Al-Anbiyā’ (The Prophets): (94–97) So whoever does righteous deeds while being a believer...

Know that when the Almighty mentioned the previous communities and their dispersion, and that they will all return to where there is no command except His, He followed that by saying: {So whoever does righteous deeds while being a believer, then there will be no denial of his effort.}

This clarifies that whoever combines being a believer (which includes knowledge and affirmation of God and His Messenger) with doing righteous deeds (which includes performing obligations and avoiding prohibitions), then: {there will be no denial of his effort}, meaning, no nullification of the reward for his deeds. This is like His saying: {And whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving it deserves, while being a believer—then it is those whose striving will be thanked.} (Al-Isrā’: 19). Thus, kufrān (denial/ingratitude) is a metaphor for being deprived of reward, and shukr (thanksgiving) is a metaphor for receiving it.

The phrase {there will be no denial} implies the negation of the entire genus, achieving the utmost emphasis, because negating the essence necessitates negating all its individuals.

As for His saying: {And indeed, We are recording for him}, it means: We are recording his effort. It was said that this means We are preserving it so that We may recompense him for it. Another view is that We are recording it either in the Umm al-Kitāb (The Preserved Tablet) or in the scrolls presented on the Day of Resurrection. The purpose of this is to encourage the servants to adhere to obedience to the Almighty.

Regarding His saying: {And it is forbidden for any town We have destroyed that they will return}, know that {And it is forbidden} (wa ḥarāmun) is a predicate (khabar), so it requires a subject (mubtada’). This subject is either {that they will not return} (annahum lā yarji‘ūn) or something else.

If the first case is true, the meaning is that their non-return is ḥarām (forbidden), meaning impossible. If their non-return is impossible, then their return becomes obligatory. This return could mean returning to the Hereafter or returning to the world.

1. If it means returning to the Hereafter: The meaning is that their return to life in the Hereafter is obligatory. The purpose is to invalidate the view of those who deny the Resurrection and to confirm what preceded: that no one’s effort will be denied, as the Almighty will give them the recompense on the Day of Resurrection. This is the interpretation of Abū Muslim ibn Baḥr.
2. If it means returning to the world: The meaning is that their return to the world is obligatory. Since it is known that they did not return to the world, commentators offered two explanations:
   • First explanation: The word ḥarām (forbidden) can sometimes mean wājib (obligatory). Evidence for this is found in scripture, usage, and poetry.
     • Scripture: His saying: {Say, "Come, I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you: that you associate nothing with Him} (Al-An‘ām: 151). Avoiding Shirk (polytheism) is obligatory, not forbidden.
     • Poetry: The saying of Al-Khansā’:

       And it is obligatory that I see the age weeping Over its sorrow, except that I weep for ‘Amr. (Meaning: And it is obligatory...)

     • Usage: Naming one opposite by the name of the other is a common metaphor, like His saying: {And the recompense of a bad deed is its like} (Ash-Shūrā: 40). If this is established, the meaning is: It is obligatory for the people of every town We destroyed that they will not return. Commentators then offered two interpretations for "return":
     • They will not return from polytheism nor turn away from it (the view of Mujāhid and Al-Ḥasan).
     • They will not return to the world (the view of Qatādah and Muqātil).
   • Second explanation: We take ḥarām at its literal meaning, and the phrase {that they will not return} is an extra particle (ṣilah zā’idah), similar to its use in {What prevented you from not prostrating?} (Al-A‘rāf: 12). The meaning is: Their return to the world is forbidden. This is like His saying: {So they cannot make a bequest, nor can they return to their families.} (Yā-Sīn: 50). Alternatively, it means: Their return from polytheism and abandoning oaths is forbidden. This is the view of a group of commentators.

All the above assumes that {And it is forbidden} is the predicate for {that they will not return}.

However, if we make it the predicate for something else, the structure is: And it is forbidden for the town We destroyed that thing (i.e., the righteous deed and the un-denied effort mentioned previously). Then He explains why: {that they will not return} from disbelief. How could it be otherwise? This interpretation works with the reading inna-hum (with a kasra). The reading anna-hum (with a fatḥa) can also be interpreted this way: that they will not return [from disbelief].

Regarding His saying: **{Until, when the barriers of Gog and Magog are opened, and they, swarming from every elevation, And the true promise draws near...}**

Ḥattā is connected to ḥarām (forbidden). According to Abū Muslim’s interpretation (that their return to the Hereafter is obligatory), the meaning is that the obligation of their return reaches the point where: {when the barriers of Gog and Magog are opened, and the true promise draws near, then behold, the eyes of those who disbelieved will be fixed.} This means they will be the first to appear at the gathering of Resurrection.

