64:5 At-Taghaabun (Mutual Disillusion)

لما ذكر تعالى من أوصافه الكاملة العظيمة، ما به يعرف ويعبد، ويبذل الجهد في مرضاته، وتجتنب مساخطه، أخبر بما فعل بالأمم السابقين، والقرون الماضين، الذين لم تزل أنباؤهم يتحدث بها المتأخرون، ويخبر بها الصادقون، وأنهم حين جاءتهم الرسل بالحق، كذبوهم وعاندوهم، فأذاقهم الله وبال أمرهم في الدنيا، وأخزاهم فيها، { وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ } في [الدار] الآخرة، ولهذا

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن الأمم الماضين وما حل بهم من العذاب والنكال في مخالفة الرسل والتكذيب بالحق فقال تعالى "ألم يأتكم نبأ الذين كفروا من قبل" أي خبرهم وما كان من أمرهم "فذاقوا وبال أمرهم" أي وخيم تكذيبهم ورديء أفعالهم وهو ما حل بهم في الدنيا من العقوبة والخزي "ولهم عذاب أليم" أي في الدار الآخرة مضاف إلى هذا الدنيوي.

A Warning delivered through mentioning the End of the Disbelieving Nations

Informing about the past nations and the torment and disciplinary lessons that they suffered because of opposing the Messengers and denying the truth. Allah says;

أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَؤُاْ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِن قَبْلُ

(Has not the news reached you of those who disbelieved aforetime) meaning, information about them and what happened to them,

فَذَاقُواْ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِمْ

(And so they tasted the evil result of their disbelief.) They tasted the evil consequences of their denial and sinful actions. And it refers to the punishment and humiliation they received in the life of the world,

وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(and theirs will be a painful torment.) in the Hereafter, added to the torment they received in this life. Allah explained why;

ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(That was because there came to them their Messengers with Bayyinat,) supporting arguments, evidence, and clear proofs,

فَقَالُواْ أَبَشَرٌ يَهْدُونَنَا

(but they said:"Shall mere men guide us") They discounted and dismissed the possibility that the Message would be sent to a human and that their guidance would come by the hands of a man like themselves,

فَكَفَرُواْ وَتَوَلَّواْ

(So they disbelieved and turned away.) they denied the truth and turned away from abiding by it,

وَّاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ

(But Allah was not in need.) of them,

وَاللَّهُ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ

(And Allah is not need, Worthy of all praise.)

Has there not come to you O disbelievers of Mecca the tidings the story of those who disbelieved before and thus tasted the evil consequences of their conduct? they tasted the punishment for disbelief in this world. And there will be for them in the Hereafter a painful chastisement?

وَصَوَّرَ‌كُمْ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَ‌كُمْ (…and shaped your figures, and made your figures good…64:3). Shaping the figures of the creatures is one of the exclusive attributes of Allah, that is why Al-Musawwiru [ the shaper ] is one of His attributive names. If we analyze or look carefully into the universe, there are several classes of things. Each class has several species and each species has several sexes. Each sex has billions of members. No single shape ever resembles another shape. Among humankind, for instance, on account of difference of country or territory or difference of stock and nations, there is clear distinction in the shapes and faces of individuals. The face and shape of each individual is so amazingly unique and that it baffles the human imagination. The human face is no more than six to seven square inches, and there are uncountable faces of the same type, and yet one face does not look exactly like the other one so that distinguishing one from the other would be difficult. The present verse mentions figure-making as one of the Divine blessings and immediately thereafter it goes on to say فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَ‌كُمْ (and made your figures good). In the entire universe, Allah made the human shape the most beautiful. No matter how ugly a man or an individual might seem in his community, he is still beautiful in his own right, relative to the shapes of all other non-human creatures.