Tafsir of Surah Al-Furqan - Verse 29

The Terrors of the Day of Resurrection, and how the Wrongdoers will wish that They had taken a Path with the Messenger

Here Allah tells us about the terror of the Day of Resurrection and the tremendous events that will happen, including the splitting of heavens when they are pierced by the clouds, that is the shadow of the magnificent light which dazzles all sight. The angels of heaven will come down on that Day and surround all creatures at the place of gathering, then the Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, will come to pass judgement. Mujahid said, "This is as Allah says:

هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظُلَلٍ مِّنَ الْغَمَامِ وَالْمَلَـئِكَةُ

(Do they then wait for anything other than that Allah should come to them in the shadows of the clouds and the angels)" (2:210)

الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ

(The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty) of the Most Gracious,) This is like the Ayah,

لِّمَنِ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ لِلَّهِ الْوَحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ

(Whose is the kingdom this Day: It is Allah's, the One, the Irresistable!) (40:16) In the Sahih it says:

«أَنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَطْوِي السَّمَوَاتِ بِيَمِينِهِ، وَيَأْخُذُ الْأَرَضِينَ بِيَدِهِ الْأُخْرَى، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: أَنَا الْمَلِكُ أَنَا الدَّيَّانُ، أَيْنَ مُلُوكُ الْأَرْضِ؟ أَيْنَ الْجَبَّارُونَ؟ أَيْنَ الْمُتَكَبِّرُونَ؟»

(Allah, may He be exalted, will fold up the heavens in His Right Hand, and will take the earths in His other Hand, then He will say: "I am the Sovereign, I am the Judge. Where are the kings of the earth Where are the tyrants Where are the arrogants")

وَكَانَ يَوْماً عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ عَسِيراً

(and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.) means it will be very difficult, because it will be the Day of justice and the decisive judgement, as Allah says:

فَذَلِكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَوْمٌ عَسِيرٌ - عَلَى الْكَـفِرِينَ غَيْرُ يَسِيرٍ

(Truly, that Day will be a hard Day -- Far from easy for the disbelievers) (74:9-10). This is how the disbelievers will be on the Day of Resurrection. As for the believers, Allah says:

لاَ يَحْزُنُهُمُ الْفَزَعُ الاٌّكْبَرُ

(The greatest terror will not grieve them.)

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّـلِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يلَيْتَنِى اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلاً

(And (remember) the Day when the wrongdoer will bite at his hands, he will say: "O! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger.") Here Allah tells us of the regret felt by the wrongdoer who rejected the path of the Messenger and what he brought from Allah of clear truth concerning which there is no doubt, and followed another path. When the Day of Resurrection comes, he will feel regret but his regret will avail him nothing, and he will bite on his hands in sorrow and grief. Whether this Ayah was revealed concerning `Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it or someone else among the doomed, it applies to every wrongdoer, as Allah says:

يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِى النَّارِ

(On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire) as mentioned in those two Ayat 33:66 Every wrongdoer will feel the ultimate regret on the Day of Resurrection, and will bite at his hands, saying:

وَيَوْمَ يَعَضُّ الظَّـلِمُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ يَقُولُ يلَيْتَنِى اتَّخَذْتُ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ سَبِيلاً - يوَيْلَتَا لَيْتَنِى لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلاَناً خَلِيلاً

(O! Would that I had taken a path with the Messenger. Ah! Woe to me! Would that I had never taken so-and-so as an intimate friend!) meaning, the one among the propagators of misguidance who diverted him from true guidance and led him to follow the path of misguidance, whether this refers to Umayyah bin Khalaf or his brother Ubayy bin Khalaf, or to someone else.

لَّقَدْ أَضَلَّنِى عَنِ الذِّكْرِ

(He indeed led me astray from the Reminder) means the Qur'an,

بَعْدَ إِذْ جَآءَنِى

(after it had come to me.) means, after it had reached me. Allah says:

وَكَانَ الشَّيْطَـنُ لِلإِنْسَـنِ خَذُولاً

(And Shaytan is to man ever a deserter (in the hour of need). ) meaning, he leads him away from the truth and diverts him from it, and uses him for the purposes of falsehood and calls him to it.

يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ لَيْتَنِي لَمْ أَتَّخِذْ فُلَانًا خَلِيلًا (Woe to me! would that I had not taken so-and-so for my friend - 25:28). This verse was revealed on an especial occasion, but its implication is universal. The background is that 'Uqbah Ibn Abi Mu` ait was one of the chieftains of polytheists in Makkah. It was customary with him that whenever he would return after an expedition, he used to invite the nobility of the city to dinner. He also used to call on the Holy Prophet ﷺ frequently. When he presented the food to the Holy Prophet ﷺ he said "I cannot eat your food until you proclaim that Allah is one and no one can be associated with Him in worship and that I am His Rasul." 'Uqbah recited this sentence and then the Holy Prophet ﷺ ate the dinner according to his promise, 'Ubayy Ibn Khalaf was a close friend of 'Uqbah. When he learnt that 'Uqbah has accepted Islam and has recited the Kalimah Tayyabah he was very crossed with him. 'Uqbah tried to defend himself by explaining that Muhammad ﷺ was an eminent person of Quraysh and if he had returned without having his meal at his house, it would have been very degrading for 'Uqbah. Therefore, in order to please him, he repeated the sentence (کلمہ). 'Ubayy Ibn Khalaf did not accept this explanation and asked 'Uqbah to go and spit on Holy Prophet's ﷺ face if he was really ashamed. The wretched man obliged his depraved friend and did as he had suggested. Allah Ta’ ala disgraced them both in this world as well, as both were killed in the battle of Badr (Baghawi). The torment he will face on the Dooms day is described in this verse that when he will see the torment before him, he will bite his fingers in distress and repentance and say "would that he had not made 'Ubayy Ibn Khalaf his friend in the world". (Mazhari Qurtubi)

Friendship of wicked persons and non believers will be a matter of shame and repentance in the Hereafter

It is explained in Tafsir Mazhari that although these verses were revealed in respect of the 'Uqbah, yet the moral of the verse is universal. This can be noticed by the use of the word فُلاناً (so-and-so) in the verse, which alludes that the message is universal. The moral that can be deduced from these verses is that when two friends get together in acts of immorality and sin and help each other in performing forbidden deeds, then the same will apply to them and they will be remorseful and feel sorry for their friendship in the Hereafter. Musnad Ahmed, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud etc. have reproduced a narration on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ once said لا تصاحب الا مؤمنا ولا یاکل مالک الا تقی (Do not make a non-Muslim your friend and your possessions should be used only by the pious persons.- Mazhari), that is, do not have the non-pious as your friend. And Sayyidna Abu Hurairah has reported a tradition of the Holy Prophet ﷺ :

المرء علی دین خلیلہ فلینظر من یخالل (رواہ البخاری)

Every person is influenced by the faith and way of life of his friends. Therefore, one must be very mindful when selecting his friends. (Bukhari)

Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has reported that the Holy Prophet ﷺ was asked what sort of friends should we keep in our company. To this he replied:

من ذکر کم باللہ رویتہ، وزاد فی علمکم منطقہ، و ذکرکم بالآخرۃ عملہ (رواہ البزار)

The one who reminds you of Allah when you see him, and adds to your knowledge when he speaks, and reminds you of the Hereafter when he acts. (Qurtubi)

Whenever a preacher of the Truth calls for its acceptance, those who represent untruth in the name of Truth, become his enemies. They raise a variety of objections and try to cast doubt upon his veracity. In so doing, they are successful in winning wide support. On the Day of Judgement, those who, taken in by the assertions of false leaders, and not having co-operated with the preacher of Truth, will clearly see that the arguments of their leaders had no real basis in fact. They were simply false objections which they had accepted, as they suited their self-interests, and they had used them as excuses for distancing themselves from the Truth. On the Day of Reckoning they will regret having been taken in by the false arguments of their leaders and not supporting the preacher of God’s word.