmed this exception by saying: {Indeed, My servants—no authority will you have over them, except over those who follow you of the misguided} (Al-Hijr: 42). For this reason, Al-Kalbī said that the servants mentioned in this verse are those whom Iblīs specifically excluded.

We should note that under the first interpretation, the phrase {except over those who follow you} can be an exception, because the meaning is: "My servants—you have no authority over them, except over those who follow you of the misguided, for you have authority over them due to their submission to you in command and prohibition."

However, under the second interpretation, the word illā (except) cannot be an exception; rather, it means "but" (لَكِنْ).

And His saying: {Indeed, Hell is the promised place for them all}. Ibn ‘Abbās meant Iblīs and his followers, and those among the misguided who followed him.

Then the Almighty said: {It has seven gates}. There are two opinions regarding this:

The First Opinion: That they are seven levels (layers), one above the other, and these levels are called darakaat (depths). This is supported by His saying: {Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire} (An-Nisā’: 145).

The Second Opinion: That the floor of Hell is divided into seven sections, and each section has a gate. According to Ibn Jurayj, they are: First, Jahannam. Then Laẓā. Then Al-Ḥuṭamah. Then As-Sa‘īr. Then Saqar. Then Al-Jaḥīm. Then Al-Hāwiyah.

Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: The first level contains the people of Tawḥīd (monotheism) who will be punished according to their deeds and then brought out. The second is for the Jews. The third for the Christians. The fourth for the Ṣābians. The fifth for the Magians. The sixth for the polytheists. And the seventh for the hypocrites.

And His saying: {For each of those gates is an allotted portion}. There are two issues concerning this:

Issue One: ‘Āṣim, in the narration of Abū Bakr, recited: {juz’un maqsūm} (a divided portion) [with the zāy doubled]. The rest recited {juz’} [with the zāy single/light]. Al-Zuhri recited {juz’} [with the zāy strongly emphasized/doubled], as if he omitted the hamza and placed its vowel on the zāy, like saying khab for khab’ (a hidden thing), and then stopped on it with emphasis.

Issue Two: Juz’ means a part, and the plural is ajzā’. Jazza’tuhu means "I divided it into parts." The meaning is that the Almighty will divide the followers of Iblīs into divisions, meaning He will make them into groups and sections, and He will place a group of these factions into each section of Hell. The reason for this is that the ranks of disbelief differ in severity (harshness and lightness), so naturally, the ranks of torment and punishment must also differ in severity and lightness. And God knows best.