Az-Zumar (The Groups)

60. And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah - their faces will be black. Is there not in Hell an abode for the vain?

Lying against Allah are of diverse kinds:

1. Associating other objects of worship with Him

2. Likening God Almighty to something

3. Regarding angels as God’s offspring

4. Attributing one’s vicious act to God Almighty

5. Pretending to be God or Divinely appointed Messenger

6. Making distortions and innovations in Divine Commands.

It is narrated in traditions that forging traditions and narrating them from the Infallible Imams (as) are on a par with lying against God Almighty, since the Infallible Imams narrate from the Noble Prophet (S) and the Prophet (S) imparts Divine Word.¹

Pursuant to the words of the lying polytheists and the arrogant on the Day of Resurrection regretting about their past vicious deeds and their request as to being returned to the world to compensate for their past deeds which is a futile and unacceptable request, the blessed Verses in question treat of the same question saying:

“And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah - their faces will be black.”

Although the meaning of

“lied against Allah”

is broad in its semantic range, but it is ad hoc applied to associating partners with God and claiming that angels, Jesus Christ (as), and the like are His offspring.

The word mustakbir indicates arrogant, but it is herein employed to refer to those who waxed arrogance against Divinely appointed messengers calling people to the Religion of Truth and their denial of them. The liars’ blackened face on the Day of Resurrection reveals their disgrace and humility.

It is well known that secrets will be manifest and man’s thought and deeds will be embodied on the Day of Resurrection. Those who have black hearts and their deeds were dark like their thought will be seen with dark and blackened faces on that Day.

In other words, what is concealed shall be manifest and faces shall reflect hearts as a consequence of which those with black hearts shall appear with blackened faces and those whose hearts are illuminating shall appear with bright faces on that Day.

It is mentioned elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an² :

“On the Day [of Resurrection] when some faces will become white and some faces will become black; as for those whose faces will become black [unto them will be said]: ‘Did you reject faith after accepting it? Then taste the torment [in Hell] for rejecting faith.’ And for those whose faces will become white, they will be in Allah’s Mercy, therein they shall dwell forever.”

According to a number of traditions narrated from the Shi’i Imams (as), lying against Allah will lead to blackness of face on the Day of Resurrection is broader in its semantic range as per which it includes false claims to the leadership of the Muslim community (umma).

In the same vein, in his I’tiqadat, Shaykh Saduq narrates from Imam Sadiq that upon being asked as to the interpretation of the blessed Verse in question, he replied:

“It refers to one who pretends to be the Imam.”

He was asked regarding such person whether he happens to be a descendant of ‘Ali and Fatima (as), to which he replied:

“Even if he happens to be of such descent.”3

It clearly bears testimony to the fact that false claim to Divine leadership and Imamate is an instance of lying against God. In the same vein, those who lie against the Noble Prophet (S) and the Infallible Imams will be on a par with those who lie against Allah.

Thus, it is reported in another tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as):

“Whoever transmits a tradition from us, we will ask him some day regarding its truth.

If he happens to be in the right and he is one of us, he has attributed a true word to God Almighty and His Messenger (S), but if he lied against us, he has lied against God and His Messenger (S), since when we report a tradition, we do not say such and such a person reported thus, but we say God or His Messenger (S) said it.

Then he recited the Verse:

‘And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied against Allah - their faces will be black.’”4

The tradition clearly bears testimony to the fact that the Shi’i Imams (as) transmitted nothing of their own, but all the sound traditions narrated on their authorities trace back to Prophetic traditions.

The fact in question is worthy of note for all Muslim scholars; therefore those who do not acknowledge their Imamate are supposed to acknowledge the veracity of their transmissions as Prophetic traditions.

In the same vein, another tradition is narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) in Kafi as per which:

“The tradition narrated by each of the Imams is another tradition and our tradition is that of the Messenger of God (S).”5

It is worthy of note that Qur’anic Verses clearly refer to the fact that disbelief mainly stems from vanity, as the Qur’anic Verse³ says:

“He refused and was arrogant and was one of the disbelievers.”

Thus, the arrogant may not dwell nowhere but in Hell.

According to a Prophetic tradition:

“There is an abode in Hell for the arrogant called Saqar which once complained to God Almighty about the unbearable heat and requested Him to take a breath. Upon obtaining the Permission, it took a breath and set Hell ablaze.7