40:21 Ghafir (The Forgiver)

يقول تعالى: { أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ } أي: بقلوبهم وأبدانهم سير نظر واعتبار، وتفكر في الآثار، { فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ } من المكذبين، فسيجدونها شر العواقب، عاقبة الهلاك والدمار والخزي والفضيحة، وقد كانوا أشد قوة من هؤلاء في الْعَدَد والْعُدَد وكبر الأجسام. { و } أشد { آثارا في الأرض } من البناء والغرس، وقوة الآثار تدل على قوة المؤثر فيها وعلى تمنعه بها. { فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ } بعقوبته بذنوبهم حين أصروا واستمروا عليها.

يقول تعالى "أو لم يسيروا" هؤلاء المكذبون برسالتك يا محمد "في الأرض فينظروا كيف كان عاقبة الذين كانوا من قبلهم" أي من الأمم المكذبة بالأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام ما حل بهم من العذاب والنكال مع أنهم كانوا أشد من هؤلاء قوة "وآثارا في الأرض" أي أثروا في الأرض من البنايات والمعالم والديارات ما لا يقدر هؤلاء عليه كما قال عز وجل "ولقد مكناهم فيما إن مكناكم فيه" وقال تعالى "وأثاروا الأرض وعمروها أكثر مما عمروها" أي مع هذه القوة العظيمة والبأس الشديد أخذهم الله بذنوبهم وهي كفرهم برسلهم "وما كان لهم من الله من واق" أي وما دفع عنهم عذاب الله أحد ولا رده عنهم راد ولا وقاهم واق ثم ذكر علة أخذه إياهم وذنوبهم التي ارتكبوها واجترموها.

The Severe Punishment for the Disbelievers

أَوَلَمْ يَسيرُواْ

(Have they not traveled), `these people who disbelieve in your Message, O Muhammad,'

فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ كَانُواْ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

(in the land and seen what was the end of those who were before them) means, the nations of the past who disbelieved in their Prophets (peace be upon them), for which the punishment came upon them even though they were stronger than Quraysh.

وَءَاثَاراً فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(and in the traces in the land.) means, they left behind traces in the earth, such as structures, buildings and dwellings which these people i.e., the Quraysh cannot match. This is like the Ayat:

وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَـهُمْ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّـكُمْ فِيهِ

(And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you!) (46:26)

وَأَثَارُواْ الاٌّرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَآ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا

(and they tilled the earth and populated it in greater numbers than these have done) (30:9). Yet despite this great strength, Allah punished them for their sin, which was their disbelief in their Messengers.

وَمَا كَانَ لَهُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ مِن وَاقٍ

(And none had they to protect them from Allah.) means, they had no one who could protect them or ward off the punishment from them. Then Allah mentions the reason why He punished them, and the sins which they committed. Allah says:

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear evidences) meaning with clear proof and definitive evidence.

فَكَفَرُواْ

(but they disbelieved.) means, despite all these signs, they disbelieved and rejected the Message.

فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ

(So Allah seized them.) means, He destroyed them utterly, and a similar fate awaits the disbelievers.

إِنَّهُ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(Verily, He is All-Strong, Severe in punishment) means, He is possessed of great strength and might.

شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ

(Severe in punishment, ) means, His punishment is severe and agonizing; we seek refuge with Allah, may He be blessed and exalted, from that.

Have they not travelled in the land and beheld the nature of the consequence for those who were before them? They were more powerful than them a variant reading has minkum ‘than yourselves’ in strength and in their vestiges on earth in the way of large structures and palaces. Yet God seized them He destroyed them for their sins and they had none to shield them from God from His chastisement.

In verse 19, it was said: يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الْأَعْيُنِ (He knows the treachery of the eyes), in other words, eyes that betray the trust. It means the action of a person who would, secretly and surreptitiously, cast a glance over something haram and impermissible for him or her, for example, casts a glance at a non-mahram person with sexual desire, and takes it away in the event someone was around, or casts a glance in a manner that is not noticed by others. All these things are open before Allah Ta’ ala.