Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Az-Zumar -> The fact that the Messenger of Allah and Quraysh will die, and how They will dispute before Allah

Allah's saying;

﴿إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ ﴾

(Verily, you will die, and verily, they (too) will die.) This is one of the Ayat which Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, quoted when the Messenger of Allah died, so that the people would realize that he had really died. Another Ayah which he quoted was:

﴿وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ أَفإِيْن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَـبِكُمْ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئاً وَسَيَجْزِى اللَّهُ الشَّـكِرِينَ ﴾

(Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.)(3:144). The meaning of this Ayah is that you will certainly depart this world and be gathered before Allah in the Hereafter. You will dispute the issues of Tawhid and Shirk before Allah, things over which you disputed in this world, and He will judge between you with truth, and He is the Judge, the All-Knowing. So, He will save the sincere believers who worship Him alone, and He will punish the disbelievers who deny His Oneness and associate others in worship with Him. Although this Ayah speaks about the believers and disbelievers, and how they will dispute in the Hereafter, it also includes all disputants in this world, for their disputes will come back to them in the Hereafter. Ibn Abi Hatim, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded that Ibn Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "When the Ayah

﴿ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴾

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) was revealed, Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `O Messenger of Allah, will we repeat our disputes' He said,

«نَعَم»

(Yes.) He (Az-Zubayr) said, `This is a very serious matter.''' Ahmad recorded from Az-Zubayr bin Al-`Awwam, may Allah be pleased with him, that when this Surah was revealed to the Messenger of Allah :

﴿إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَّيِّتُونَ - ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴾

(Verily, you will die, and verily, they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "O Messenger of Allah, will the sins that we committed against others in this world be repeated for us'' He said,

«نَعَمْ، لَيُكَرَّرَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ حَتْى يُؤَدَّى إِلَى كُلِّ ذِي حَقَ حَقُّه»

(Yes, they will be repeated until everyone who is entitled will have his rights restored to him. ) Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "By Allah, it is a very serious matter.'' It was also recorded by At-Tirmidhi, who said "Hasan Sahih.'' `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

﴿ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴾

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.) means, the truthful one will dispute with the liar, the oppressed will dispute with the oppressor, the one who is guided will dispute with the one who is misguided and the weak will dispute with the arrogant. Ibn Mandah recorded in Kitab Ar-Ruh that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The people will dispute on the Day of Resurrection, to the extent that the soul will dispute with the body. The soul will say to the body, `You did such and such,' and the body will say to the soul, `You told me to do it and you tempted me.' Then Allah will send an angel to judge between them, and he will say, `You two are like a man who cannot walk but can see, and a man who cannot see but can walk.' They went into a garden and the one who could not walk said to the one who was blind, `I see fruit there, but I cannot reach it.' The blind man said, `Climb on me and get it.' So he climbed on him and got it. So which of them is the wrongdoer They will say, `Both of them.' The angel will say to them, `You have passed judgement against yourselves.' The body was a means of transportation for the soul.'' Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said that Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This Ayah was revealed and we did not know what it was revealed about:

﴿ثُمَّ إِنَّكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ عِندَ رَبِّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ ﴾

(Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord.)'' He said, "We said, what will we dispute about There is no dispute between us and the People of the Book, so what will we dispute about Until the Fitnah occurred.'' Then Ibn `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This is what our Lord promised us we would dispute about.'' This was recorded by An-Nasa'i.

﴿فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَبَ علَى اللَّهِ وَكَذَّبَ بِالصِّدْقِ إِذْ جَآءَهُ أَلَيْسَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْكَـفِرِينَ - وَالَّذِى جَآءَ بِالصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ أُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ - لَهُم مَّا يَشَآءُونَ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ ذَلِكَ جَزَآءُ الْمُحْسِنِينَ - لِيُكَـفِّرَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَسْوَأَ الَّذِى عَمِلُواْ وَيَجْزِيَهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ بِأَحْسَنِ الَّذِى كَـانُواْ يَعْمَلُونَ ﴾

(32. Then, who does more wrong than one who utters a lie against Allah, and denies the truth when it comes to him! Is there not in Hell an abode for the disbelievers) (33. And he who has brought the truth and (those who) believed therein, they are those who have Taqwa.) (34. They shall have all that they will desire with their Lord. That is the reward of the doers of good.) (35. So that Allah may expiate from them the evil of what they did and give them the reward, according to the best of what they used to do.)