His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿And whoever's scales are light, those are the ones who have lost their souls in Hell, abiding therein﴾ ﴿The Fire will scorch their faces, and they will therein be grim﴾ ﴿Did not My verses used to be recited to you, and you used to deny them?﴾ ﴿They will say, 'Our Lord, our misfortune overcame us, and we were a people astray.'﴾ ﴿Our Lord, remove us from it; and if we return, then indeed, we are wrongdoers.﴾ ﴿He will say, 'Remain despised in it, and do not speak to Me.'﴾

The plural of "scales" is from what is weighed, which are the deeds. The meaning of weighing is establishing proof against people based on what is tangible according to their customs and norms. The weighing of the disbeliever is in one of two ways: either his disbelief is placed in one scale, and he finds nothing to equal it in the other scale, or his good deeds, such as maintaining family ties and acts of kindness, are placed in the scale of good deeds, and then his disbelief is placed in the other scale, causing his deeds to be light.

And "the scorching of the Fire" refers to its impact with heat and burning. Abu Haywah read: "grim" without an alif. "Grim" means the exposure of the lips from the teeth. This occurs to a person during a struggle when angry, and it occurs to the heads in the Fire. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, likened what is in this verse to what happens to the heads of rams when they are roasted in the Fire, for they become grim. This also applies to the grimness of dogs and lions, and it is used metaphorically for time and events.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Did not My verses used to be recited to you﴾ has a preceding omitted phrase, which is: it will be said to them. And "the verses" here refer to the Qur'an. He informed that when they hear this statement, they will concede and acknowledge their own selves, and they will submit by saying: ﴿Our misfortune overcame us, and we were a people astray.﴾ The majority of people read: "our misfortune" with a kasra on the sheen without an alif, which is the reading of the two Sacred Mosques. Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: "our misfortune" with a fatha on the sheen and an alif after the qaf, which is the reading of Ibn Mas'ud. Asim allowed both readings, and both are derived from the root of "to be wretched." Then they progressed from acknowledgment to desire and supplication, as they humbled themselves; for acknowledging sin is an excuse and a disavowal. Thus, the response to their desire was according to what Allah, exalted is He, decreed of their punishment by His saying: ﴿Remain despised in it, and do not speak to Me.﴾ The phrase "and do not speak to Me" is in the form of prohibition, while they are unable to speak according to what has been narrated. This is an exaggeration in the prohibition, and it is said that when they hear this word, they despair.

Al-Tabari narrated a long hadith about a dialogue that occurs between the disbelievers and Malik, the keeper of the Fire, then between them and their Lord. The last part of it is this word: "Remain despised in it." He said: Hell will close upon them, and despair will fall upon them, and they will remain barking at one another.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: I have summarized that hadith due to its lack of authenticity, but its meaning is correct. May Allah protect us from His Fire by His grace.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Remain despised" is a rebuke, and it is used in the rebuke of dogs. This is similar to the Prophet's ﷺ saying to Ibn Sayyad: "Remain despised; you will not exceed your measure."