His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿But they have denied the Hour, and We have prepared for whoever denies the Hour a Blaze﴾ ﴿When it sees them from a distant place, they will hear it roaring and raging﴾ ﴿And when they are thrown into it from a narrow place, chained together, they will call there for destruction﴾ ﴿Do not call today for one destruction, but call for many destructions﴾

The meaning: It does not matter in their denying you and walking in the markets. Rather, they are disbelievers who do not understand the truth. So His saying: "But" is a rejection of the previous wording, not of its meaning, according to what is required by "but" in its well-known meaning. "And We have prepared": We have made ready. The preparation is what is made ready from things, and "the Blaze": a layer of the layers of Hell.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿When it sees them﴾ means: Hell; as the wording of "the Blaze" necessitates it. The wording of "it sees them" can be understood literally, and it can be understood metaphorically as meaning: it has become aware of them to the extent that the observer sees from afar. However, there has come a narration that necessitates the literal meaning of this, mentioned by al-Tabari, which is that the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Whoever lies about me intentionally, let him take his seat in the Fire between the eyes of Hell." It was said: O Messenger of Allah, does Hell have eyes? He said: "Read if you wish: ﴿When it sees them from a distant place﴾." It has been narrated in some reports that the distance from which they are seen is a journey of a year, and it has been narrated that it is a journey of five hundred years.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿They will hear it roaring and raging﴾ is a wording that is figurative, as roaring cannot be heard. Rather, what is heard are words indicating roaring, and they are undoubtedly the sounds of the flames in the Fire, like what is heard in the Fire of this world. The relationship of this sound that is heard in this world to that is like the relationship of burning to burning, and it is seventy degrees, as has been reported in the authentic narration. And "the raging": a prolonged sound like the sound of a donkey when it brays. Al-Naqqash said: "The raging is the sound of the donkey at its braying." And Ubaid ibn Umayr said: "Indeed, Hell will roar a roar from which no angel or prophet will remain except that he will fall down, trembling."

And "the narrow place" in it is a destination for constricting them in the place in the Fire, and that is a type of punishment. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Indeed, they will be forced in the Fire as the peg is forced into the wall," meaning: they will enter with reluctance and violence. And Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "It constricts them as the sheath constricts the spear." And Ibn Kathir and Ubaid read from Abu Amr: "narrow" with the lightening of the 'ya', while the others emphasize it.

And the meaning of "chained together" is that some of them are tied to others, and it has been narrated that this is with chains of fire. And the two companions of the bulls are what are tied with a rope for plowing. From this is the saying of the poet:

If the rope of the two companions continues to twist, Then surely one day a force will break it.

Abu Shaybah al-Muhri, the companion of Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, read: "Muqarranun" with a waw, and this is an unusual reading. The accepted reading is that of the people. His saying: "Thuburan" is a source, and it is not the one being called upon. The object of "Da'aw" is omitted, its estimation being: they called upon one who does not respond to them, and similar estimations.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

It is correct that Thubur is the one being called upon, just as Al-Hasrah and Al-Wail are called upon. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: It is Al-Wail. And Al-Dhahhak said: It is destruction. From this is the saying of Ibn al-Zib'ari:

If I compete with the devil in the ways of the world, and whoever tilts, his tilt is doomed.

And His saying: "Do not call upon" to the end of the verse means: It is said to them in the sense of reproach and informing them that they will remain: Do not limit yourselves to one sorrow, but rather grieve a lot; for you are worthy of that.