Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: [except scalding water and a freezing drink] to His saying: [a recompense in accordance with their deeds].
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
As for what follows: This is the second session of the month of Jumada al-Ula, held on Thursday, the eleventh of this month, in the year 1413, and we ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make these sessions a source of blessing and benefit for us and for the Muslims.
We are continuing with the exegesis we are proceeding with, and we have spoken about the saying of the Exalted in Surat al-Naba' regarding the transgressors, that Hell was their destination, and that they will abide therein for ages,[An-Naba 78:24-25].
We spoke about His saying:[An-Naba 78:24] and we said: Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, negated for them the cold that cools the surfaces of their bodies, and the drink that cools their insides.
Then the Exalted said:[An-Naba 78:25] This is a disconnected exception according to the grammarians, because the excepted item is not of the same kind as the item from which it is excepted, and the meaning is: they have nothing except this.
Al-Hamim: which is the hot water that reaches the ultimate degree of heat, as we mentioned previously, that they are given to drink water like molten metal that scorches the faces,[Muhammad 47:15].
And al-Ghasaq: the exegetes said that al-Ghasaq is: a drink with a foul smell and extreme cold, so they are combined—may Allah protect us from it—with the extremely hot water and the extremely cold water, so that they taste the punishment from both sides: from the side of heat, and from the side of cold. Indeed, some of the people of exegesis said that the intended meaning of al-Ghasaq is: the pus of the people of the Fire and what comes out of their insides of filth and sweat and the like.
In any case, the noble verse indicates that they do not taste anything except this drink that cuts their intestines with its heat and shatters their livers with its cold—may Allah grant us safety—and if these types of punishment gather, that is an increase in the weakening of the punishment upon them.
Then the Exalted said:, meaning: they are recompensed with a recompense that corresponds to their deeds without any injustice being done to them. Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said: [Yunus 10:44], so this recompense is in accordance with and matching their deeds.
Then He clarified the aspect of correspondence, meaning: the correspondence of this punishment to the deeds, and He said:[An-Naba 78:27-28], so He mentioned their deviation in belief and their deviation in speech, [An-Naba 78:27] meaning: they did not hope to be reckoned, rather they denied the reckoning, they denied the resurrection, they said: [Al-Jathiyah 45:24], so they do not hope for a reckoning by which they will be held accountable, because they deny it. This is the belief of their hearts.
As for their tongues, they lie, saying: this is a lie, this is sorcery, this is madness, and the like of that, as you read in the Book of Allah what it describes regarding these deniers of the messengers of Allah, as the Mighty and Majestic said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:52], and Allah the Exalted said about the deniers of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): , and they said that he is a poet: [At-Tur 52:30], and they said: [Al-Hijr 15:6-7], and if Allah had not made the feet of the messengers firm and made them patient with their people, they would not have been patient with this matter. Then their people who denied them did not stop at this, but they harmed them in action, as they did with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) of great harm, indeed they harmed him by taking up arms against him. So whoever is in this state, his recompense is Hell, a recompense in accordance with and matching his deed, as in this noble verse: [An-Naba 78:26-29]: every thing, includes what Allah the Mighty and Majestic does of creation and management in the universe, and includes what the servants do of words and actions, and includes every small and large thing: [An-Naba 78:29] meaning: We have recorded it with precise calculation that does not vary.
A book means: written. And it is established in the authentic hadith:, and among that are the deeds of the children of Adam, for they are written. Indeed, every word is written. Allah the Exalted said: [Qaf 50:18]: Raqib means: a watcher, and 'Atid means: one who is present.
A man entered upon Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), and he was sick, groaning from his illness, so he said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah! Indeed Tawus—and he is one of the famous Tabi'un—says: the groaning of the sick person is written." So he (may Allah have mercy on him) stopped groaning, fearing that the groaning of his illness would be written against him. So how about the words of our tongues which have no limit and no restraint, phrases that accumulate throughout the night and day, and we do not calculate them—may Allah the Exalted treat us and you with His forgiveness.
Every thing is written, even the intention is written either for you or against you. If one intends a bad deed and does not do it because he is unable to do it, it is written against him. And if he intends it and leaves it for the sake of Allah, it is written for him. So nothing is lost.
[An-Naba 78:29-30]: This command is for humiliation and reprimand, meaning: it is said to the people of the Fire: taste the punishment as humiliation and reprimand. We will not add to you anything but punishment, and we will not lighten it for you, rather we will not even leave you as you are. We will not add to you anything but punishment, in its strength, its duration, and its type. And you have read another verse where they say to the keepers of Hell: [Ghafir 40:49], consider this word from several angles:
First: that they did not ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, but rather they asked the keepers of Hell to pray for them. Why?
