Al-Hijr: (92-96) By your Lord, We will surely question them all.

There are several issues in this verse:

The statement, "By your Lord, We will surely question them all," has two possible interpretations:

1. Reference to the dividers (of the Quran): It could refer to those who divided the Qur'an into parts (as mentioned previously). Referring the pronoun to the nearest antecedent is preferable. The meaning would be that God swears by Himself that He will question these dividers about their division of the Qur'an and all their other sins.
2. Reference to all accountable beings: It could refer to all humankind, as their mention preceded in the verse, "And say, 'Indeed, I am the clear warner'" (15:89). Since both believers and disbelievers were mentioned, the statement "By your Lord, We will surely question them all" applies to everyone. The view that the questioning is only about disbelief or belief is incorrect; rather, the questioning encompasses both and all deeds, as the wording is general and includes everything.

If one asks: How can we reconcile "By your Lord, We will surely question them all" with the verse, "On that Day, no human or jinn will be asked about his sin" (Ar-Rahman: 39)?

Scholars have offered several responses:

First Way: Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with him) said that they will not be asked the question of inquiry (seeking information), because God Almighty already knows all their deeds. Instead, they will be asked the question of reproach (rebuke), where they will be told, "Why did you do such and such?"

• Critique: This answer is weak. If the intent of "On that Day, no human or jinn will be asked about his sin" was to negate the question of inquiry, then specifying the negation with "On that Day" would be pointless, as such a question is impossible for God at any time.

Second Way: The negation should be restricted to certain times, and the affirmation (of questioning) to another time, because the Day of Judgment is a long day.

• Critique: The verse "On that Day, no human or jinn will be asked about his sin" explicitly states that questioning will not occur on that Day. If questioning occurred during any part of that Day, contradiction would arise.

Third Way: We say that the verse "On that Day, no human or jinn will be asked about his sin" implies a general negation, whereas "By your Lord, We will surely question them all" refers specifically to the dividers (of the Qur'an). The specific ruling takes precedence over the general one.

Know that the meaning of ṣadaʿa (to proclaim/split) in the language is to split or separate. Jarir used it in poetry to mean "to distinguish."

• Ṣadaʿa al-qawm means they separated. This is supported by the verse: "On that Day, they will be split apart" (Ar-Rum: 43), which Al-Farra interpreted as "they will be separated."
• The splitting of glass (ṣadʿ) means making it clear. I suggest that perhaps a headache is called ṣudāʿ because the skull feels as if it is splitting due to the pain. Al-Azhari said that dawn is called ṣadīʿ just as it is called falaq (break of dawn). The dawn has split (inṣadaʿa), the dawn has broken (infalaqa).

Given this understanding, the command "So proclaim what you are commanded" means: Distinguish between the truth and falsehood.

Al-Zajjaj said: Faṣdaʿ means to make manifest what you are commanded to do. It is said, ṣadaʿa bi-l-ḥujjah (he proclaimed the proof) when one speaks it openly, like saying ṣarraḥa bihā (he stated it clearly). This meaning ultimately returns to splitting and separating.

Regarding "what you are commanded" (bimā tu’mar), there are two views:

1. The mā means "that which," i.e., the religious laws you are commanded with. The preposition bi (with) is omitted, similar to the saying: "I commanded you good, so do what you are commanded."
2. The mā is a verbal noun (masdar), meaning: Proclaim your command and your affair. It is said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) remained in concealment until this verse was revealed.

This means: Do not pay attention to them or heed their blame against you for openly declaring the Message. Some scholars suggested this verse is abrogated by the verse of fighting, but this is weak, because the meaning of this turning away is abandoning concern for them, which is not subject to abrogation.

It is narrated that they were five men from the polytheists: Al-Walid ibn Al-Mughirah, Al-'As ibn Wa'il, 'Udayy ibn Qays, Al-Aswad ibn Al-Muttalib, and Al-Aswad ibn 'Abd Yaghuth.

Jibril (Gabriel) told the Messenger of God (PBUH) that he was commanded to suffice him against them. The Prophet (PBUH) gestured toward the heel of Al-Walid, and an arrow from a passing quiver caught his garment. He refused to bend down to retrieve it out of arrogance, and the arrow struck a vein in his heel, severing it, and he died. He gestured toward the sole of Al-'As ibn Wa'il's foot; a thorn entered it, causing him to cry out, "I have been stung!" His leg swelled like a millstone, and he died. He gestured toward the eyes of Al-Aswad ibn Al-Muttalib, and he became blind. He gestured toward the nose of 'Udayy ibn Qays, and pus flowed from his nose until he died. He gestured toward Al-Aswad ibn 'Abd Yaghuth, who was sitting at the base of a tree; he began to strike his head against the tree and beat his face with thorns until he died.

Know that commentators have differed regarding the number of these mockers, their names, and the manner of their mockery. None of that is necessary. What is known is that they were a group possessing strength, influence, and leadership, as only people of their stature would dare to utter such foolishness toward the Messenger of God (PBUH), given his high status and great position. The Qur'an indicates that God Almighty annihilated them, destroyed them, and removed their schemes. And God knows best.