And when this is a deterrent for the longing to clarify this punishment, and since stubbornness is a harshness in nature and a coarseness in character that necessitates hardship and difficulty, He made his recompense of the same kind and said: ﴿I will surely burden him﴾, meaning I will afflict him with force, harshness, and oppression, an affliction that overwhelms him and surrounds him with a threat that cannot be evaded. ﴿A steep ascent﴾, meaning something of calamities and hardships as if it is a barrier. For indeed, 'ascent' is the language of a steep barrier that is very difficult to climb. Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Abu Sa'id, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'It is a mountain of fire that ascends for seventy autumns, then it falls.' And in another narration: 'Whenever he puts his hand in trying to climb the ascent, it melts, and when he raises it, it returns, and likewise his foot.' Al-Kalbi said: 'It is a smooth rock in the fire that he is tasked to climb by pulling it from in front of him with iron chains, and he is struck from behind with iron whips, so he climbs it for forty years. When he reaches its peak, he is dropped to its bottom, then he is tasked to climb it again. This is his fate forever.'