سُوْرَةُ الْاَحْقَافِ
Surah Al-Ahqaf (46) — Ayah 6
وَإِذَا حُشِرَ ٱلنَّاسُ كَانُوا۟ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُوا۟ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـٰفِرِينَ ﴿6﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when mankind are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they (false deities) will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
حُشِرَ
ḥushira
are gathered
ٱلنَّاسُ
l-nāsu
the people
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they will be
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
أَعْدَآءًۭ
aʿdāan
enemies
وَكَانُوا۟
wakānū
and they will be
بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ
biʿibādatihim
of their worship
كَـٰفِرِينَ
kāfirīna
deniers
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
6. And when the people are gathered together, they will become their enemies [7] and will deny their worship.
[7]
Here, by ﴿من دون الله﴾, idols are not meant, but rather deceased elders:
It is clearly understood from verse numbers 5 and 6 that lifeless deities are not meant here. Because only lifeless deities can be such that they have nothing to do with enmity and friendship, nor can they deny worship. Inevitably, only living deities can be meant here. Then, among the living, angels are out of the question, because they will not be gathered for judgment. Only jinn, prophets, saints, and the like remain, upon whom jealousy, enmity, and denial of worship can all apply. Then, even among such deities, there are two types. One is prophets and rightly guided saints; they will say to their worshippers: “Wretched ones! We ourselves spent our whole lives praying only to Allah and kept instructing you to do the same. Then how did you turn things upside down and start calling upon us?” The enmity of such people towards their worshippers is clearly evident. The second type are those deities who themselves wanted people to acknowledge divine powers in them and to call upon them. When such people see the terrifying scenes of the Day of Judgment and the outcome of shirk, they will outright deny and say, “When did we ever tell you to worship us?” And this will be extremely unpleasant for the worshippers. Thus, they too will become enemies of one another.
The Reality of the Hearing of the Dead:
Here, another issue arises: do the deceased hear the calls of the people of the world or not? This is commonly referred to as the issue of the hearing of the dead (sama‘-e-mawta). So, in this verse, there is a complete negation of this: that even until the Day of Judgment, they cannot hear the calls of the people of the world. However, from some verses, it is also understood that Allah can make whomever He wills hear. Also, from authentic hadiths, it is established that the greetings (salam) of the Ummah are conveyed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through angels. And it is also explicitly mentioned in the Quran that after death, the souls of the righteous are in ‘Illiyyin and the souls of the wicked are in Sijjin. And there, they cannot directly and without intermediary hear any voice from the people of the world, because that realm is also different.
Allah’s Principle Regarding Making the Deceased Hear:
Now, regarding making them hear, Allah’s principle is that only such news is conveyed to the righteous that increases their comfort, such as the greetings of the Ummah being conveyed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, or the prayers of righteous children being conveyed to their parents. No such news is conveyed to them that would cause them distress. And no comforting news is conveyed to the wicked; only such news is conveyed to them that becomes even more tormenting for them. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed the slain disbelievers thrown into the well at Badr as a form of rebuke and reprimand, and Allah conveyed that speech to them. And in response to the Companions’ inquiry, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied that they are not hearing any less than you. [مزيد تفصيل كے ليے ديكهئے ميري تصنيف روح، عذاب قبر اور سماع موتي]
[7]
Here, by ﴿من دون الله﴾, idols are not meant, but rather deceased elders:
It is clearly understood from verse numbers 5 and 6 that lifeless deities are not meant here. Because only lifeless deities can be such that they have nothing to do with enmity and friendship, nor can they deny worship. Inevitably, only living deities can be meant here. Then, among the living, angels are out of the question, because they will not be gathered for judgment. Only jinn, prophets, saints, and the like remain, upon whom jealousy, enmity, and denial of worship can all apply. Then, even among such deities, there are two types. One is prophets and rightly guided saints; they will say to their worshippers: “Wretched ones! We ourselves spent our whole lives praying only to Allah and kept instructing you to do the same. Then how did you turn things upside down and start calling upon us?” The enmity of such people towards their worshippers is clearly evident. The second type are those deities who themselves wanted people to acknowledge divine powers in them and to call upon them. When such people see the terrifying scenes of the Day of Judgment and the outcome of shirk, they will outright deny and say, “When did we ever tell you to worship us?” And this will be extremely unpleasant for the worshippers. Thus, they too will become enemies of one another.
The Reality of the Hearing of the Dead:
Here, another issue arises: do the deceased hear the calls of the people of the world or not? This is commonly referred to as the issue of the hearing of the dead (sama‘-e-mawta). So, in this verse, there is a complete negation of this: that even until the Day of Judgment, they cannot hear the calls of the people of the world. However, from some verses, it is also understood that Allah can make whomever He wills hear. Also, from authentic hadiths, it is established that the greetings (salam) of the Ummah are conveyed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ through angels. And it is also explicitly mentioned in the Quran that after death, the souls of the righteous are in ‘Illiyyin and the souls of the wicked are in Sijjin. And there, they cannot directly and without intermediary hear any voice from the people of the world, because that realm is also different.
Allah’s Principle Regarding Making the Deceased Hear:
Now, regarding making them hear, Allah’s principle is that only such news is conveyed to the righteous that increases their comfort, such as the greetings of the Ummah being conveyed to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, or the prayers of righteous children being conveyed to their parents. No such news is conveyed to them that would cause them distress. And no comforting news is conveyed to the wicked; only such news is conveyed to them that becomes even more tormenting for them. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ addressed the slain disbelievers thrown into the well at Badr as a form of rebuke and reprimand, and Allah conveyed that speech to them. And in response to the Companions’ inquiry, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied that they are not hearing any less than you. [مزيد تفصيل كے ليے ديكهئے ميري تصنيف روح، عذاب قبر اور سماع موتي]
