The gathering

[wildguest1956]

The quran makes it clear that there are 2 kinds of people among the disbeliveers the ordinary people, and the leaders. The leaders mislead the ordinary people, and the ordinary people let themselves be misled by the leaders. The leaders have created idols (like allat, manat, and al uzza) to consolidate their power over people.
But when they all be sent together in hell, they will disown each other.

This story is narrated several times in the quran.

And from among the people are some who take other than God as equals to Him, they love them as they love God; but those who believe love God more strongly; and when those who were wicked see the retribution, they will see that all power belongs to God, and that God is severe in retribution.
When those who were followed will disown those who followed them, and they will see the retribution, and all excuses have abandoned them.
And those who followed them said ?If we only could have a chance to disown them as they have disowned us.? It is such that God will show them their works which will be regretted by them; they will not leave the Fire.

Here, the leaders are called "those who were followed", and the ordinary people are called "those who followed them".

Say ?Our Lord will gather us together then He will judge between us with truth. He is the Judge, the Knowledgeable.?
Say ?Show me those whom you have set up as partners with Him! No; He is but God, the Noble, the Wise.?
And We have sent you to all people to be a bearer of good news, as well as a warner; but most people do not know.
And they Say ?When is this promise, if you are truthful??
Say ?You have an appointed day, which you cannot delay by one hour, nor advance.?
And those who rejected have said ?We will not believe in this Quran, nor in what is already with him.? And if you could but see these transgressors when they stand before their Lord, how they will accuse one another back and forth. Those who were weak will say to those who were mighty ?If it were not for you, we would have been believers!?
Those who were mighty will say to those who were weak ?Did we turn you away from the guidance after it had come to you? No, it was you who were criminal.?
And those who were weak will say to those who were mighty ?No, it was your scheming night and day, when you commanded us to reject God, and to set up equals to Him.? And they will be filled with regret, when they see the retribution. And We will place shackles around the necks of those who rejected. Are they not being requited for what they used to do?

Here, the leaders are called " Those who were mighty ", and the ordinary people are called "those who were weak".

And they appeared before God, all of them. And the weak ones said to those who were arrogant ?We were following you, so will you avail us anything from God?s retribution?? They said ?If God had guided us, then we would have guided you. It makes no difference if we cry out or are patient, for we have no refuge.?
And the devil said when the matter was complete ?God had promised you the promise of truth, and I promised you and broke my promise. And I had no power over you except that I invited you and you responded to me. So do not blame me, but blame yourselves; I cannot help you nor can you help me. I reject that you have set me as a partner before this; the wicked will have a painful retribution.?

Here, the leaders are called "to those who were arrogant ", and the ordinary people are the weak ones ".

And when they argue in Hell, the weak will say to those who were arrogant ?We used to be your followers, can you take from us any portion of the Fire??
Those who were arrogant will Say ?We are all in it together, for God has passed judgment upon the servants.?

Here, the leaders are called " the arrogant ", and the ordinary people are called "the weak".

And Hell was displayed for the wrongdoers.
And it was said to them ?Where is what you used to worship??
?Without God, can they help you or help themselves??
So they were thrown in it on their faces, them and the wrongdoers.
As well as all the soldiers of Iblis.
They said, while they were disputing therein
?By God, we were clearly misguided.?
?For we equated you with the Lord of the Worlds!?
?And none misled us except the criminals.?
?So we have none to intercede for us.?
?Nor a close friend.?
?If only we could have another chance, we would be among the believers.?

Here, the leaders are called "the criminals", and "the soldiers of Iblis" (because they have the same arrogant mindset as Iblis).

On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will Say ?Oh, we wish we had obeyed God, and obeyed the messenger?
And they will Say ?Our Lord, we have obeyed our leaders and our learned ones, but they misled us from the path.?

Here, the leaders are called "our leaders and our learned ones".

He said ?Enter with the multitude of nations before you from humans and Jinn to the Fire!? Every time a nation entered, it cursed its sister nation, until they are all gathered inside it; then the last of them says to the first ?Our Lord, these are the ones who have misguided us, so give them double the retribution of the Fire!? He replied ?Each will receive double, but you do not know.?