In this case, ḥattā is a limit (ghāyah) for ḥarām, but it is a limit of the same kind, like saying: "The pilgrim entered until the walkers." Here, ḥattā introduces speech that is being recounted. The recounted speech is this conditional structure: {And when the barriers of Gog and Magog are opened, and the true promise draws near}—at that point, the eyes of the disbelievers will be fixed. This seems problematic because the condition occurs at the end of the worldly life, while the consequence occurs on the Day of Resurrection, and the condition and consequence should be close. We reply that a small gap is treated as non-existent.

However, based on the other interpretations (where their return is impossible), the meaning is that their impossibility of return will not cease until the Hour strikes.

The meaning is the opening of the barrier of Gog and Magog. The passive verb {opened} (futiḥat) takes the feminine marker because the direct object (the barrier/dam, sadd) was omitted, and the feminine marker is attached because Gog and Magog are treated as feminine, like two tribes. Alternatively, it means: until the direction (jiha) of Gog and Magog is opened.

They are two tribes of humankind. It is said that mankind consists of ten parts; nine parts are Gog and Magog, who will emerge when the barrier is opened.

It is said that God Almighty opens the barrier initially. Another view is that when God makes the earth level and dust (dukkā), the hardness of the earth’s components will cease, and then the barrier will open.

Regarding His saying: {and they, swarming from every elevation}, this is an inserted phrase within the speech. The meaning is: when Gog and Magog are released and the true promise draws near, the eyes of the disbelievers will be fixed. Ḥadab means a high place or mound on the earth, like the hump of the earth or the hump of the back.

Ibn ‘Abbās (may God be pleased with him) recited it as {from every ḥadab they swarm} (with fatḥa on the sīn), drawing a parallel with His saying: {Then behold, they, swarming from the graves, toward their Lord they hasten.} (Yā-Sīn: 51). It was also read with a ḍammah on the sīn (insulū), meaning they moved swiftly, like ‘asala (to flow/swarm).

There are two opinions here:

1. Most commentators say it refers to Gog and Magog.
2. Mujāhid said it refers to all accountable beings, meaning they emerge from their graves from every location to be gathered at the place of reckoning.

The first view is stronger, otherwise the structure breaks down. Since Gog and Magog are numerous, as reported in the tradition, they must spread out, showing their approach to people from every elevated point.

Regarding His saying: {And the true promise draws near}, there is no doubt that the promised event is the Day of Resurrection.

As for {Then behold, it} (fa-idhā hiya): Idhā here denotes suddenness (mufāja’ah). The promise is called a "promise" metaphorically. Idhā often takes the place of the fā’ in the consequence clause, like in {Then behold, they despair.} (Ar-Rūm: 36). When the fā’ accompanies it, they reinforce each other in linking the consequence to the condition. It would have been correct to say: {If it is opened... then it is fixed} or {If it is opened... it is fixed}.

As for the word {it} (hiya), grammarians mention three views:

1. It is a pronoun referring back to the eyes (abṣār). The meaning is: Then behold, the eyes of those who disbelieved—their eyes are fixed. The eyes are referred to, and then explicitly mentioned.
2. It is an emphatic pronoun (‘imād), standing in place of huwa (masculine), like in {Indeed, it is I, Allah} or {For indeed, the eyes are not blinded}. The feminine form (hiya) is used because abṣār (eyes) is plural of a non-human noun, which takes feminine singular agreement. The masculine form (huwa) is permissible for the emphatic pronoun (the view of Al-Farā’).
3. According to Sībawayh, the pronoun refers to the matter/event (al-qiṣṣah), meaning: Then behold, the matter is that the eyes of those who disbelieved are fixed at that time.

The meaning of the whole passage is that when the Resurrection occurs, the eyes of these people will be fixed due to the severity of the horrors, scarcely blinking due to the intensity of that Day, as they realize what they feared. They will say: {“Indeed, we were in heedlessness of this!”} meaning, in the world, where we denied it, said it would not happen, and were unjust to ourselves through that heedlessness, by denying Muḥammad (peace be upon him), and by worshipping idols. Know that the phrase yā waylanā (Woe to us!) must have an omitted preceding word, understood as: They will say, "Woe to us!"

If we consider {And it is forbidden} to be the predicate for something else, the meaning is: And it is forbidden for the town We destroyed [to attain] that [reward] mentioned in the preceding verse—the righteous deed and the un-denied effort—{that they will not return} from disbelief. How could it be otherwise? This applies to the reading inna-hum (with kasra). The reading anna-hum (with fatḥa) can also be interpreted this way: that they will not return [from disbelief].