His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So it is but one blast, and then they will look on." "And they will say, 'Oh woe to us! This is the Day of Judgment.'" "This is the Day of Separation, which you used to deny." "Gather those who wronged and their kinds and what they used to worship besides Allah. So guide them to the path of Hellfire." "And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned." "What is [the matter] with you that you do not help one another?" "But today they are in submission."

This is the beginning of a report that has been drawn from what preceded it. Allah, the Most High, informs that their resurrection from their graves is but one blast, which is the blowing of the resurrection in the trumpet. His saying: "They will look on" may mean: with their eyes, that is, they will see what they are in and the truth of what they used to deny. It may also mean: they are waiting for what will be done to them and what they will be commanded.

Then He informs about them that in that state they will say: "Oh woe to us!" They call out woe, meaning: this is the time of your presence and the moment of your arrival. Abu Hatim reported the pause here, and he made His saying: "This is the Day of Judgment" from the words of Allah or the angels to them. Others saw that the remainder of the verse is from the words of the disbelievers. And "the Day of Judgment" is the recompense and the return, as they say: "As you act, you will be acted upon." They all agree that His saying: "This is the Day of Separation" is not from the words of the disbelievers, but rather the meaning is: it will be said to them: this is the Day of Separation.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "And their kinds" means: their types and their companions, as said by Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, and Ibn Abbas, and Qatadah. From him is His saying: "And you were three kinds" [Al-Waqi'a: 7], and His saying: "And when the souls are paired" [At-Takwir: 7], meaning: they are categorized. It has been narrated that every form will be joined to its form at this matter, and every companion from the disbelievers to his companion, and with them what they used to worship besides Allah, whether from a human who was pleased with that or from an idol or a statue, as a rebuke to them and to show the bad state they are in. Al-Hasan said: the meaning is: and their wives who are polytheists among the women, and this has been narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, and Al-Rummani preferred it.

And His saying, exalted is He: "So stop them" means: correct them and lead them to the path of Hellfire. And "Hellfire" is a layer among the layers of Hell, it is said to be the fourth. Then He commands to stop them. The verb 'to stop' is transitive by itself; you say: "I stopped Zayd." His command regarding this is for the purpose of reproach towards them and questioning. The people have differed regarding the matter for which they will be questioned. It has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud that he said: They will be asked: Do they love drinking cold water? And this is in mockery of them. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: They will be asked about there being no deity but Allah. The majority of the interpreters said: about their deeds, and they will be confronted with their ugliness. This is a general statement regarding mockery and otherwise. Anas narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "Any man who calls another man to something that is obligatory for him," and he recited: "And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned." Ibn Mas'ud narrated from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, that he said: "A servant's feet will not move from before Allah, exalted is He, until he is asked about five: about his youth in what he spent it, about his age in what he consumed, about his wealth how he earned it and in what he spent it, and about what he did in what he knew." It is possible for me that the meaning is as he explained by his saying: "What is the matter with you that you do not help one another?" That is: you will be questioned about your refusal to help one another. Shaybah read with one 'taa', and Nafi' read with two 'taa's, and likewise in the reading of Abdullah. Abu Ja'far ibn al-Qaqa' read with the merging of the 'taa' into the 'taa' from the reading of Ibn Mas'ud. Al-Thalabi said: This is the response of Abu Jahl when he said at Badr: "We are all victorious." Then He informed, exalted is He, of their response on that day in a state of submission and surrender.