They [i.e., the hypocrites] will call to them [i.e., the believers], "Were we not with you?" They will say, "Yes, but you afflicted yourselves and awaited [misfortune for us] and doubted, and wishful thinking deluded you until there came the command of Allāh. And the Deceiver [i.e., Satan] deceived you concerning Allāh.
The Believers are awarded a Light on the Day of Resurrection, according to Their Good Deeds
Allah the Exalted states that the believers who spend in charity will come on the Day of Resurrection with their light preceding them in the area of the Gathering, according to the level of their good deeds. As reported from `Abdullah bin Mas`ud:
يَسْعَى نُورُهُم بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ
(their light running forward before them), he said, "They will pass over the Sirat according to their deeds. Some of them will have a light as large as a mountain, some as a date tree, some as big as a man in the standing position. The least among them has a light as big as his index finger, it is lit at times and extinguished at other times." Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Jarir collected this Hadith. Ad-Dahhak commented on the Ayah, "Everyone will be given a light on the Day of Resurrection. When they arrive at the Sirat, the light of the hypocrites will be extinguished. When the believers see this, they will be concerned that their light also will be extinguished, just as the light of the hypocrites was. This is when the believers will invoke Allah, `O our Lord! Perfect our light for us."' Allah's statement,
يَوْمَ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتُ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا انظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِن نُّورِكُمْ (...the Day when the hypocrite men and hypocrite women will say to those who believe, "Wait for us, so that we may have a share from your light...(57:13) The meaning is self-evident.
قِيلَ ارْجِعُوا وَرَاءَكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا (...it will be said [ to them ], "Go back to your rear, and search for light ....57:13) This reply will be given by either the believers, or by the angels. [ Ibn ` Abbas ؓ and Qatadah (رح) ]
فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُم بِسُورٍ لَّهُ بَابٌ بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَظَاهِرُهُ مِن قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ (...Then a wall will be placed between them, which will have a gate. In its inner side, there will be the Divine mercy, while towards its outer side, there will be the Divine punishment...57:13). Having received the reply from either the believers or the angels, the hypocrites will return to the place where the light was distributed. They will find nothing there, so they will attempt to go back to the believers but in the meantime a wall will be set up between the hypocrites and the believers. As a result, the hypocrites will be separated from the believers and will not be able to reach them. They will be left in complete darkness. On the side of the believers there will be Allah's mercy while on the side of the hypocrites there will be chastisement.
When the call of Islam is given, it is based on clear reasoning in its preliminary stages. The second stage is marked by victory in its immediate surroundings. In the first stage, only those who have the capacity to see the inherent greatness of a thing solely on the level of reasoning are courageous enough to make sacrifices for Islam. But when Islam has already been crowned by success, every individual is able to see its greatness and everybody feels proud of coming forward and offering his life and property for its sake. One who spends for the cause of Islam in the early stages has to do it without thought of reward, while in the latter stage, whatever a man spends is redoubled in this world itself, as a reward in various forms. That explains why, in the eyes of God, each group has a different status.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.
![Surah Al-Hadid 57:14 in Arabic with its translation: “They [i.e., the hypocrites] will call to them [i.e., the believers], "Were we not with you?" They will say,…”](/surah/al-hadid/14/image.jpg)