O you who believe! Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded (6)(It will be said in the Hereafter) O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do (7)O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance! It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow – the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their light will run forward before them and in their right hands. They will say: "Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things. (8)
Teaching One's Family the Religion and Good Behavior
Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn 'Abbas;
قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا
(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell))
He said, "Work in the obedience of Allah, avoid disobedience of Allah and order your families to remember Allah, then Allah will save you from the Fire." Mujahid also commented on:
قُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا
(Protect yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell)) saying, "Have Taqwa of Allah and order your family to have Taqwa of Him." Qatadah said, "He commands obedience to Allah, to not disobey Allah, he orders his family to obey His orders and helps them to act upon His orders. When one sees disobedience, he stops them and forbids them from doing it." Similar was said by Ad-Dahhak and Muqatil; "It is an obligation for the Muslim to teach his near family members, and his male and female slaves what Allah has made obligatory for them and what Allah has forbidden for them."
There is a Hadith that confirms the meaning of this Ayah. Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ar-Rabi' bin Sabrah said that his father said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
مُرُوا الصَّبِيَّ بِالصَّلَاةِ إِذَا بَلَغَ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ، فَإِذَا بَلَغَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ فَاضْرِبُوهُ عَلَيْهَا
(Order the children to pray when they reach the age of seven and when they reach the age of ten, discipline them for (not performing) it.) This is the narration that Abu Dawud collected; At-Tirmidhi said, "This Hadith is Hasan."
Fuel for Hell and a Description of its Angels
Allah said,
وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ
(whose fuel is men and stones,) indicating that the Children of Adam will be fuel for the Fire that will feed it,
وَالْحِجَارَةُ
(and stones) in reference to the idols that were worshipped, just as Allah said in another Ayah,
إِنَّكُمْ وَمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ حَصَبُ جَهَنَّمَ
(Certainly you and that which you are worshipping now besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell!)(21:98)
Abdullah bin Mas'ud, Mujahid, Abu Ja'far Al-Baqir and As-Suddi said that these are sulfur stones that are more putrid than rotten corpses, according to Mujahid. Allah's statement,
عَلَيْهَا مَلَائِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ
(over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe,) means, their nature of behavior is stern, because the mercy has been taken out of their hearts for those who disbelieve in Allah,
شِدَادٌ
(severe) meaning, their structure is powerful, strong and frightening,
لَا يَعْصُونَ اللَّهَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
(who disobey not the commands they receive from Allah, but do that which they are commanded.) meaning, whatever Allah commands them, they rush to obey Him, without delay for even a twinkling of an eye. They are able to fulfill the command; they are called Az-Zabaniyah, meaning, the keepers and guards of Hell, may Allah give us shelter from them.
No Excuse will be accepted from the Disbeliever on the Day of Resurrection
Allah said,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا الْيَوْمَ ۖ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
(O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day! You are being requited only for what you used to do.) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, the disbeliever will be told, "Do not offer any excuse this Day, because it will not be accepted from you; you will only be recompensed for what you used to do. Today, you will receive the punishment for your actions."
Encouraging sincere Repentance
Allah the Exalted said,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا تُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا
(O you who believe! Turn to Allah with sincere repentance!) meaning, a true, firm repentance that erases the evil sins that preceded it and mend the shortcoming of the repenting person, encouraging and directing him to quit the evil that he used to do. Allah said,
عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيُدْخِلَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ
(It may be that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into Gardens under which rivers flow) And when Allah says, "it may be," it means He shall.
يَوْمَ لَا يُخْزِي اللَّهُ النَّبِيَّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ
(the Day that Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believe with him) meaning, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not disgrace those who believed in the Prophet ﷺ,
نُورُهُمْ يَسْعَىٰ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَبِأَيْمَانِهِمْ
(Their light will run forward before them and in their right hands.) as we explained in Surat Al-Hadid,
يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَتْمِمْ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(They will say:"Our Lord! Keep perfect our light for us and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.")
Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri and other said, "This is the statement that the believers will say on the Day of Resurrection, when they witness the light of the hypocrites being extinguished."
Imam Ahmad recorded that a man from the tribe of Banu Kinanah said, "I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during the year of the Conquest (of Makkah), and heard him say,
اللّٰهُمَّ لَا تُخْزِنِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
(O Allah! Please, do not disgrace me on the Day of Resurrection.)"
