Al-Qiyaama (The Resurrection)

24. And some faces, that Day, will be gloomy.

25. Aware that some excruciating torment is in store for them.

Attachment to mammon and neglecting the Hereafter shall entail gloominess of appearance on the Day of Resurrection. The disbelievers with their gloomy appearance shall stand before the believers with happy faces.

The Arabic participial form basira denotes “unripe, undue” and the nominal form busr is applied to unripe fruit and to gloominess of appearance, as a consequence of reaction against the angst against the torments in store for the disbelievers. Therefore, when they notice the tokens of torments and the records of their deeds imbued with sins and devoid of good righteous deeds, they entertain intense sorrow and frown at their unfavorable state.

The blessed Verse 25 says that they are aware that some excruciating torment is in store for them. The Arabic nominal form faqira denotes vertebrae or backbone, though it connotes any harsh incident that crushes the backbone.

The cognate form faqir (“poor, indigent”) is applied to one who is burdened to the extent that his back has been crushed. The expression reflects the harsh torments awaiting the disbelievers in Hell.

They await painful torments, whereas the aforesaid group await Divine Graciousness and meeting with the Beloved. One group awaits the most painful torments and the other look forward to receiving the best material and spiritual Bounties.