In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
When Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm down from every corner, when the true promise draws close (to its fulfillment), staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers, (and they will exclaim:) “Oh, woe to us! Of this we were indeed heedless. We have assuredly done wrong.”
You and all that you were wont to worship instead of God are but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for.
If those (objects of your worship) had truly been divine, they would not have been destined for it. But there all shall abide. There they will be groaning with anguish, and bereft of hearing.
But those for whom (the decree of) ultimate good has already gone forth from Us will be kept far away from that hell, hearing none of its hissing sound. They will abide in all that their souls have ever desired.
The Supreme Terror will cause them no grief, since the angels will receive them with the greeting, “This is your Day which you were promised.”
On that Day We shall roll up the heavens like a scroll of parchment. As We brought into being the first creation, so We shall bring it forth anew. That is a promise We willed upon Ourselves. We are indeed able to do all things.
(The Prophets: 21: 96-104)
This passage portrays a scene of the Day of Resurrection, starting with a sign that signals its approach. This sign is the opening of the gates for Gog and Magog: “When Gog and Magog are let loose and swarm down from every corner, when the true promise draws close (to its fulfillment), staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers, (and they will exclaim:) Oh, woe to us! Of this we were indeed heedless. We have assuredly done wrong.”
When we discussed the account given in Surah 18, the Cave, of Dhul-Qarnayn and its reference to Gog and Magog, we said that the true promise of the hereafter may have already drawn close to its fulfillment when the Tartars swarmed eastward to destroy states and empires. Indeed at the time of the Prophet himself, the Qur’an states clearly: “The Last Hour has drawn close.” (54: 1) Nevertheless, its drawing close does not specify a particular time when it will actually take place. To God, time is totally different from our own calculation of days, months and years.
What is intended here is to describe what happens on that day when it actually arrives, and to introduce it with a miniature scene of what is familiar to human beings. This is the scene of Gog and Magog being let loose, and their swarming down from every corner in a fast moving picture. The Qur’an often uses scenes that are familiar to man and elevates these to draw scenes of the hereafter.
The scene portrayed here stresses the element of surprise that takes the onlookers: Thus, “staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers.” They shall not wink because of the great horror that has taken them by surprise. The text uses inversion here to bring forward the actual stirring in order to give more emphasis.
The surah does not go on describing their condition. Instead, it shows them speaking to give more life to the scene: “Oh, woe to us! Of this we were indeed heedless. We have assuredly done wrong.” This is the cry of one in utter distress after having been taken by a horrifying surprise. He is in total loss, his eyes are stirring and he invokes a curse upon himself, acknowledging his past errors, and repents when repentance is no longer of any use.
When this confession is made as a result of the surprise, the final verdict is announced. It cannot be changed: “You and all that you were wont to worship instead of God are but the fuel of hell: that is what you are destined for.”
The style employed here shows them as if they are now facing the ultimate reckoning, being taken to hell together with their worshipped idols. They are practically thrown in it mercilessly, as though they are small pebbles and hell is being stoned with them. At this moment, they are shown the falsity of their claims that these were deities. The proof is seen in that very scene: “If those (objects of your worship) had truly been divine, they would not have been destined for it.” This is a logical proof taken out of the scene they are shown in this life as though it is part of what takes place in the hereafter.
The surah then goes on showing them actually in hell, describing their abode and conditions there. They are in a state that deprives them of their receptive faculties: “But there all shall abide. There they will be groaning with anguish, and bereft of hearing.”
We leave these people alone to find the believers spared all this hardship, because they have been promised a goodly life in the hereafter. They are saved from all that: “But those for whom (the decree of) ultimate good has already gone forth from Us will be kept far away from that hell, hearing none of its hissing sound. They will abide in all that their souls have ever desired.”
The phrase, “its hissing sound”, or its one word equivalent in Arabic used here, haseesaha, belongs to a number of Qur’anic terms with sounds that impart a feeling of their meaning. It describes the sound of the fire as it rages and burns, making an extremely frightening sound. Hence, those given the promise of a good destiny are spared even the hearing of that sound, let alone suffering it. They are saved from the terror that leaves the unbelievers in a state of utter loss. Instead they enjoy whatever they desire, in complete security and bliss. They are warmly received by the angels, who give them comforting company, when the general atmosphere is one of horror: “The Supreme Terror will cause them no grief, since the angels will receive them with the greeting, ‘This is your Day which you were promised’.”
The scene is drawn to its close, now showing the ultimate state of the universe, contributing to the great terror that overwhelms all hearts and creatures on a very hard day: “On that Day We shall roll up the heavens like a scroll of parchment.” Thus, the heavens are folded up since all matters have been settled, the reckoning is over, and the universe known to man has no more functions. A new world is born in a new universe: “As We brought into being the first creation, so We shall bring it forth anew. That is a promise We willed upon Ourselves. We are indeed able to do all things.” There are numerous reports about what happened to Job, some of which are clearly exaggerated. Some reports suggest that he suffered an illness that made people turn away from him, unable to look at him. So he was left outside the city. We have no reliable evidence to support that.
It is indeed contrary to what a messenger of God is like. What Qur’anic texts suggest is that he suffered hardship within himself and in his family. That is more than enough as a test for anyone. (Author’s note)