Until, when they reach it, their hearing
حتى إذا ما جاءوها شهد عليهم سمعُهم [Fussilat 41:20]
to the end of it.
Until when they came to it
حتى إذا ما
The author said:
"superfluous", meaning the word
not
ما
is superfluous, because it occurred after
If
إذا
, and whenever
not
ما
occurs after
If
إذا
, it is superfluous. And you should memorize this verse:
O seeker, take a benefit:
not
ما
after
If
إذا
is superfluous.
....
Until when they came to it
حتى إذا ما جاءوها
He says:
not
ما
"excess"
came to it
جاءوها
meaning they reached it
their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do.
شَهِد عليهم سمعهم وأبصارهم وجلودهم بما كانوا يعملون [Fussilat 41:20]
before entering it. These limbs will testify against them so that they enter while being certain that they were treated with justice and fairness. Does their hearing testify to what they heard of idle talk and forbidden speech, or does the hearing testify to all their actions? It carries two possibilities: either the meaning is that their hearing testified to what they heard of falsehood, their sight to what they witnessed of falsehood, and their skin to what they touched of falsehood; or that these limbs testify to every action they performed. Both are possible, and the second is greater: that the hearing testifies to what occurred through it, to what occurred through the sight, and to what occurred through touch. This is greater than if it testified only to what occurred through it.
their hearing and their eyes and their skins will testify against them of what they used to do.
سمعُهم وأبصارُهم وجلودُهم بما كانوا يعملون [Fussilat 41:20]
Is this after denial, or for verification and emphasis? The verse contains nothing indicating that, but it was said that these limbs, along with their hands and feet as in another verse, that this only occurs after their denial of having associated partners with Allah, as He the Exalted said:
Then there will be no [excuse upon] examination except they will say, "By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who associated."
ثم لم تكن فتنتُهم إلا أن قالوا والله ربِّنا ما كنا مشركين [Al-An'am 6:23]
And His saying:
their skins
جلودهم
"by what you touched" is more general than the testimony of the hearing and sight, because it includes the hand, the foot, the sense of smell, and so on, all of which are through contact.