Tafseer Ibn Kathir of ASH SHAAFFAAT [20]

20. They will say: ”Woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense!'' 21. (It will be said:) ”This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny.'' 22. (It will be said to the angels:) Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions and what they used to worship, 23. Instead of Allah, and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire (Hell); 24. But stop them, verily, they are to be questioned. 25. ”What is the matter with you Why do you not help one another'' 26. Nay, but that Day they shall surrender. Allah tells us what the disbeliever will say on the Day of Resurrection, how they will blame themselves and admit that they wronged themselves in this world. When they see the horrors of the Day of Resurrection with their own eyes, they will be filled with regret at the time when regret will not avail them anything.

(They will say: ”Woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense!'') And the angels and the believers will say:

(This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny.) This will be said to them as a rebuke and reproof. Allah will command the angels to separate the disbeliever from the believers in the place where they are standing. Allah says:

((It will be said to the angels:) Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) An-Nu`man bin Bashir, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ”Their companions means their counterparts, those who are like them.'' This was also the view of Ibn `Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr, `Ikrimah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Abu Salih, Abu Al-`Aliyah and Zayd bin Aslam.'' Sharik said, narrating from Simak, from An-Nu`man: ”I heard `Umar say:

(Assemble those who did wrong, together with their companions) means, `Those who are like them. So those who committed Zina will be gathered with others who committed Zina, those who dealt in Riba will be gathered with others who dealt in Riba, those who drank wine will be gathered with others who drank wine.' Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr narrated from Ibn `Abbas:

(their companions) means ”Their friends.''

(and what they used to worship. Instead of Allah,) means, instead of Allah, i.e., their idols and false gods will be gathered together with them in the same place.

(and lead them on to the way of flaming Fire.) means, take them to the way to Hell. This is like the Ayah:

(and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire) (17:97).

(But stop them, verily, they are to be questioned.) means, stop them so that they may be questioned about the things they did and said in this world. As Ad-Dahhak said, narrating from Ibn `Abbas, this means, `detain them, for they are to be brought to account.' `Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said, ”I heard `Uthman bin Za'idah say, `The first thing about which a man will be asked is the company that he kept. Then by way of rebuke, it will be said to them:

(What is the matter with you Why do you not help one another).''' meaning, `as you claimed that you would all help one another.'

(Nay, but that Day they shall surrender.) means, they will be subjected to the command of Allah, and they will not be able to resist it or avoid it. And Allah knows best.