Page 146 - Communication and Argument in the Qur'an

144 COMMUNICATION AND ARGUMENT IN THE QUR’AN

How will it be when the angels take them in death,
beating their faces and their backs? The angels ask
those they take while they are wronging themselves:
“What were your circumstances?” They reply: “We
were oppressed on Earth.” They say: “Was Allah’s
Earth not wide enough for you to have migrated else-
where?” The shelter of such people will be Hell. What
an evil destination! Except for those men, women, and
children who really are oppressed and do not have any
other possibility and are not guided to any way. It may
well be that Allah will pardon them. Allah is Ever-
Pardoning, Ever-Forgiving. (Surat an-Nisa’: 97-99)
We can see that the unbelievers claim of weakness,
helplessness, and blamelessness at the hour of their death
will be of no avail. This will only increase their hopeless-
ness and draw them further into the fire of Hell. For this
reason, every individual in Hell is prepared to “sell” his or
her neighbor so that they will experience the same (and
even worse) misery.
... Each time a nation enters, it will curse its sister
nation, until, when they are all gathered together in it,
the last of them will say to the first: “Our Lord, those
are the ones who misguided us, so give them a double
punishment in the Fire.” He will say: “Each will receive
double. But you do not know it.” (Surat al-A‘raf: 38)
In Hell, these people will wish a double portion of mis-
ery and damnation for those “lords’” and “masters” who
led them astray. The mutual friendship and support they
pretended to have, as well as their common assaults