And they will appear before Allah, and they will appear on the Day of Resurrection. And it has been brought in the past tense because what He, the Exalted and Mighty, has informed us of is true, as if it has already occurred and existed. An example of this is 'And the companions of Paradise called out' and 'And the companions of the Fire called out,' and similar instances. The meaning of their appearing before Allah—while nothing is hidden from Him, so they will appear before Him—is that they used to conceal themselves from the eyes when committing sins, thinking that this was hidden from Allah. So when the Day of Resurrection comes, they will be exposed before Allah in themselves and will know that nothing is hidden from Him. Or they will emerge from their graves and appear for Allah's reckoning and judgment. If you say: Why is 'ضعفؤا' written with a waw before the hamzah? I say: It is written in the form of one who emphasizes the alif before the hamzah, leaning it towards the waw. An example of this is 'علمؤا بني إسرائيل' and the weak ones.

The followers and the common people. And those who were arrogant: their leaders and elders, those who led them astray and turned their hearts away from listening to the prophets and their followers. They are followers: a plural of follower, like their saying: servant and servants, and absent and absence. Or those of followers. And the followers are those who follow. It is said: he followed him as a follower. If you say: what is the difference between 'from the punishment of Allah' and 'from something'? I say: the first is for clarification, and the second is for partitive meaning, as if it were said: are you able to relieve us of some of the punishment of Allah? And it may be that both are for partitive meaning, meaning: are you able to relieve us of some thing which is part of the punishment of Allah, that is, some part of the punishment of Allah? If you say: what is the meaning of His saying 'If Allah had guided us, we would have guided you'? I say: what the weak said to them was a reproach to them. The one who said this to them was reproaching them for their following and leading them astray. And their saying 'Are you able to relieve us' is in the form of reproach, because they knew they could not relieve them. So they answered them, excusing themselves for what they had done to them: that if Allah had guided them to faith, they would have guided them and not led them astray, either as those burdened with sin, meaning: they were accused of it. Or it could mean: if we were among those who receive kindness, then our Lord would have been kind to us and we would have been guided, we would have guided you to faith. It was said: it means if Allah had guided us to the path of salvation from punishment, we would have guided you, meaning: we would have relieved you and taken you along the path of salvation as we took you along the path of destruction. Whether we are distressed or patient, it is equal for us to be distressed or patient. The 'hamzah' and 'or' are for equality.

So be patient or do not be patient, it is the same for you. And it is narrated that they say: 'Come, let us despair,' and they despair for five hundred years, and it does not benefit them. Then they say: 'Come, let us be patient,' and they are patient likewise. Then they say: 'It is the same for us.' If you say: How is his saying 'it is the same for us' connected to what came before? I say: Its connection to it is that their reproach to them was due to their despair over what they were in. They said: 'It is the same for us whether we despair or are patient,' meaning themselves and each other, due to their gathering in the punishment of the misguidance in which they were united. They say: 'What is this despair and reproach, and there is no benefit in despair just as there is no benefit in patience, and the matter is more severe than that.' Or when they said: 'If Allah had guided us to the path of salvation, we would have been sufficient for you and saved you,' they followed it with despair from salvation, saying: 'What is there for us of escape?' meaning a means of refuge and escape, whether we despair or are patient. And it may be that it is from the words of both the weak and the arrogant together, as if it were said: 'They all said: It is the same for us,' like His saying: 'That is so that he may know that I did not betray him.' And 'escape' can be a source, like 'absence' and 'graying.' And it can refer to a place, like 'staying overnight' and 'spending the summer.' And it is said: 'He escaped from it' and 'he fled,' meaning one and the same.