They said, remembering the reason for their entering the Fire is due to the corruption of their practical strength in glorifying the command of Allah. This is a reminder of all that has preceded of the important matters of the Surah, the essence of which is that they did not adorn themselves with two virtues and did not rid themselves of two vices. This indicates that they were addressed with the branches of the Shari'ah. In beginning with action, there is a reminder that it is obligatory for the wise to hasten to what the truthful commands him, for he is the one who affirms good belief. The hastening to engage in action is easier than hastening to engage in knowledge, because action has a form and a reality. The mere act of forming is easier than the realization. Whoever forms something is closer to realizing it than one who has not formed it. Thus, he is more deserving of its realization than one who has not directly engaged in its formation. Therefore, there is encouragement to race towards good deeds even if the intention is not pure, and a signal that whoever persists in abandoning actions will lead him to detach from good belief and will entangle him in misguidance.

They did not say, 'We were not.' They omitted the noon as an indication of their tightness in speech, even with a letter that could be omitted. This indicates that they did not have a good nature that urges them to be among the righteous. This was a reference to the great calamities they were in, which occupy them, in contrast to what the people of Paradise experience of leisure that leads them to inquire about the conditions of others. This was a reminder of the virtue of knowledge: 'Among the performers of prayer'—that is, a prayer that is considered valid. This was a reminder that steadfastness in prayer prevents one from being in a state like theirs, and that they will be punished for the branches of the Shari'ah even if they are not valid from them. If they had performed them before belief, they would not have been considered valid. It also indicates that prayer is the greatest of actions and that the reckoning for it is prioritized over others.