'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' Allah, the Exalted, says: "And you will see the criminals on that Day bound together in chains. Their garments will be of pitch, and the Fire will cover their faces. So that Allah may recompense every soul for what it has earned. Indeed, Allah is swift in account." This is a proclamation for the people, and that they may be warned by it, and that they may know that He is but one God, and that those of understanding may take heed. The criminals are the disbelievers. 'Bound together' means tied in a cord, which is the rope used to tie the heads of camels and cattle. From this is the saying of the poet: 'And the young camel when it is tied in a cord cannot withstand the power of the fierce beasts.' 'Chains' are the shackles, the singular of which is 'shackle.' It is said: he shackled him, and he was shackled, and the name is 'shackling.' From this is the saying of Salamah ibn Jundal: 'And Zayd of the horses has encountered shackling, biting with his forearm and the bone of his leg.' Likewise, it is said in regard to gifts, and from this is the saying of the Nabighah: 'So I did not expose - may the curse be upon the house - to shackling.' 'Garments' are shirts, and 'pitch' is that which the camels are smeared with, and in it, the Fire has a severe ignition. Therefore, Allah made the garments of the people of the Fire from it. It is said with the opening of the qaf and the breaking of the ta, and with the breaking of the qaf and the stillness of the ta, and with the opening of the qaf and the stillness of the ta. Umar, Ali, and Al-Husayn read differently, and Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurairah, Alqamah, Sinan ibn Salamah, Ikrimah, Ibn Sirin, Ibn Jubair, Al-Kalbi, Qatadah, and Amr ibn Ubaid read: 'Pitch that is hot.' 'Pitch' is tin, and it was said to be copper. It was narrated from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: 'It is not pitch, but it is copper that they will be clothed with.' 'Hot' is an adjective, and it is the hot molten metal that has reached its extreme heat. Al-Hasan said: 'Hell has been heated against it since it was created, and its heat has reached its extreme.' The majority of the people read: 'Their faces' in the accusative, and 'the Fire' in the nominative. Ibn Mas'ud read the opposite. The first is in the manner of: "By night when it covers" [Al-Lail: 1], for it is the reality of covering. The second is in the manner of the saying of the poet: 'They are covered until their dogs do not bark, and they do not ask about the approaching darkness.' Thus, it is a figurative covering, as if the arrival of the faces to the Fire is a covering. And His saying, the Exalted: "So that Allah may recompense" means: so that Allah may recompense, and the 'lam' is related to an implied action. Its meaning is: I will execute upon the criminals this punishment so that in that will be the recompense of the wrongdoer for his wrongdoing. And the term 'earning' has come in a way that includes both the wrongdoer and the doer of good to indicate that the doer of good will also be recompensed for his goodness with good. And His saying, the Exalted: "Swift in account" means: decisive between His creation with the encompassing knowledge that He has of their minute and great affairs. There is no god other than Him. It was said to Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him: 'How will Allah hold the servants accountable at one time despite their multitude?' He said: 'Just as He provides for them at one time.'

And His saying: ﴿This is a proclamation for the people﴾ is an indication of the Qur'an and the warning that it contains. He described it as a source in His saying: "Proclamation," and the meaning is: This is one who has a proclamation for the people, and it is to warn them by it. The majority read: "And let them be warned" with the 'ya' pronounced with a dammah and the dhāl with a fatha, following the pattern of the verb for the object. Yahya ibn 'Imarah and Ahmad ibn Yazid ibn Usayd read: "And let them be warned" with the 'ya' and dhāl both pronounced with a fatha. The Arabs say: "I warned by such and such" when I informed of it, and I took precautions against it, and I prepared for it. It has been narrated that His saying, glorified and exalted is He: ﴿And let those of understanding take heed﴾ was revealed concerning Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. The explanation of Surah Ibrahim, peace be upon him, has ended, and all praise is due to Allah in abundance. May Allah send blessings upon our master Muhammad, the one sent as a bearer of good news and a warner, and upon his family and companions, and grant them peace.