His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "On the Day they see the angels, there will be no glad tidings that Day for the criminals, and they will say, 'A barrier, forbidden.'" "And We have come to what they did of deeds, so We made it scattered dust." "The companions of Paradise that Day are in a better position and a finer place to rest." "And the Day the heaven will be split open with clouds, and the angels will be descended in a descent." "The dominion that Day is for the Most Merciful, and it will be a Day of difficulty upon the disbelievers."

The meaning in this verse is that when the disbelievers said: "If only the angels were sent down to us" [Al-Furqan: 21], it is indeed the Day of Resurrection. The beginning of the verse could imply the day their souls depart, but the end of it necessitates that it refers to the Day of Resurrection. The matter of the actions in these circumstances is clear when contemplated, so we have summarized it for that reason. The meaning of the verse is: Those who wished for the descent of the angels do not know what Allah, glorified and exalted is He, has decreed in that matter. For indeed, the Day they see the angels is evil for them, and there is no glad tidings for them; rather, they will face loss and encounter what they dislike. And on that Day, there will be no good or glad tidings, because the circumstances will be a revelation of the sources. The pronoun in His saying: "And they will say" is said by Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Al-Dahhak, and Mujahid to refer to "the angels." The meaning is: The angels will say to the criminals: "A barrier, forbidden to you is the glad tidings," meaning: it is forbidden and prohibited. And from this is the saying of Jarir ibn Abd al-Masih: "The tall palm tree longed for me, and I said to it: 'A barrier, forbidden, do not be that way.'" And Mujahid also said, and Ibn Jurayj: The pronoun in His saying: "And they will say" refers to the disbelieving criminals. Ibn Jurayj said: The Arabs, when they disliked something, would say: "A barrier." Mujahid said: "A barrier" means: a refuge, they seek refuge with the angels.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: It is possible that the meaning is: "And they will say: 'It is forbidden to us to be pardoned.'" And Abu Ubaidah mentioned that these two words are a refuge among the Arabs, said by one who fears another in the sacred place or in a sacred month when he encounters him and there is a dispute between them.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: And this meaning is the aim of the verse of the seeker that has preceded, meaning: this which it longed for is prohibited.

And Al-Hasan and Abu Rajaa read: "A barrier" with a dammed 'hā', and the people read it with a broken 'hā'. Then Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informed about what His decree and action will be, saying in reference to the Day of Resurrection: "And We have come," meaning: Our judgment and execution have approached, and this is among the suitable expressions. It is said: It is the coming of the angels, ascribed to Him because it is by His command. The term "We have come" is appropriate because the one who approaches something disliked does not confirm it nor does a changer of it command it. As for the saying of the poet: "And the misguided Khawarij came to the servants of our Lord and said: 'Indeed, your blood is lawful for us.'" Then the coming is at its door.

And the meaning of the verse is: We have directed them towards their deeds, which in reality weigh nothing; for there is no intention with them. So We have made them as they deserve, not counted as anything, and We have rendered them scattered dust, meaning: something that has no attainment. And the dust is the small particles that are common in the air, which cannot be perceived by the senses except when the sun shines into a narrow place surrounded by shadow, like a window and the like. Then, at that time, things appear in what faces the sun, vanishing and reappearing. That is the dust. And its description in this verse is 'scattered,' while its description in other contexts is 'dispersed.' One group said: They are the same, and another group said: The dispersed is finer and more delicate than the scattered; for the scattered implies that something else has scattered it, like the manes of horses and the winds or the demolition of a wall and similar things. And the dispersed is as if it has spread out from its fineness. Others said: The scattered dust is what the winds blow and spread. It has been narrated from him that he said: The dust is the flowing water. The first is more correct, and the Arabs say: The gusts of dust and the like when they spread it. The poet said:

So you see behind it from the return and the occurrence a dust as if it were scattered.

And the meaning of this verse is: We have made their deeds without judgment or status.

Then Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informed that the abode of the people of Paradise is better than the abode of the people of Hellfire. And 'better' here is for the preference between two things that have no partnership between them. Al-Zajjaj and others said: Since they both share that this is an abode and that is an abode, He preferred the singular abode.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

It appears to me that these words have a generality, and their ruling is directed from various aspects, like your saying: more beloved, better, good, and evil. It is permissible to bring them between two things that have no partnership between them. So you say: Happiness in this world is more beloved to me than misery, meaning: there may exist in some way someone who prefers misery, like the devout worshipper and the angry one, and likewise in other contexts. So if 'more' is in the meaning of between that one of the two things has no share in it in any way, then the report of preference by it is invalid, like your saying: Water is colder than fire. And from this is that you say about a ruby and a piece of clay - and you point to the clay -: This one is better, more beautiful, more beloved, and superior to this one. And if you said: This one is brighter and more radiant than this one, it would be invalid.

And His saying: 'a resting place,' Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, and Al-Nakha'i and Ibn Jurayj went to the view that the reckoning of creation is completed at the time of the elevation of the day, and the resting place of the people of Paradise is in Paradise, and the people of Hellfire in Hell. So the resting place is from the word 'qailah.'

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

It is possible that the term merely implies the preference of Paradise in general and the goodness of its air. The Arabs prefer lands based on the goodness of the resting place; for the time of midday rest shows the corruption of the air of the land. So if a land is good at the time of the corruption of the air, the preference is valid. And from that is the saying of Al-Aswad ibn Ya'fur the Iyadi:

A land that he chose for the goodness of its resting place, Ka'b ibn Mamata and the son of Um D'uad.

And His saying, the Most High: "And on the Day it will split apart," means on the Day of Resurrection at the splitting of the sky and the descent of the angels and the occurrence of the recompense with the reality of the reckoning. Ibn Kathir, Nafi', and Ibn Amer read: "It will split apart" with a strong emphasis on the sheen and the qaf. The others read with a light sheen. And His saying: "with the clouds," means that it will be split apart from it. The cloud is a thin, beautiful white cloud that mankind has not seen except for what came in the shading of the Children of Israel. The majority of the reciters read: "And the angels were sent down in descent" with the noon pronounced and the broken zay emphasized, and the word "the angels" is raised as a passive object whose doer is not mentioned. Abu Amr in the narration of Abdul Wahhab read: "And the angels were sent down" with a light zay. Abu al-Fath said: This is not well-known; because "was sent down" does not take a direct object, so it is constructed here for the angels. Its meaning is similar to: "The man was made sick and went mad," for it is only said: "May Allah make him sick and mad." This is a matter of hearing, not analogy. Abu Rajaa read: "And the angels were sent down" with an open noon and a strong zay. Al-Amash read: "And the angels were sent down," and likewise Ibn Mas'ud read. Ubayy ibn Ka'b read: "And the angels descended." Ibn Kathir alone read: "And We send down the angels" with two noons, which is the reading of the people of Mecca, and it was narrated from Abu Amr. Harun read from Abu Amr: "And the angels were sent down" attributing the action to them. A group read: "And the angels descend." Ubayy ibn Ka'b also read: "And the angels descended."

It is established that true sovereignty on that Day is for the Most Merciful; for on that Day all sovereignty will cease. It is difficult for the disbelievers, directed by their entry into the Fire upon them on that Day, and what is in the midst of that from the fears. And His saying: "upon the disbelievers" is evidence that that Day is easy for the believers. It was narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "Indeed, Allah, the Most High, will make the Day of Resurrection easy for the believer until it is lighter than a prescribed prayer they performed in this world."