Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AT TAHRIM [6]

6. O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded. 7. (It will be said in the Hereafter) O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do. 8. O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow -- the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them and in their right hands. They will say: ”Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.'' `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas;

(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell)) He said, ”Work in the obedience of Allah, avoid disobedience of Allah and order your families to remember Allah, then Allah will save you from the Fire.'' Mujahid also commented on:

(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell)) saying, ”Have Taqwa of Allah and order your family to have Taqwa of Him.'' Qatadah said, ”He commands obedience to Allah, to not disobey Allah, he orders his family to obey His orders and helps them to act upon His orders. When one sees disobedience, he stops them and forbids them from doing it.'' Similar was said by Ad-Dahhak and Muqatil; ”It is an obligation for the Muslim to teach his near family members, and his male and female slaves what Allah has made obligatory for them and what Allah has forbidden for them.'' There is a Hadith that confirms the meaning of this Ayah. Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ar-Rabi` bin Sabrah said that his father said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(Order the children to pray when they reach the age of seven and when they reach the age of ten, discipline them for (not performing) it.) This is the narration that Abu Dawud collected; At-Tirmidhi said, ”This Hadith is Hasan.'' Allah said,

(whose fuel is men and stones,) indicating that the Children of Adam will be fuel for the Fire that will feed it,

(and stones) in reference to the idols that were worshipped, just as Allah said in another Ayah,

(Certainly you and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell!) (21:98) `Abdullah bin Mas`ud, Mujahid, Abu Ja`far Al-Baqir and As-Suddi said that these are sulfur stones that are more putrid than rotten corpses, according to Mujahid. Allah's statement,

(over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe,) means, their nature of behavior is stern, because the mercy has been taken out of their hearts for those who disbelieve in Allah,

(severe) meaning, their structure is powerful, strong and frightening,

(who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.) meaning, whatever Allah commands them, they rush to obey Him, without delay for even a twinkling of an eye. They are able to fulfill the command; they are called Az-Zabaniyah, meaning, the keepers and guards of Hell, may Allah give us shelter from them. Allah said,

(O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do.) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, the disbeliever will be told, ”Do not offer any excuse this Day, because it will not be accepted from you; you will only be recompensed for what you used to do. Today, you will receive the punishment for your actions.''   Allah the Exalted said,

(O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance!) meaning, a true, firm repentance that erases the evil sins that preceded it and mend the shortcoming of the repenting person, encouraging and directing him to quit the evil that he used to do. Allah said,

(It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow) And when Allah says, ”it may be,'' it means He shall.

(the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not disgrace those who believed in the Prophet ,

(Their light will run forward before them and in their right hands.) as we explained in Surat Al-Hadid,

(They will say:”Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.'') Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri and other said, ”This is the statement that the believers will say on the Day of Resurrection, when they witness the light of the hypocrites being extinguished.'' Imam Ahmad recorded that a man from the tribe of Banu Kinanah said, ”I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah during the year of the Conquest (of Makkah), and heard him say,

(O Allah! Please, do not disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection.)''