Al-A‘rāf: 38–39
{He said, "Enter..."}
Meaning: God Almighty will say on the Day of Resurrection to those of whom He said: {Who is more unjust than one who invents a lie about God or denies His signs?}—namely, the disbelievers of the Arabs—{among nations}. This is in the position of a ḥāl (state), meaning: being among a group of nations, immersed in them, and accompanying them. That is: "Enter the Fire along with nations {that have passed on before you}," whose time preceded your time.
{Every time a nation enters, it curses its sister}—the one that went astray by following it.
{Until, when they have all overtaken one another therein}—meaning: they have caught up with and gathered together in the Fire—{the last of them}—in rank, meaning the followers and the lowly—{will say of the first of them}—in rank, meaning the leaders and heads—{Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire}. The meaning of "of them" (li-awlāhum) is "for the sake of them," because their address is to God, not to the leaders themselves.
{He will say, "For each is double}—doubled—{but you do not know} (read with both yā’ and tā’).
{And the first of them will say to the last of them, "Then you have not had any favor over us}. They appended this statement to God’s saying to the lowly, {For each is double}, meaning: It has been established that you have no favor over us, and we are equal in deserving the double punishment.
{So taste the punishment}—either from the speech of the leaders, or from the speech of God to them all.
{Indeed, those who deny Our signs and are arrogant toward them—the gates of Heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until the camel enters into the eye of a needle. And thus do We recompense the criminals. For them from Hell will be a bed, and from above them coverings. And thus do We recompense the wrongdoers.}
