Surah Sajdah (V: 19 – 20)
Sura As Sajdah (The Prostration)
With respect to the treatment which will be awarded to each group in the hereafter, verses 19 and 20 state:
أَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَلَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْمَأْوَىٰ نُزُلًا
بِمَاكَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
19. As for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, for them are Gardens (Paradise) as an entertainment, for what they used to do.
وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ فَسَقُوا فَمَأْوَاهُمُ النَّارُ ۖ كُلَّمَا أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا أُعِيدُوا فِيهَا وَقِيلَ لَهُمْ ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ النَّارِ الَّذِي
كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تُكَذِّبُونَ
20. And as for those who are Fasiqun(disbelievers and disobedient to Allah), their abode will be the Fire, every time they wish to get away therefrom, they will be put back thereto, and it will be said to them: “Taste you the torment of the Fire which you used to deny.”
Here, Allah explains why an unbeliever cannot be like the believer. On one hand, a believer has firm faith in Allah. He does good deeds, and is obedient to his Creator. On account of this, he becomes beloved to Allah and is treated with love, mercy and compassion. He continues to gain Allah’s blessings and kindness in this world, and in the hereafter, he achieves Paradise. This will be a hospitable gift and an entertainment for him (the believer), as an honor from Allah for having believed in Him and (having) done good actions.
On the other hand, a disbeliever denies Allah. He is disobedient to Him, and rejects His prophets. On account of this, he is disliked by Allah, and incurs upon himself the wrath, anger and punishment of Allah. He continues to gain the displeasure of Allah in this world; and in the hereafter, he is thrown into the blazing fire of Hell which shall be his permanent abode. His state in the fire would be in such a manner that his hands would be in shackles and his feet would be tied. The flames of the fire shall lift him to the top (of the fire), but the angels shall repress them and forcefully put them down. While being lifted to the top by the flames, he would hope to get out of the fire, but shall be returned to his place in Hell. This is what is meant by the verse, ‘every time they wish to get away therefrom, they will be put back thereto’.[1]
Having being suppressed in the fire, the keepers of Hell shall say to them, ‘Taste you the torment of the fire which you used to deny’. The angels shall rebuke them in this manner and shall remind them that the torment that they will receive is the same which they used to deny in the world and used to make a mockery of.
[1] Tafseer Al Qurtubi, Vol.14, Pg.98, Maktaba Rasheedya, Queta Pakistan / Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Vol.3, Pg.462, Amjad Academy, Lahore, Pakistan