وَلَا يَزَالُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِّنْهُ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَقِيمٍ
٥٥
الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلَّهِ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ ۚ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ
٥٦
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
٥٧
And those who disbelieved, will not cease to be in doubt about it until the Hour comes suddenly upon them, or there comes to them the torment of Yawm 'Aqim
(55)
The sovereignty on that Day will be that of Allah. He will judge between them. So those who believed and did righteous good deeds will be in Gardens of Delight
(56)
And those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat, for them will be a humiliating torment
(in Hell) (57)
The Disbelievers will remain in Doubt and Confusion
Allah tells us that the disbelievers will remain in doubt concerning this Qur'an. This was the view of Ibn Jurayj and was the view favored by Ibn Jarir.
حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً
(until the Hour comes suddenly upon them,) Mujahid said: "By surprise." Qatadah said:
(suddenly) means, the command of Allah will catch the people unaware. Allah never seizes a people except when they are intoxicated with pride, enjoying a life of luxury, and they think that the punishment will never come upon them, but Allah does not punish anyone except the evildoers.
أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَقِيمٍ
(or there comes to them the torment of Yawm 'Aqim.) Mujahid said, "Ubay bin Ka'b said: 'Yawm 'Aqim means the day of Badr.'" 'Ikrimah and Mujahid said: "Yawm 'Aqim means the Day of Resurrection, following which there will be no night." This was also the view of Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri. Allah says:
الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلَّهِ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ
(The sovereignty on that Day will be that of Allah. He will judge between them.) This is like the Ayat:
(The Only Owner of the Day of Recompense) (1:4)
الْمُلْكُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ ۚ وَكَانَ يَوْمًا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ عَسِيرًا
(The sovereignty on that Day will be the true (sovereignty), belonging to the Most Gracious (Allah), and it will be a hard Day for the disbelievers.) (25:26)
فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ
(So those who believed and did righteous good deeds) means, their hearts believed in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ, and they acted in accordance with what they knew; their words and deeds were in harmony.
(in Gardens of Delight.) means, they will enjoy eternal bliss which will never end or fade away.
وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا
(And those who disbelieved and denied Our Ayat,) means, their hearts rejected and denied the truth; they disbelieved in it and resisted the Messengers and were too proud to follow them.
فَأُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُّهِينٌ
(for them will be a humiliating torment.) means, in recompense for arrogantly turning away from the truth.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
(Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!) [40:60]
