Tafseer of The Forgiver · Ghafir · 40:47
And [mention] when they will argue within the Fire, and the weak will say to those who had been arrogant, "Indeed, we were [only] your followers, so will you relieve us of a share of the Fire?"
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the statement of the Exalted: وَإِذْ يَتَحَاجُّونَ فِي النَّارِ فَيَقُولُ الضُّعَفَاءُ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُغْنُونَ عَنَّا نَصِيبًا مِنَ النَّارِ (And when they dispute with one another in the Fire, the weak will say to those who were arrogant: "We were indeed your followers; can you now avert from us a portion of the Fire?") (40:47).
The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: وَأَنْذِرْهُمْ يَوْمَ الآزِفَةِ إِذِ الْقُلُوبُ لَدَى الْحَنَاجِرِ كَاظِمِينَ (And warn them of the Approaching Day, when the hearts reach up to the throats, choked with suppressed grief); وَإِذْ يَتَحَاجُّونَ فِي النَّارِ (And when they dispute with one another in the Fire) means: and when they argue with one another in the Fire. And what is meant by it is: when, in the Fire, those whom the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was commanded to warn among the polytheists (mushrikīn) of his people dispute with one another; then the weak among them — and they are those who were followers in ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) — say إِنَّا كُنَّا لَكُمْ تَبَعًا (We were indeed your followers), thus they say to their leaders whom they followed in error: in the worldly life we were your followers in disbelief in Allah. فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ مُغْنُونَ (can you avert) — today — عَنَّا نَصِيبًا مِنَ النَّارِ (from us a portion of the Fire), by which they mean a share, so that you may lighten it for us; for we hastened in love of you in the worldly life, and we came from your direction; had it not been for you, we would have been believers in the worldly life, and then this calamity would not befall us today.
The word "tabaʿ" (follower) may be singular and plural according to the statement of some of the grammarians of Basra, and according to the statement of some of the grammarians of Kufa it is a plural without a singular, because it resembles a verbal noun (maṣdar). He said: and if you wish, the singular is "tābiʿ", so that it is like "khāʾil" and "khawal", and "ghāʾib" and "ghayb".
