The tormented will cry out to those graced, “Were we not with you?” They will reply, “Yes ˹you were˺. But you chose to be tempted ˹by hypocrisy˺, ˹eagerly˺ awaited ˹our demise˺, doubted ˹the truth˺, and were deluded by false hopes until Allah’s decree ˹of your death˺ came to pass. And ˹so˺ the Chief Deceiver7 deceived you about Allah.
(Those without) will call out, "Were we not with you?" 5292 (The others) will reply, "True! but you led yourselves into temptation; you looked forward (to our ruin); you doubted ((Allah)´s Promise); and (your false) desires deceived you; until there issued the Command of Allah. And the Deceiver deceived you in respect of Allah. 5293
5292 The evil will now claim same right of kinship or association or proximity with the good in earthly life; but in fact they had been arrogant and had selfishly despised them before. The reply will be: (1) you yourselves chose temptation and evil; (2) when you had power in your earthly life, you hoped for ruin to the good, and perhaps plotted for it; (3) you were warned by prophets of Allah, but you doubted Allah's very existence and certainly His Mercy and Justice, and the Hereafter; (4) you followed your own lusts and neglected Reason and Truth; (5) you were given plenty of rope, but you followed your mad career, until Judgement came upon you, and now it is too late for repentance.
5293 The Arch-Deceiver (Satan) deceived you in respect of Allah in many ways: for example, he made you oblivious of Allah's Mercy and loving-kindness; he made you reject His Grace; he made you think that Allah's Justice may not overtake you; etc.
They [who will remain without] will call out to those [within], “Were we not with you?” - [to which] the others will answer: “So it was! But you allowed yourselves to succumb to temptation, 16 and you were hesitant [in your faith], 17 and you were doubtful [of resurrection]; and your wishful thinking beguiled you until God’s command came to pass: 18 for, [indeed, your own] deceptive thoughts about God deluded you 19
16 Sc., "by the prospect of worldly gains" or "by fear for your personal safety" - both of which characterize the half-hearted as well as the hypocrites.
17 Thus Ibn Zayd (quoted by Tabari), explaining the verb tarabbastum.
18 I.e., "until your death".
19 See note 30 on the last sentence of 31:33.
7 Satan.