Surah 37. As-Saffat

'They will be told,' 'This is the Day of 'Final' Decision which you used to deny.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

(A voice will say) "This is the Day of Sorting Out whose truth ye (once) denied!" ⁴⁰⁴⁷

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Day of Judgment is the day of sorting out. Cf. xxxvi. 59. Good and evil will finally be separated, unlike the apparently inexplicable conditions in the present probationary life, when they seem to be mixed together.

'Allah will say to the angels,' 'Gather 'all' the wrongdoers along with their peers, and whatever they used to worship

  - Mustafa Khattab

-Bring ye up" it shall be said "The wrongdoers and their wives and the things they worshipped ⁴⁰⁴⁸

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That is, if their wives were also wrong-doers. They are separately mentioned, because the Arabic phrase for "wrong-doers" is of the masculine gender. All the associates in wrong-doing will be marshalled together. There will be personal responsibility: neither husband nor wife can lay the blame on the other.

instead of Allah, then lead them 'all' to the path of Hell.

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Besides Allah and lead them to the Way to the (Fierce) Fire!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And detain them, for they must be questioned.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"But stop them for they must be asked: ⁴⁰⁴⁹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The scene here is after judgment. As, in an earthly tribunal, the prisoner or his advocate is asked why sentence should not be pronounced upon him, so here those who are proved to have been guilty of wrong are allowed to consider if anything or any one can help them. Then comes the exposure of the misleaders.

'Then they will be asked,' 'What is the matter with you that you can no longer help each other?'

  - Mustafa Khattab

" `What is the matter with you that ye help not each other?' " ⁴⁰⁵⁰

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Obviously no one can stand and intercede, for it is a question of personal responsibility for each soul. No one can help another.

In fact, on that Day they will be 'fully' submissive.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Nay but that day they shall submit (to Judgment); ⁴⁰⁵¹

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

All the previous arrogance of this life will be gone, but they will face each other, and those who were given a false lead, as in the story of Pharaoh (Cf xx. 79), will question their misleaders as in the following verses.

They will turn on each other, throwing blame.

  - Mustafa Khattab

And they will turn to one another and question one another.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The misled will say, 'It was you who deluded us away from what is right.'¹

  - Mustafa Khattab

 Other possible translations: 1. “It was you who used to pressure us.” 2. “It was you who tricked us in the name of the truth.” 3. “It was you who dissuaded us from doing good.” 4. “It was you who deceived us with false oaths.”

They will say: "It was ye who used to come to us from the right hand (of power and authority)!" ⁴⁰⁵²

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This is the mutual recrimination of the sinners-those who sinned, against those whose instigation or evil example led them into sin. The misleaders in the life here below often used their power and influence to spread evil. The "right hand" is the hand of power and authority. Instead of using it for righteous purposes, they used it for evil-selfishly for their own advantage, and mischievously for the degradation of others.

The misleaders will reply, 'No! You disbelieved on your own.

  - Mustafa Khattab

They will reply: "Nay ye yourselves had no faith! ⁴⁰⁵³

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

But the fact that others mislead, or that their evil example is before us, does not justify us in falling from right conduct. Faith should save us from the fall. But if we have ourselves no Faith-in righteousness, or a future life, or the reality of Allah's Law, how can we blame others? The misleaders can well say, "You will be judged according to your misdeeds!" The responsibility is personal, and cannot be shifted on to others. The others may get a double punishment,-for their own evil, and for misleading their weaker brethren. But the weaker brethren cannot go free from responsibility for their own deeds; for evil means a personal rebellion against Allah, if we believe in a personal God. Evil has no authority over us, except in so far as we deliberately choose it.

We had no authority over you. In fact, you yourselves were a transgressing people.

  - Mustafa Khattab

"Nor had we any authority over you. Nay it was ye who were a people in obstinate rebellion!

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The decree of our Lord has come to pass against us 'all': we will certainly taste 'the punishment'.

  - Mustafa Khattab

"So now has been proved true against us the Word of our Lord that we shall indeed (have to) taste (the punishment of our sins): ⁴⁰⁵⁴

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah's decree of justice requires that every soul should taste the consequences of its own sins, and that decree must be fulfilled. No excuses can serve. It is only Allah's mercy that can save.

We caused you to deviate, for we ourselves were deviant.'

  - Mustafa Khattab

"We led you astray: for truly we were ourselves astray." ⁴⁰⁵⁵

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Further, the misleaders can well urge against those who reproach them for misleading them: "How could you expect anything better from us? You were already warned by Allah's Message that we were astray."

Surely on that Day they will 'all' share in the punishment.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Truly that day they will (all) share in the Penalty.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

That is certainly how We deal with the wicked.

  - Mustafa Khattab

Verily that is how We shall deal with Sinners.

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

For whenever it was said to them 'in the world', 'There is no god 'worthy of worship' except Allah,' they acted arrogantly

  - Mustafa Khattab

For they when they were told that there is no god except Allah would puff themselves up with Pride. ⁴⁰⁵⁶

  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Selfish arrogance was the seed of sin and rebellion: ii. 34 (of Satan): xxviii. 39 (of Pharaoh); etc. It is that kind of arrogance which prevents man from mending his life and conduct. When he speaks of ancestral ways, or public opinion, or national honour, he is usually thinking of himself or of a small clique which thrives on injustice. The recognition of Allah, the one true God, as the only standard of life and conduct, the Eternal Reality, cuts out Self, and is therefore disagreeable to Sin. If false gods are imagined, who themselves would have weaknesses that fit in with sin, they give countenance to evils, and it becomes difficult to give them up, unless Allah's grace comes to our assistance.