Surah As-Saffat (The Rankers): Verse 22

Discussions on the Verse

It is undisputed that this statement comes from the Angels.

Question: What is the meaning of {احشروا} (Gather them) when they have already been gathered and were present at the scene of the Resurrection, having said: {هذا يوم الدين} (This is the Day of Judgment) (37:20), and the Angels replied: {هذا يوم الفصل} (This is the Day of Separation) (37:21)?

The Answer of Al-Qadi (Al-Baqillani): He said the meaning is: Gather them to the abode of recompense, which is the Fire. This is supported by what follows: {فاهدوهم إلى صراط الجحيم} (and lead them to the path of Hellfire), meaning, take them to that path and guide them to it.

He then questioned his own answer: How can this be correct when it is followed by {وقفوهم إنهم} (And stop them, for they are to be questioned)? Their gathering to Hell only occurs after the questioning.

He answered this objection by stating that the conjunction 'wa' (and) does not necessarily imply chronological order. Thus, it is not impossible to say "Gather them" and then "Stop them," even though logically we know the stopping (questioning) precedes the driving to the Fire. This is what Al-Qadi said.

My Own View: There is another perspective. When they rise from their graves, it is not unlikely that they will stand there in a state of distress due to witnessing the horrors of the Resurrection. Then, Allah Almighty commands the Angels: "Gather those who did wrong, and lead them to the path of Hellfire, meaning, drive them to the road of Hell, stop them there, and the questioning takes place there. From there, they will be driven to the Fire." Under this interpretation, the sequence of the text aligns with the logical order.

The one commanding in the verse {تكذبون احشروا الذين ظلموا} (You used to deny... Gather those who did wrong) is Allah. He commanded the Angels to gather the disbelievers to the station of questioning. The meaning of the gathering here is that the Angels drive them to that station.

Allah commanded the Angels to gather three things:

1. Those who did wrong (الذين ظلموا).
2. Their spouses (أزواجهم).
3. What they used to worship besides Allah (ما كانوا يعبدون من دون الله).

This contains several benefits:

First Benefit: Allah said, {احشروا الذين ظلموا} (Gather those who did wrong), and then described those who did wrong as worshippers of other than Allah. This indicates that the absolute wrongdoer (الظالم المطلق) is the disbeliever. Consequently, every threat mentioned regarding the wrongdoer is directed towards the disbelievers. This is reinforced by His saying: {والكافرون هم الظالمون} (And the disbelievers, they are the wrongdoers) (2:254).

Second Benefit: The Meaning of "Their Spouses" (أزواجهم)

There are three opinions regarding the meaning of {أزواجهم}:

1. Their Likes/Parties (أشباههم وأحزابهم): Meaning their counterparts in disbelief—the Jew with the Jew, and the Christian with the Christian.
   • Evidence for this interpretation:
     • His saying: {وكنتم أزواجا ثلاثة} (And you will be three kinds/groups) (56:7), meaning forms and similarities.
     • The linguistic usage: You say, "I have azwaj (pairs/examples) of this," meaning similar items. A pair of shoes is called zawj because each piece resembles the other. Similarly, a man and a woman are called a zawj because they resemble each other in most marriage rulings. The even number (zawj) is named this because each unit is an example of the second unit in the sequence of whole numbers.
   • Implication (according to Al-Wahidi): If "spouses" means counterparts, then {الذين ظلموا} (those who did wrong) must refer to the leaders. If "those who did wrong" were interpreted generally to include every polytheist, the term "spouses" would lose its meaning.

2. Their Companions from the Devils (قرناؤهم من الشياطين): This is based on His saying: {وإخوانهم يمدونهم في الغي ثم لا يقصرون} (And their brethren [devils] extend them in error, then they do not cease) (7:202).

3. Their Wives Who Shared Their Religion (نساؤهم اللواتي على دينهم):

Regarding {وما كانوا يعبدون من دون الله} (And what they used to worship besides Allah):

There are two opinions:

1. The Idols and Tyrants (الأوثان والطواغيت): Similar to His saying: {فاتقوا النار التي وقودها الناس والحجارة} (Then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones) (2:24). It is said that "men" refers to the worshippers of idols, and "stones" refers to the sculpted idols themselves.
   • Objection: If those stones are inanimate matter, what is the benefit of gathering them to Hell?
   • Al-Qadi's Answer: Reports indicate that they will be restored to life to maximize the rebuke of the disbelievers who worshipped them.
   • A Counter-Argument: Even if Allah revives the idols, they committed no sin. How can Allah justly punish them? It is more likely that Allah does not revive them but leaves them as inanimate objects and then throws them into Hell, which increases the humiliation of the disbelievers.

2. The Devils Who Called Them to Worship (الشياطين الذين دعوهم): Meaning the devils whom they obeyed in adopting the worship of these idols, thus becoming like worshippers of those devils. This is supported by: {ألم أعْهَدْ إليكم يا بني آدم أن لا تعبدوا الشيطان} (Did I not take a covenant from you, O children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan?) (36:60).
   • Conclusion: The first opinion (idols) is preferable because the word {ما} (what) is not typically used for rational beings (like devils). And Allah knows best.

{فاهدوهم إلى صراط الجحيم} (And lead them to the path of Hellfire).

Ibn Abbas said: {دلوهم} (Guide them). The word hidayah (guidance) is used here because it replaces the guidance to Paradise. Just as He says: {فبشرهم بعذاب أليم} (Then give them tidings of a painful punishment) (3:21)—the tidings (good news) are used for punishment for these people, replacing the tidings of bliss for the others.

Regarding the sequence: {فاهدوهم إلى صراط الجحيم * وقفوهم} (And lead them to the path of Hellfire * And stop them).

The verb {وقفوهم} (Stop them) means to detain them. There are two views on the order:

1. It implies transposition: Stop them, and then lead them.
2. The sounder view is that no transposition is needed. It is as if it means: Lead them to the path of Hellfire, and when they reach the path, it is said: {وقفوهم} (Stop them), because the questioning occurs there.

{إنهم} (for they are to be questioned): This questioning is about their deeds and sayings in the world. Or, it means the gatekeepers will question them, as in: {ألم يأتكم رسل منكم قالوا بلى ولكن حقت كلمة العذاب على الكافرين} (Did there not come to you Messengers from among yourselves, reciting to you the verses of your Lord and warning you of the meeting of this Day? They will say, "Yes," but the decree of punishment has been established against the disbelievers) (39:71).

It is also possible that this questioning is what follows immediately: {ما لكم لا تناصرون} (What is the matter with you that you do not help one another?). They are questioned for the purpose of rebuke, and then told: {ما لكم لا تناصرون} (What is the matter with you that you do not help one another?).

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "None of you helps another, as you were in the world." This is because Abu Jahl said on the Day of Badr: "We are all victorious/a united front." So on the Day of Resurrection, they are told: "What is the matter with you? You have no mutual support." It is also said that they are asked: "Why do your partners not defend you from the punishment?"

{بل هم اليوم مستسلمون} (Nay, but this Day they will be submissive).

If someone submits to something, he yields and humbles himself to it. The original meaning is seeking safety by abandoning contention. The intent here is that they have become compliant, having no means to repel those harms—neither the worshipper nor the worshipped.

Verse 23