Protect yourselves by abandoning sins and performing good deeds, and your families by taking them with what you take yourselves. In the hadith, "May Allah have mercy on a man who said to his family: Your prayers, your fasting, your zakat, your needy, your orphans, your neighbors, perhaps Allah will gather them with him in Paradise." [[I did not find it.]] And it is said that the most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection are those who neglect their families. And it has been recited: 'and your families' [[Mahamud said regarding His saying: 'Protect yourselves and your families from the Fire': it has been recited 'and your families.' Ahmad said: but the conjunction is considered equal in estimation to the 'and,' and 'yourselves' follows after it, as if it were said: protect yourselves and your families. However, when the pronoun of the addressee and the absent are combined, the pronoun of the address takes precedence over the pronoun of the absent. Then he said: If you say, 'His saying: they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them and they do what they are commanded,' are not the two sentences of one meaning? He answered that the meaning of the first is that they adhere to the commands and do not come to them... etc." Ahmad said:

His first answer is based on his erroneous belief in the eternity of sinners in Hell, and perhaps he only posed the question to seek an answer that would relieve him of what he cannot conceal of this falsehood; we seek refuge with Allah from it. Otherwise, the question is not valid, for it does not prevent that a believer fears the punishment of a disbeliever from reaching him while he is a believer, as His saying in Al-Imran addresses the believers: 'And fear the Fire which has been prepared for the disbelievers, and obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may receive mercy.' [[This is an addition to the 'and' in 'Protect yourselves,' and the conjunction is good for the separation. If you say: Is it not the estimation: protect yourselves, and let your families protect themselves? I say: No, but the conjunction is considered equal in estimation to the 'and,' and 'yourselves' follows after it, as if it were said: protect yourselves and your families. When the addressee and the absent are combined, the pronoun of the address takes precedence over the pronoun of the absent, thus making both their pronouns in the wording of the addressee. The Fire is 'and its fuel is men and stones,' a type of fire that is ignited only by men and stones, just as other fires are ignited by wood. And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them: it is stones of sulfur, which are the hottest of things when ignited. And it has been recited: 'its fuel' with a dammah, meaning its fuel is upon it, overseeing its affairs and punishing its people are angels, meaning the nineteen guardians and their assistants, who are harsh and severe in their bodies, harshness and strength, meaning: roughness and power. Or in their actions, roughness and coarseness, they do not take pity on executing Allah's commands and His anger towards Him and taking revenge on His enemies in what He commanded them, in the accusative position as a substitute, meaning: they do not disobey what Allah commanded. That is, His command, as His saying: 'Did you disobey My command?' Or they do not disobey Him in what He commanded them. If you say: Are not the two sentences of one meaning? I say: No, for the meaning of the first is that they accept His commands and adhere to them and do not reject them or deny them. And the meaning of the second is that they perform what they are commanded without reluctance or delay. If you say: Allah addressed the polytheists who denied the revelation with this very thing in His saying: 'If you do not do it—and you will never do it—then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones,' and He said: 'It has been prepared for the disbelievers,' so what is the meaning of addressing the believers with it? I say: Although the ranks of sinners are above the ranks of disbelievers, they dwell with the disbelievers in one abode, so it was said to those who believed: Protect yourselves by avoiding sinfulness, living with the disbelievers for whom this described Fire has been prepared. And it is possible that He commands them to beware of apostasy and to regret entering Islam, and that it is an address to those who have believed with their tongues, who are the hypocrites. This is supported by His saying immediately after it: 'O you who have disbelieved, do not excuse yourselves today; you will only be recompensed for what you used to do,' meaning: it will be said to them that upon entering the Fire, do not excuse yourselves, for there is no excuse for you. Or because your excuse will not benefit you.