Because Allah said to them:[Al-Mu'minun 23:108]: so they saw themselves that they were not worthy to ask Allah and call upon Him, but rather through an intermediary.
Then they said: and they did not say: "Pray to our Lord," because their faces and hearts cannot speak or mention the lordship of Allah for them, meaning: by saying: "Our Lord." They have so much shame and disgrace that they see themselves as not worthy for the lordship of Allah to be attributed to them, so they said: .
Then look, they did not say: "remove the punishment from us," but they said: "lighten it," because they are despairing—may Allah protect us—despairing that it will be removed from them.
Then look also, did they say: "lighten the punishment from us permanently?" They said:[Ghafir 40:49]: one day. It becomes clear to you if you imagine this state, it becomes clear to you what they are of punishment and humiliation and servitude: [Ash-Shuraa 42:45] May Allah protect us and you from it.
Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic mentioned what is for the righteous of bliss, because the Qur'an is repeated pairs; when punishment is mentioned in it, reward is mentioned, and when reward is mentioned, punishment is mentioned, and when the people of good are mentioned, the people of evil are mentioned, and when the truth is mentioned, the falsehood is mentioned, in pairs, so that the journey of the person to his Lord is between fear and hope, because if hope predominates over him, he falls into security from the plot of Allah, and if fear predominates over him, he falls into despair of the mercy of Allah, and both are from the major sins, both are evil, neither security from the plot of Allah, nor despair of the mercy of Allah. Therefore, you find the Qur'an coming with this and that, and so that souls do not get bored of mentioning one state and elaborating on it without its counterpart, and this is from the eloquence of the noble Qur'an. And we stop at this point in order to utilize the remaining time for questions which may contain many benefits, so we start from the right.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
As for what follows: This is the second session of the month of Jumada al-Ula, held on Thursday, the eleventh of this month, in the year 1413, and we ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to make these sessions a source of blessing and benefit for us and for the Muslims.
We are continuing with the exegesis we are proceeding with, and we have spoken about the saying of the Exalted in Surat al-Naba' regarding the transgressors, that Hell was their destination, and that they will abide therein for ages,
(24) They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink (25) Except scalding water and [foul] purulence -
لا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرْداً وَلا شَرَاباً * إِلاَّ حَمِيماً وَغَسَّاقاًWe spoke about His saying:
They will not taste therein [any] coolness or drink
لا يَذُوقُونَ فِيهَا بَرْداً وَلا شَرَاباًThen the Exalted said:
Except scalding water and [foul] purulence -
إِلاَّ حَمِيماً وَغَسَّاقاًAl-Hamim: which is the hot water that reaches the ultimate degree of heat, as we mentioned previously, that they are given to drink water like molten metal that scorches the faces,
and are given to drink scalding water that will sever their intestines?
وَسُقُوا مَاءً حَمِيماً فَقَطَّعَ أَمْعَاءَهُمْAnd al-Ghasaq: the exegetes said that al-Ghasaq is: a drink with a foul smell and extreme cold, so they are combined—may Allah protect us from it—with the extremely hot water and the extremely cold water, so that they taste the punishment from both sides: from the side of heat, and from the side of cold. Indeed, some of the people of exegesis said that the intended meaning of al-Ghasaq is: the pus of the people of the Fire and what comes out of their insides of filth and sweat and the like.
In any case, the noble verse indicates that they do not taste anything except this drink that cuts their intestines with its heat and shatters their livers with its cold—may Allah grant us safety—and if these types of punishment gather, that is an increase in the weakening of the punishment upon them.
Then the Exalted said:
A recompense in accordance (with the deed)
جَزَاءً وِفَاقاًIndeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَظْلِمُ النَّاسَ شَيْئاً وَلَكِنَّ النَّاسَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَThen He clarified the aspect of correspondence, meaning: the correspondence of this punishment to the deeds, and He said:
(27) Indeed, they were not expecting an account (28) And denied Our verses with [emphatic] denial.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لا يَرْجُونَ حِسَاباً * وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا كِذَّاباًIndeed, they were not expecting an account
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لا يَرْجُونَ حِسَاباًThere is not but our worldly life; we die and live, and nothing destroys us except time.
