Ibn Kathir
None is Worse Than One who Invents a Lie Against Allah and Claims that Revelation Came to Him
Allah said,
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً
(And who can be more unjust than he who invents a lie against Allah,) Therefore, none is more unjust than one who lies about Allah claiming that He has partners or a son, or falsely claiming that Allah sent him as a Prophet;
أَوْ قَالَ أُوْحِى إِلَىَّ وَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَىْءٌ
(or says: "I have received inspiration," whereas he is not inspired with anything;) `Ikrimah and Qatadah said that this Ayah was revealed about Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhab.
وَمَن قَالَ سَأُنزِلُ مِثْلَ مَآ أَنَزلَ اللَّهُ
(and who says, "I will reveal the like of what Allah has revealed.") This refers to he, who claims that the lies he invents rival the revelation that came from Allah. In another Ayah, Allah said,
وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـتُنَا قَالُواْ قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَـذَآ
(And when Our verses (of the Qur'an) are recited to them, they say: "We have heard this (the Qur'an); if we wish we can say the like of this.")
The Condition of These Unjust People Upon Death and on the Day of Resurrection
Allah, the Most Honored, said,
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذِ الظَّـلِمُونَ فِى غَمَرَاتِ الْمَوْتِ
(And if you could but see when the wrongdoers are in the agonies of death...) suffering from the hardhips, agonies and afflictions of death,
وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ
(while the angels are stretching forth their hands...) beating them. Allah said in other Ayat:
لَئِن بَسَطتَ إِلَىَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِى
(If you do stretch your hand against me to kill me..) 5:28and,
وَيَبْسُطُواْ إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْدِيَهُمْ وَأَلْسِنَتَهُمْ بِالسُّوءِ
(And stretch forth their hands and their tongues against you with evil.)60:2 Ad-Dahhak and Abu Salih said that, `stretch forth their hands,' means, `with torment'. In another Ayah, Allah said,
وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ يَتَوَفَّى الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَـرَهُمْ
(And if you could see when the angels take away the souls of those who disbelieve they smite their faces and their backs. )8:50 Allah said,
وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ بَاسِطُواْ أَيْدِيهِمْ
(while the angels are stretching forth their hands) beating them, until their souls leave their bodies, saying,
أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ
("Deliver your souls!") When the disbeliever is near death, the angels will convey the `good news' to him of torment, vengeance, chains, restraints, Hell, boiling water and the anger of the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful. The soul will then scatter in the body of the disbeliever and refuse to get out of it. The angels will keep beating the disbeliever until his soul exits from his body,
أَخْرِجُواْ أَنفُسَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَقُولُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ غَيْرَ الْحَقِّ
((Saying): "Deliver your souls! This day you shall be recompensed with the torment of degradation because of what you used to say about Allah other than the truth.") This Ayah means, today, you will be utterly humiliated because you used to invent lies against Allah and arrogantly refused to follow His Ayat and obey His Mesengers. There are many Hadiths, of Mutawatir grade, that explain what occurs when the believers and disbelievers die, and we will mention these Hadiths when explaining Allah's statement,
يُثَبِّتُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ بِالْقَوْلِ الثَّابِتِ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا وَفِى الاٌّخِرَةِ
(Allah will keep firm those who believe, with the word that stands firm in this world, and in the Hereafter.) 14:27 Allah said next,
وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ
(And truly you have come unto Us alone as We created you the first time.) 6:94, and this statement will be said on the Day of Return. In another Ayah, Allah said,
وَعُرِضُواْ عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفَا لَّقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ
(And they will be set before your Lord in rows, (and Allah will say): "Now indeed, you have come to Us as We created you the first time.') 18:48, meaning, just as We started your creation, We brought you back, although you used to deny Resurrection and reject its possibility. Therefore, this is the Day of Resurrection! Allah said,
وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَّا خَوَّلْنَـكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ
(You have left behind you all that which We had bestowed on you.) 6:94, The wealth and the money that you collected in the life of the world, you left all this behind you. It is recorded in the Sahih that Allah's Messenger ﷺ said,
«يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ مَالِي مَالِي وَهَلْ لَكَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلَّا مَا أَكَلْتَ فَأَفْنَيْتَ، أَوْ لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ، وَمَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ فَذَاهِبٌ وَتَارِكُهُ لِلنَّاس»
(The Son of Adam says, `My money, my money!' But, what part of your money do you have, other than what you eat of it and is thus spent, what you wear and tear and what you gave in chairty and thus remains (in the record of good deeds) Other than that, you will depart and leave it to the people.) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "On the Day of Resurrection, the Son of Adam will be brought, as if he were a golden chariot and Allah, the Most Honored, will ask, `Where is what you collected' He will reply, `O Lord! I collected it and left it as intact as ever.' Allah will say to him, `O Son of Adam! Where is what you sent forth for yourself (of righteous, good deeds),' and he will realize that he did not send forth anything for himself." Al-Hasan then recited the Ayah,
وَلَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَّا خَوَّلْنَـكُمْ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ
(And truly you have come unto Us alone as We created you the first time. You have left behind you all that which We had bestowed on you.) Ibn Abi Hatim recorded this statement. Allah said;
وَمَا نَرَى مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَآءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَآءُ
(We see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed to be your partners.) This chastises and criticizes the disbelievers for the rivals, idols and images that they worshipped in this life, thinking they will avail them in this life and upon Resurrection, if there is Resurrection, as they thought. On the Day of Resurrection, all relationships will be cut off, misguidance will be exposed, and those whom they used to call upon as gods will disappear from them. Allah will then call them, while the rest of creation is listening,
أَيْنَ شُرَكَآئِىَ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
(Where are My (so-called) partners whom you used to assert) 28:62 And,
وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ - مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلْ يَنصُرُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَنتَصِرُونَ
(And it will be said to them: "Where are those that you used to worship. Instead of Allah Can they help you or help themselves") 26:92-93 Allah said here,
وَمَا نَرَى مَعَكُمْ شُفَعَآءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ أَنَّهُمْ فِيكُمْ شُرَكَآءُ
(We see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed were partners.) meaning partners in worship. That is, partners in a share of your worship.
لَقَد تَّقَطَّعَ بَيْنَكُمْ
(Now you and they have been cut off) or, the Ayah is recited with the meaning: all connections, means, and ties between you and them have been severed.
وَضَلَّ عَنكُم
(and vanished from you) you have lost,
مَّا كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ
(all that you used to claim) of hope in the benefit of the idols and rivals (you worshipped with Allah). Allah said in other Ayat,
إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُواْ مِنَّا كَذَلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ حَسَرَتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُم بِخَـرِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ
(When those who were followed, declare themselves innocent of those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them. And those who followed will say: "If only we had one more chance to return, we would disown them as they have disowned us." Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regret for them. And they will never get out of the Fire.) 2:166-167, and
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلاَ أَنسَـبَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلاَ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ
(Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another.) 23:101, and
إِنَّمَا اتَّخَذْتُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَـناً مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِى الْحَيَوةِ الدُّنْيَا ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضاً وَمَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِّن نَّـصِرِينَ
(You have taken (for worship) idols instead of Allah, and the love between you is only in the life of this world, but on the Day of Resurrection, you shall disown each other, and curse each other, and your abode will be the Fire, and you shall have no helper.) 29:25, and
وَقِيلَ ادْعُواْ شُرَكَآءَكُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُواْ لَهُمْ
(And it will be said (to them): "Call upon your partners", and they will call upon them, but they will give no answer to them.) 28:64, and
وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُواْ
(And the Day whereon We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who committed Shirk...) 10:28 until,
وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ
(And their invented false deities will vanish from them.) 10:30