The reading of the general public is with a فتح (opening) of the شين (shīn). And from al-Hasan, it is شَقُوا (shaqqū) with a ضم (dhamma), just as سُعِدُوا (suʿidū) is read. الزفير (zafīr): the expulsion of breath. والشهيق (al-shahīq): its return. Al-Shamaḵ said:

'Far is the distance of the تَطْرِيب (taṭrīb) of his first sound... It is a زَفِير (zafīr) and follows it a شَهِيق (shahīq) مُحَشْرَج (muḥashraj).'

[Al-Shamaḵ describes a wild donkey. And المدى (al-madā): the distance and the goal. And التطريب (taṭrīb): the repetition of sound and its elongation. And الزفير (zafīr): the expulsion of breath with intensity. And المحشرج (muḥashraj) is a passive participle: the sound that he repeats in his throat and chest.]

As long as the heavens and the earth exist, there are two aspects. One of them is that it refers to the heavens and the earth of the Hereafter, which are everlasting and created for eternity. The evidence for the existence of heavens and earth in the Hereafter is Allah's saying: "On the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth, and the heavens as well" and His saying: "And We will inherit the earth; we will settle in Paradise wherever we wish." This is because the people of the Hereafter must have something that provides them shade: either a sky created by Allah, or they will be shaded by the Throne. Everything that provides shade is a sky. The second aspect is that it is a phrase indicating support and negation of interruption, like the saying of the Arabs: "as long as the mountains stand" and "as long as the stars shine" and other words of permanence. If you ask: What is the meaning of the exception? I say: It is an exception from eternity in the punishment of the Fire and from eternity in the bliss of Paradise. This is because the people of the Fire will not remain in the punishment of the Fire alone, but they will be punished by extreme cold and various forms of punishment besides the punishment of the Fire, and by that which is harsher than all of it, which is Allah's wrath upon them, His expulsion of them, and His humiliation of them. Similarly, the people of Paradise have something greater than Paradise and more significant in their sight, which is the pleasure of Allah, as He said: "Allah has promised the believing men and women gardens beneath which rivers flow, abiding therein forever, and goodly dwellings in Gardens of Eternity, and the pleasure of Allah is greater." They also have what Allah bestows upon them beyond the reward of Paradise, the essence of which only He knows, and this is what is meant by the exception. The evidence for this is His saying: "A gift that is not cut off." The meaning of His saying in contrast: "Indeed, your Lord is All-Effective for what He wills" is that He does with the people of the Fire what He wills of punishment, just as He gives the people of Paradise His gift that has no interruption. Reflect on this, for the Qur'an explains some of itself. Do not let the words of the compellers deceive you. The intended meaning of the exception is the exit of the people of major sins from the Fire through intercession, for the second exception calls out to their denial and records their slander. What do you think of a people who discarded the Book of Allah when some of the rebels narrated to them? It has been reported from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As: "There will come a day when the doors of Hell will be flung open and there will be no one in it." This hadith was narrated by al-Bazzar. He said: Muhammad ibn Bashar narrated to us; Abu Dawood narrated to us; Shubah narrated from Abu Balj from Amr ibn Maymun from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: "There will come a time when there is no one in the Fire, meaning from the monotheists." Thus, it is in it, and its narrators are trustworthy. The interpretation, I do not know from whom it is, is more appropriate than the interpretation of the compiler, and it is supported by what Ibn Adi narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, raised: "There will come a day when the doors of Hell will be flung open, and there will be no one from the Ummah of Muhammad in it." There is also a narration from Abu Umamah that is raised: "There will come a day when there will be no one from the children of Adam in Hell, the doors of which will be flung open, meaning from the monotheists." As for the hadith narrated by al-Harith ibn Abu Umamah in his Musnad from the path of al-Hasan from Amr, raised: "Hell will be empty until the wild mustard grows in it," it is disconnected. The reports of al-Hasan among them are weak because he used to take from everyone. If it is preserved, it is on the first interpretation, and Allah knows best. I have been informed that among the misguidance is that some were deceived by this hadith, believing that the disbelievers will not remain in the Fire. This and similar beliefs, may Allah protect us, are from clear misguidance. May Allah increase us in guidance to the truth and knowledge of His Book, and alert us to understand it. And if this is correct from Ibn al-As, its meaning is that they will be taken from the heat of the Fire to the cold of the extreme cold, and that is the emptiness of Hell and the flinging open of its doors. I say:

What was there for Ibn Amr in his two swords, and his fighting with them against Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, that would distract him from conveying this narration.