وَجِيءَ يَومَئِذٍ بِجَهَنَّمَ ۚ يَومَئِذٍ يَتَذَكَّرُ الإِنسانُ وَأَنّىٰ لَهُ الذِّكرىٰ

The day when hell is brought [near], on that day man will take admonition, but what will that admonition avail him?

EXPOSITION

The address in verses 15 and 16 of this surah was in the third person singular, wherefrom it changed to the second person singular in verses 17, 18, 19, and 20, in order to rebuke, chastise, and censure. Thereafter, in this and the following several verses, the mood of the tone changes again to the third person, as if desiring distance from the type of person described in this and the following verse.

Ṭabrisī explains the phrase the day when hell is brought [near] to mean that it will be made manifest so that people on the Day of Judgement could witness its magnitude and significance with their own eyes and so that those deserving punishment may be punished.^{‎[1]Tabrisi, 10/741.} Tabatabai also agrees with this explanation and notes several other verses of the Quran with the same import such as 79:34-36 and 26:91.^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/284.}

Jaʿfar Sharaf al-Dīn explains that the phrase but what will that admonition avail him? (wa annā lahu al-dhikrā) occurring in this verse is in place of la yantafiʿu bihā (he will not benefit from it), i.e. from the admonition.^{‎[3]Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/768.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. It is reported that when this verse was revealed the colour of the Prophet’s face changed and the change was manifest on his face such that ultimately it became unbearable for his companions to witness such a state in him. Alarmed, some of them hurried to Imam Ali (a) and informed him, saying: ‘O Ali, something serious has happened, the effects of which we have seen on the face of the Prophet of God!’ So Ali hurried over to the Prophet and embraced him, saying: ‘O Prophet of God, may my father and mother be your sacrifice, what happened today?’ The Prophet replied: ‘Gabriel came and recited this verse to me: The day when hell is brought [near], so I asked him: “How will it be brought forth?” And he replied: “70,000 angels shall lead and steer it by means of 70,000 bridles. A stray spark would break loose, which if left alone and not contained would incinerate everything.” Then I shall present myself to hell and it will say: “What do I have to do with you, O Muhammad, for God has forbidden me your flesh.” None will remain but that it will be worried for its own self, crying out “myself, myself” while Muhammad would be crying out: “My Lord! My community, my community.”’^{‎[4]Tabrisi, 10/741.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Again, just as the man in verse 15 was suggested to refer to a certain Ubayy ibn Khalaf or Umayyah ibn Khalaf, so the man mentioned in this verse is suggested in some commentaries to refer to him again,^{‎[5]Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 755; Tabrisi.J, 6/490.} yet as was suggested earlier these verses are an address to the entirety of mankind; therefore, here the word man is used in a generic sense rather than referring to a historical person, although such a historical person may have existed at one time.

[1] Tabrisi, 10/741.
[2] Mizan, 20/284.
[3] Taʾwīl al-Āyāt, 1/768.
[4] Tabrisi, 10/741.
[5] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 755; Tabrisi.J, 6/490.