And on the Day when He gathers them all, He will say to the malaika ?Was it you that these people used to worship??
They will Say ?Be You glorified. You are our Lord, not them. No, most of them were worshiping the Jinn; most were believers to them.?
So today, none of you can help or harm one another. And We will say to the transgressors ?Taste the retribution of the Fire that you used to deny.?

Here, the leaders are called "the jinns". The malaika are (in this verse) the idols (Allat, Manat...) the jinn have invented. They are called "malaika" because people used to attribute powers to them.

And the Day when the enemies of God will be gathered to the Fire, forcibly.
And We assigned to them companions who adorned their present and past actions. Thus, the retribution has been deserved by them the same as previous nations of Jinn and humans; all of them were losers.

And on the Day when We gather them together with what they served besides God; then He will Say ?Did you misguide My servants here, or did they stray from the path??
They said ?Glory be to You, it was not for us to take besides You any allies; indeed You gave them and their fathers luxury until they forgot the remembrance, and they were a lost people.?
They have refuted what you claimed, so you will not find any excuse nor any victor. And whosoever has done wrong among you, We will let him taste a great retribution.

Say ?Do you see those that you call on besides God? Show me what they have created on the Earth, or do they have a share in the heavens? Bring me a scripture before this, or any trace of knowledge, if you are truthful.? And who is more astray than one who calls on others besides God that do not respond to him even till the Day of Resurrection? And they are totally unaware of the calls to them! And at the time when mankind is gathered, they will be enemies for them, and they will reject their worship.

Gather the transgressors, and their mates, and all they worshiped.
Beside God, and guide them to the path of Hell.
And let them stand and be questioned
?Why do you not support one another??
No, for today they have totally given up.
And some of them came to each other, questioning.
They said ?You used to entice us from the right side.?
They replied ?No, it was you who were not believers.?
?And we never had any power over you, but you were a wicked people.?
?So our Lord?s decree is now upon us, that we will suffer.?
?We misled you, because we were astray.?
Then, on that Day they will all share in the retribution.
This is how We deal with the criminals.
When it was said to them ?There is no god except God,? they would be arrogant.
And they would Say ?Shall we leave our gods because of a crazy poet??

And on the Day We gather them all, We will say to those who have set up partners ?Stop where you are, you and your partners,? then We separate between them, and their partners will Say ?It was not us that you served.?
?God is sufficient as a witness between us and you, we were unaware of you serving of us.?
It is then that every soul will know what it has done, and they are returned to God their true patron, and what they had invented has left them.

And on the Day when He calls upon them, saying ?Where are My partners whom you used to claim??
Those who have deserved the retribution will Say ?Our Lord, these are the ones we misled; we misled them only because we ourselves were misled. We seek to absolve ourselves to You, it was not us that they worshipped.?
And it will be said ?Call upon your partners,? but they will not respond to them. And they will see the retribution. If only they were guided!

And when those who set up partners saw the partners they made, they said ?Our Lord, these are our partners that we used to call upon besides You.? But they returned in answer to them ?You are liars!?
And they surrendered to God on that Day, and what they had invented abandoned them.

And he said ?You have taken idols besides God in order to preserve some friendship among you in this worldly life. But then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown one another, and curse one another. Your destiny is Hell, and you will have no victors.?

[wildguest1956]

The quran makes it clear that there are 2 kinds of people among the disbeliveers the ordinary people, and the leaders. The leaders mislead the ordinary people, and the ordinary people let themselves be misled by the leaders. The leaders have created idols (like allat, manat, and al uzza) to consolidate their power over people.

These idea is confirmed by the book NonZero, by Robert Wright

Chiefs actually didn't serve the public; they duped the public into serving them, and religion was part of the duping. As one archaeologist puts it, "Chiefs coopt the religious authority of the community for themselves."
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=10761.msg93521#msg93521

Peace