7:38

قَالَ ٱدۡخُلُواْ فِيٓ أُمَمٖ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِن قَبۡلِكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ فِي ٱلنَّارِۖ كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتۡ أُمَّةٞ لَّعَنَتۡ أُخۡتَهَاۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا ٱدَّارَكُواْ فِيهَا جَمِيعٗا قَالَتۡ أُخۡرَىٰهُمۡ لِأُولَىٰهُمۡ رَبَّنَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَـَٔاتِهِمۡ عَذَابٗا ضِعۡفٗا مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِۖ قَالَ لِكُلّٖ ضِعۡفٞ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَعۡلَمُونَ

Qala odkhuloo fee omamin qad khalat min qablikum mina aljinni waalinsi fee alnnari kullama dakhalat ommatun laAAanat okhtaha hatta itha iddarakoo feeha jameeAAan qalat okhrahum lioolahum rabbana haolai adalloona faatihim AAathaban diAAfan mina alnnari qala likullin diAAfun walakin la taAAlamoona

[Allah] will say, "Enter among nations which had passed on before you of jinn and mankind into the Fire." Every time a nation enters, it will curse its sister until, when they have all overtaken one another therein, the last of them will say about the first of them "Our Lord, these had misled us, so give them a double punishment of the Fire. He will say, "For each is double, but you do not know."

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe (will) say
  2. ٱدۡخُلُواْEnter
  3. فِيٓamong
  4. أُمَمٖ(the) nations
  5. قَدۡ(who)
  6. خَلَتۡpassed away
  7. مِنfrom
  8. قَبۡلِكُمbefore you
  9. مِّنَof
  10. ٱلۡجِنِّthe jinn
  11. وَٱلۡإِنسِand the men
  12. فِيin
  13. ٱلنَّارِۖthe Fire
  14. كُلَّمَاEvery time
  15. دَخَلَتۡentered
  16. أُمَّةٞa nation
  17. لَّعَنَتۡit cursed
  18. أُخۡتَهَاۖits sister (nation)
  19. حَتَّىٰٓuntil
  20. إِذَاwhen
  21. ٱدَّارَكُواْthey had overtaken one another
  22. فِيهَاin it
  23. جَمِيعٗاall
  24. قَالَتۡ(will) say
  25. أُخۡرَىٰهُمۡ(the) last of them
  26. لِأُولَىٰهُمۡabout the first of them
  27. رَبَّنَاOur Lord
  28. هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِthese
  29. أَضَلُّونَاmisled us
  30. فَـَٔاتِهِمۡso give them
  31. عَذَابٗاpunishment
  32. ضِعۡفٗاdouble
  33. مِّنَof
  34. ٱلنَّارِۖthe Fire
  35. قَالَHe (will) say
  36. لِكُلّٖFor each
  37. ضِعۡفٞ(is) a double
  38. وَلَٰكِن[and] but
  39. لَّاnot
  40. تَعۡلَمُونَyou know
Al-A'raf · 7:38Makkah

The followers blame their leaders. Each gets double.

Blame does not lighten anyone's load


The argument
the later onesthe followers
blame
the earlier onesthe leaders
answer
for each, doubleyou do not know
Who carries it
they misled meso it is on them
each has a shareleader and follower

Each group that enters curses the one before it. The followers ask that their leaders get double, because these misled us. The answer is that each one has double, recompensed by their own deeds. The tafsir links it to verses where leaders and followers disown each other.

"Everyone in the office was doing it." "My friends pushed me." The blame feels like a shield. The verse says it lightens no one: the one who led and the one who followed both carry their part.

If someone else led me into it, it is mostly their fault.

Blaming the one who led me does not remove my own share.

Try this

Take ownership out loud of one thing you have been blaming on someone else.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

(Allah) will say: "Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and Jinn, into the Fire." Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before) until they are all together in the Fire. The last of them will say to the first of them: "Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire." He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not. (38)The first of them will say to the last of them: "You were not better than us, so taste the torment for what you used to earn. (39)

People of the Fire will dispute and curse Each Other

Allah mentioned what He will say to those who associate others with Him,invent lies about Him,and reject His Ayat,

ادْخُلُوا فِي أُمَمٍ

(Enter you in the company of nations), who are your likes and similar to you in conduct,

قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِكُم

(Who passed away before you) from the earlier disbelieving nations,

مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ فِي النَّارِ

(Of men and Jinn, into the Fire.) Allah said next,

كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا

(Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before))

Al-Khalil (Prophet Ibrahim), peace be upon him, said,

ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ 

("But on the Day of Resurrection, you shall deny each other)[29:25]. Also, Allah said,

إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الْأَسْبَابُ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوا لَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَتَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا تَبَرَّءُوا مِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ يُرِيهِمُ اللَّهُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ حَسَرَاتٍ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَا هُم بِخَارِجِينَ مِنَ النَّارِ

(When those who were followed declare themselves innocent of those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them. And those who followed will say: "If only we had one more chance to return (to the worldly life), we would declare ourselves as innocent from them as they have declared themselves as innocent from us." Thus Allah will show them their deeds as regrets for them. And they will never get out of the Fire)[2:166-167].

Allah's statement,

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا ادَّارَكُوا فِيهَا جَمِيعًا

(until they are all together in the Fire) means, they are all gathered in the Fire,

قَالَتْ أُخْرَاهُمْ لِأُولَاهُمْ

(The last of them will say to the first of them) that is, the nation of followers that enter last will say this to the first nations to enter. This is because the earlier nations were worse criminals than those who followed them, and this is why they entered the Fire first. For this reason, their followers will complain against them to Allah, because they were the ones who misguided them from the correct path, saying,

رَبَّنَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ أَضَلُّونَا فَآتِهِمْ عَذَابًا ضِعْفًا مِّنَ النَّارِ

("Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire.") multiply their share of the torment. Allah said in another instance,

يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا - وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا - رَبَّنَا آتِهِمْ ضِعْفَيْنِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ

(On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: "Oh! Would that we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger." And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (right) way. Our Lord! Give them a double torment.")[33:66-68]. Allah said in reply,

قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ

(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment)..."),

We did what you asked, and recompensed each according to their deeds.' Allah said in another Ayah,

الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَاهُمْ عَذَابًا

(Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment)[16:88]. Furthermore, Allah said,

وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ أَثْقَالَهُمْ وَأَثْقَالًا مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ

(And verily, they shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own)[29:13] and,

وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ الَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

(And also (some thing) of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge)[16:25].

وَقَالَتْ أُولَاهُمْ لِأُخْرَاهُمْ

(The first of them will say to the last of them) meaning, the followed will say to the followers,

فَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِن فَضْلٍ 

("You were not better than us...") meaning, you were led astray as we were led astray, according to As-Suddi.

فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ

("So taste the torment for what you used to earn.")

Allah again described the condition of the idolators during the gathering (of Resurrection), when He said;

قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَىٰ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُم بَلْ كُنتُم مُّجْرِمِينَ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَادًا وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

(And those who were arrogant will say to those who were deemed weak: "Did we keep you back from guidance after it come to you? Nay, but you were criminals." Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day, when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!" And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets, when they behold the torment. And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited aught except what they used to do?)[34:32-33]