إن هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا يُهْلِكُنَا إِلَّا الدَّهْرُAs for their tongues, they lie, saying: this is a lie, this is sorcery, this is madness, and the like of that, as you read in the Book of Allah what it describes regarding these deniers of the messengers of Allah, as the Mighty and Majestic said:
Similarly, there came not to those before them any messenger except that they said, "A magician or a madman."
كَذَلِكَ مَا أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُوا سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌAnd the disbelievers said, "This is a lying sorcerer."
وَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَذَا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌOr do they say [of you], "A poet for whom we await a misfortune of time?"
أَمْ يَقُولُونَ شَاعِرٌ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِهِ رَيْبَ الْمَنُونِ(6) And they say, "O you upon whom the message has been sent down, indeed you are mad. (7) Why do you not bring us the angels, if you should be among the truthful?"
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ * لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلائِكَةِ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ(26) An appropriate recompense. (27) Indeed, they were not expecting an account (28) And denied Our verses with [emphatic] denial. (29) But all things We have enumerated in writing.
جَزَاءً وِفَاقاً * إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لا يَرْجُونَ حِسَاباً * وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا كِذَّاباً * وكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ كِتَاباًBut all things We have enumerated in writing.
كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ كِتَاباًA book means: written. And it is established in the authentic hadith:
That Allah has decreed the measures of all things until the Hour comes.
أن الله كتب مقادير كل شيء إلى أن تقوم الساعةMan does not utter any word except that with him is an observer prepared [to record].
مَا يَلْفِظُ مِنْ قَوْلٍ إِلَّا لَدَيْهِ رَقِيبٌ عَتِيدٌA man entered upon Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), and he was sick, groaning from his illness, so he said to him: "O Abu 'Abdullah! Indeed Tawus—and he is one of the famous Tabi'un—says: the groaning of the sick person is written." So he (may Allah have mercy on him) stopped groaning, fearing that the groaning of his illness would be written against him. So how about the words of our tongues which have no limit and no restraint, phrases that accumulate throughout the night and day, and we do not calculate them—may Allah the Exalted treat us and you with His forgiveness.
Every thing is written, even the intention is written either for you or against you. If one intends a bad deed and does not do it because he is unable to do it, it is written against him. And if he intends it and leaves it for the sake of Allah, it is written for him. So nothing is lost.
(29) But all things We have enumerated in writing. (30) "So taste [the penalty], and never will We increase you except in torment."
كُلَّ شَيْءٍ أَحْصَيْنَاهُ كِتَاباً * فَذُوقُوا فَلَنْ نَزِيدَكُمْ إِلاَّ عَذَاباًSupplicate your Lord to lighten for us a day from the punishment."
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ يُخَفِّفْ عَنَّا يَوْماً مِنَ الْعَذَابِFirst: that they did not ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, but rather they asked the keepers of Hell to pray for them. Why?
Because Allah said to them:
He will say, "Remain despised therein and do not speak to Me.
اخْسَأُوا فِيهَا وَلا تُكَلِّمُونِThen they said:
Call upon your Lord.
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْYour Lord
رَبَّكُمْThen look, they did not say: "remove the punishment from us," but they said: "lighten it," because they are despairing—may Allah protect us—despairing that it will be removed from them.
Then look also, did they say: "lighten the punishment from us permanently?" They said:
a day from the punishment."
يَوْماً مِنَ الْعَذَابِAnd you will see them being exposed to the Fire, humbled from humiliation, looking from [behind] a covert glance.
وَتَرَاهُمْ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَيْهَا خَاشِعِينَ مِنَ الذُّلِّ يَنْظُرُونَ مِنْ طَرْفٍ خَفِيٍّThen Allah the Mighty and Majestic mentioned what is for the righteous of bliss, because the Qur'an is repeated pairs; when punishment is mentioned in it, reward is mentioned, and when reward is mentioned, punishment is mentioned, and when the people of good are mentioned, the people of evil are mentioned, and when the truth is mentioned, the falsehood is mentioned, in pairs, so that the journey of the person to his Lord is between fear and hope, because if hope predominates over him, he falls into security from the plot of Allah, and if fear predominates over him, he falls into despair of the mercy of Allah, and both are from the major sins, both are evil, neither security from the plot of Allah, nor despair of the mercy of Allah. Therefore, you find the Qur'an coming with this and that, and so that souls do not get bored of mentioning one state and elaborating on it without its counterpart, and this is from the eloquence of the noble Qur'an. And we stop at this point in order to utilize the remaining time for questions which may contain many benefits, so we start from the right.