Will they ask or not?

Question

There's a confusion that the verses below......

And no friend will ask [anything of] a friend, they will be shown each other. The criminal will wish that he could be ransomed from the punishment of that Day by his children......No! Indeed, it is the Flame [of Hell], a remover of exteriors. It invites he who turned his back [on truth] and went away [from obedience] (70:10-17)

contradict......

They will say, "O woe to us! This is the Day of Recompense." [They will be told], "This is the Day of Judgement which you used to deny." [The angels will be ordered], "Gather those who committed wrong, their kinds, and what they used to worship other than Allah, and guide them to the path of Hellfire. And stop them; indeed, they are to be questioned." [They will be asked], "What is [wrong] with you? Why do you not help each other?" But they, that Day, are in surrender. And they will approach one another blaming each other. They will say, "Indeed, you used to come at us from the right." The oppressors will say, "Rather, you [yourselves] were not believers, And we had over you no authority, but you were a transgressing people. So the word of our Lord has come into effect upon us; indeed, we will taste [punishment]. And we led you to deviation; indeed, we were deviators." (37:20-33)

Other verses like 23:99-103, 31:33 and 80:33-42 are consistent with the first set of verses. The second set relates a conversation the disbelievers will have before entering Hellfire, asking questions from each other. I need help with this confusion.

There's another :

And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And if a heavily laden soul CALLS [another] to [carry some of] its load, nothing of it will be carried, even if he should be a close relative. You can only warn those who fear their Lord unseen and have established prayer. And whoever purifies himself only purifies himself for [the benefit of] his soul. And to Allah is the [final] destination. (35:18)

In this verse, the disbelievers will try to ask their near kinsmen for help. But those other verses are explicit that they won't be able to.

Answer 1

70:10 , 23:101 does not mean that no one will talk with one another. Rather it means that everyone will be preoccupied by concern for their own-selves and no one will care or ask about the fate of another nor have any sympathy for them, even though they were close in this life.

وقوله : ( ولا يسأل حميم حميما يبصرونهم ) أي : لا يسأل القريب عن حاله ، وهو يراه في أسوأ الأحوال ، فتشغله نفسه عن غيره

(And no friend will ask a friend, though they shall be made to see one another.) Meaning, no close friend will ask his close friend about his condition while he sees him in the worst of conditions. He will be worried about himself and will not be able to think of others.

^{— Tafsir Ibn Kathir}

This is consistent (not contradictory) with 37:27 as the people are only concerned about themselves and are blaming others for what has befallen themselves. Similarly in 35:18 they are distressed about their own affairs and asking for help, they are not showing pity or offering assistance to their friends or relatives.

Another response is that is the day of judgement has different periods and stages, and the people have different states in them. One verse is about their earlier state and the other is about the state in Hell.