Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-Muddathir -> What will take place in the Discussion between the People of Paradise and the People of the Hellfire

Allah informs that,

﴿كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ ﴾

(Every person is a pledge for what he has earned,) meaning, bound to his deed on the Day of Judgement. Ibn `Abbas and others have said this.

﴿إِلاَّ أَصْحَـبَ الْيَمِينِ ﴾

(Except those on the Right.) For verily, they will be

﴿فِى جَنَّـتٍ يَتَسَآءَلُونَ - عَنِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴾

(In Gardens they will ask one another, about criminals (and they will say to them)) meaning, while they are in lofty rooms they will ask the criminals, who will be in the lowest levels (of Hell), saying to them,

﴿مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِى سَقَرَ - قَالُواْ لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ - وَلَمْ نَكُ نُطْعِمُ الْمِسْكِينَ ﴾

("What has caused you to enter Hell'' They will say: "We were not of those who used to offer the Salah, nor did we feed the poor.'') meaning, `we did not worship Allah, nor did we do good to His creatures of our own species (i.e., other people).'

﴿وَكُنَّا نَخُوضُ مَعَ الُخَآئِضِينَ ﴾

(And we used to speak falsehood with vain speakers.) meaning, `we used to speak about what we had no knowledge of.' Qatadah said, "It means that every time someone went astray we would go astray with them.''

﴿وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ - حَتَّى أَتَـنَا الْيَقِينُ ﴾

(And we used to deny the Day of Recompense, until the certainty (Al-Yaqin) came to us.) meaning, death. This is as Allah says,

﴿وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ ﴾

(And worship your Lord until there comes unto you the certainty.) (15:99) The Messenger of Allah said,

«أَمَّا هُوَ يعني عثمان بن مظعون فَقَدْ جَاءَهُ الْيَقِينُ مِنْ رَبِّه»

(Concerning him verily, Al-Yaqin (death) came to him from his Lord.)'' Allah then says,

﴿فَمَا تَنفَعُهُمْ شَفَـعَةُ الشَّـفِعِينَ ﴾

(So no intercession of intercessors will be of any use to them.) meaning, whoever has these characteristics, then the intercession of whoever tries to intercede for him will be of no benefit on the Day of Judgement. This is because intercession is only useful if the conditions for it are met. However, whoever comes before Allah as a disbeliever on the Day of Judgement, then he will get the Hellfire and there is no way of avoiding it. He will abide in it (Hell) forever.