Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AR RAHMAAN [37]

37. Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes Wardah like Dihan. 38. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny 39. So, on that Day he will not be questioned about his sin, (neither) human nor Jinn. 40. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny 41. The criminals will be known by their marks, and they will be seized by their foreheads and feet. 42. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny 43. This is the Hell which the criminals denied. 44. They will go between it and Hamim An! 45. Then which of the blessings of your Lord will you both deny Allah said,

(Then when the heaven is rent asunder,) on the Day of Resurrection; this meaning is clear in this and similar Ayat, such as,

(And the heaven will be rent asunder, for that Day it (the heaven) will be frail and torn up.)(69:16),

(And (remember) the Day when the heaven shall be rent asunder with clouds, and the angels will be sent down, with a grand descending.)(25:25) and,

(When the heaven is split asunder, and listens to and obeys its Lord -- and it must do so.)(84:1-2) Allah's statement,

(and it becomes Wardah like Dihan.) This means they will melt just as sediment and silver are melted when heated. And they will be colored, just as dies stain something, sometimes red, sometimes yellow, or blue, or green. This demonstrates the extent of the horrors of the Mighty Day of Resurrection. As-Suddi said, ”It will be as rosy color and as filth oil.'' Mujahid said

(like Dihan), ”Like the colors of dyes.'' Allah said;

(So on that Day he will not be questioned about his sins, (neither) human nor Jinn.) this is similar to His saying;

(That will be a Day when they shall not speak, and they will not be permitted to put forth any excuse.)(77:35-36) This is the case at the time, then all the creatures will be questioned about their deeds. Allah said;

(So, by your Lord, We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do.)(15:92-93) Qatadah said, ”On that they will be questioned and then their mouths will be sealed and their hands and feet will reveal what they used to do.'' Allah the Exalted said,

(The criminals will be known by their marks,) i.e., by special marks that distinguish them. Al-Hasan and Qatadah said, ”They will be known by their dark faces and their blue eyes.'' I say that this contrasts to the marks that will distinguish the believers, such as the light that will appear on the parts of the body that they used to wash while performing ablution. Allah said,

(and they will be seized by their foreheads and feet.) meaning, the angels of punishment will bend their heads down to their feet and throw them like this into the Hellfire. Al-A`mash said that Ibn `Abbas said, ”He will be taken by his forehead and his feet and be broken just as a stick is broken to be thrown into an oven.'' Allah said,

(This is the Hell which the criminals denied.) meaning, `this is the Fire that you used to deny existed that it; now you see it before your eyes!' While being chastised, criticized, disgraced and belittled, this will be said to the disbelievers.

(They will go between it and Hamim An!) meaning, they will sometimes be punished with fire and they will sometimes be given Hamim which is a drink like molten copper tearing their intestines and internal organs,

(When the iron collars will be rounded over their necks, and the chains, they shall be dragged along, in the Hamim, then they will be burned in the Fire.)(40:71-72) Allah said

(An) meaning hot, due to the fierce and intense heat that is impossible to bear. Ibn `Abbas said;

(They will go between it and Hamim An!) ”That has reached the ultimate temperature and boiling fiercely.'' Similar was said by Mujahid, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan, Ath-Thawri and As-Suddi. Qatadah also commented, ”Its boiling started when Allah created the heavens and the earth!'' Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi said, ”The (disobedient) servant will be seized by the forehead and stirred in that boiling water until his flesh melts and only the bones and the eyes in his head remain. This is the meaning of Allah's statement,

(In the Hamim, then they will be burned in the Fire.)(40:72) And Al-Hamim Al-An means hot.'' There is another report from Al-Qurazi;

(Hamim An) that it means ”prepared. '' This is also the view of Ibn Zayd. And saying that it means ”prepared'' does not contradict the first report from Al-Qurazi which says that it means hot, for Allah said:

(They will be given to drink from a spring, Aniyah.) (88:5) which means severe unbearable heat, and His saying;

(not to wait for it to be prepared)(33:53) which means properly cooking and preparing it. So His saying;

(Hamim An.) Hamim, that is very hot. Surely, punishing the disobedient criminals as well as favoring those who had Taqwa, is from Allah's grace, mercy, justice, compassion and kindness for His creatures. His warnings against His torment and punishment, such as mentioned in these Ayat, should encourage all creatures to abandon the Shirk and disobedience they engage in, and this is why Allah reminded them of this favor;