Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-Hadid -> The Condition of the Hypocrites on the Day of Resurrection

Allah said,

﴿يَوْمَ يَقُولُ الْمُنَـفِقُونَ وَالْمُنَـفِقَـتُ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ انظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِن نُّورِكُمْ﴾

(On the Day when the hypocrites men and women will say to the believers: "Wait for us! Let us get something from your light!'') Allah informs us in this Ayah of the terrible horrors, horrendous incidents and tremendous events that will take place on the Day of Resurrection in the Gathering Area. No one will be saved on that Day, except those who believed in Allah and His Messenger, obeyed Allah's commands and avoided His prohibitions. Al-`Awfi, Ad-Dahhak and others reported from Ibn `Abbas: "When the people are gathering in darkness, Allah will send light, and when the believers see the light they will march towards it. This light will be their guide from Allah to Paradise. When the hypocrites see the believers following the light, they will follow them. However, Allah will extinguish the light for the hypocrites and they will say (to the believers),

﴿انظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِن نُّورِكُمْ﴾

(Wait for us! Let us get something from your light.) The believers will reply by saying,

﴿ارْجِعُواْ وَرَآءَكُمْ﴾

`(Go back to your rear!) to the dark area you were in, and look for a light there!''' Allah said,

﴿فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُم بِسُورٍ لَّهُ بَابٌ بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَظَـهِرُهُ مِن قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ﴾

(So, a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and outside it will be torment.) Al-Hasan and Qatadah said that the wall mentioned here is located between Paradise and Hellfire. `Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that the wall mentioned in this Ayah is the wall that Allah described in His statement,

﴿وَبَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌ﴾

(And between them will be a (barrier) screen.)(7:46) Similar was reported from Mujahid and others, and it is correct. Allah said,

﴿بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ﴾

(Inside it will be mercy,) meaning, Paradise and all that is in it,

﴿وَظَـهِرُهُ مِن قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ﴾

(and outside it will be torment.) meaning, the Hellfire, according to Qatadah, Ibn Zayd and others. Allah said,

﴿يُنَـدُونَهُمْ أَلَمْ نَكُن مَّعَكُمْ﴾

((The hypocrites) will call the believers: "Were we not with you'') meaning, the hypocrites will call out to the believers saying, "Were we not with you in the life of the world, attending Friday prayers and congregational prayers Did we not stand with you on Mount `Arafah (during Hajj), participate in battle by your side and perform all types of acts of worship with you''

﴿قَالُواْ بَلَى﴾

(The believers will reply: "Yes!...'') The believers will answer the hypocrites by saying, "Yes, you were with us,

﴿وَلَـكِنَّكُمْ فَتَنتُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَتَرَبَّصْتُمْ وَارْتَبْتُمْ وَغرَّتْكُمُ الاٌّمَانِىُّ﴾

(But you led yourselves into temptations, you looked forward to our destruction; and you doubted (in faith) and you were deceived by false hopes,) '' Qatadah said,

﴿وَتَرَبَّصْتُمْ﴾

(you looked forward to destruction), "Of the truth and its people.''

﴿وَارْتَبْتُمْ﴾

(and you doubted,) that Resurrection occurs after death,

﴿وَغرَّتْكُمُ الاٌّمَانِىُّ﴾

(and you were deceived by false hopes,) meaning: you said that you will be forgiven your sins; or, they say it means: this life deceived you;

﴿حَتَّى جَآءَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ﴾

(till the command of Allah came to pass.) meaning: you remained on this path until death came to you,

﴿وَغَرَّكُم بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ﴾

(And the deceiver deceived you in regard to Allah.) `the deceiver' being Shaytan. Qatadah said, "They were deceived by Ash-Shaytan. By Allah! They remained deceived until Allah cast them into Hellfire.'' The meaning here is that the believers will answer the hypocrites by saying, "You were with us in bodies which were heartless and devoid of intentions. You were cast in doubt and suspicion. You were showing off for people and remembered Allah, little.'' Mujahid commented, "The hypocrites were with the believers in this life, marrying from among each other, yet betraying them even when they were associating with them. They were dead. They will both be given a light on the Day of Resurrection, but the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished when they reach the wall; this is when the two camps separate and part!'' Allah's statement,

﴿مَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ﴾

(Your abode is the Fire.) means, the Fire is your final destination and to it will be your return for residence,

﴿هِىَ مَوْلَـكُمْ﴾

(That is your protector,) meaning, it is the worthy shelter for you rather than any other residence, because of your disbelief and doubt, and how evil is the Fire for Final Destination.

﴿أَلَمْ يَأْنِ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَن تَخْشَعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ لِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَلاَ يَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَـبَ مِن قَبْلُ فَطَالَ عَلَيْهِمُ الاٌّمَدُ فَقَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَكَثِيرٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَـسِقُونَ - اعْلَمُواْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحْىِ الاٌّرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الاٌّيَـتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ﴾

(16. Has not the time yet come for the believers that their hearts should be humble for the remembrance of Allah And that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture before, and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened And many of them were rebellious.) (17. Know that Allah gives life to the earth after its death! Indeed We have made clear the Ayat to you, if you but understand.) believers)

meaning, it is the worthy shelter for you rather than any other residence, because of your disbelief and doubt, and how evil is the Fire for Final Destination.