16:34 An-Nahl (The Bee)

فنزلت بهم عقوبة ذنوبهم التي عملوها، وأحاط بهم العذاب الذي كانوا يسخرون منه.

{ فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا عَمِلُوا ْ} أي: عقوبات أعمالهم وآثارها، { وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ ْ} أي: نزل { مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ْ} فإنهم كانوا إذا أخبرتهم رسلهم بالعذاب استهزأوا به، وسخروا ممن أخبر به فحل بهم ذلك الأمر الذي سخروا منه.

فلهذا أصابتهم عقوبة الله على ذلك "وحاق بهم" أي أحاط بهم من العذاب الأليم "ما كانوا به يستهزئون" أي يسخرون من الرسل إذا توعدوهم بعقاب الله فلهذا يقال لهم يوم القيامة "هذه النار التي كنتم بها تكذبون".

So that the evils of what they did smote them that is the requital of these evil things smote them and there besieged it was sent down against them that which they used to mock namely the chastisement.

Commentary

It will be recalled that, after describing the blessings of Allah and proving that He was unique in the creation of the universe, the text made a pointed reference to how the polytheists chose to stick to their own ways of error. In the present verses, the text describes how they, not content with their own straying, tried that others should also go astray like them. The punishment they would get for doing that has also been stated here. Earlier to that (24), there is a question about the Qur’ an, and the addressees of the question, at this place, are the polytheists. It is their haughty and ignorant answer which has been mentioned here along with a warning of consequences for this attitude. Then, after five verses (30), the same question has been addressed to believers who fear Allah which is followed by their answer, and where a promise of reward for it has been mentioned.

The Holy Qur'an does not explicitly say as to who asked the question. Therefore, commentators have expressed different views in this matter. Some say that the question was asked by disbelievers. Others say that it was asked by Muslims. Still others take one question to have been asked by the polytheists while the other by Muslims. But, the Holy Qur’ an has kept it ambiguous. This is to indicate that there is no need to are as to where the question came from. What has to be seen is the answer and, more importantly, its ultimate consequence - which, the Qur’ an has it-self chosen to describe.

The essence of the answer given by the polytheists is that they simply refused to acknowledge that there was any word of Allah really revealed from Him. In fact, they dismissed the Qur'an as nothing but tales of people from early ages. Thereupon, the Qur’ an admonished those unjust people for disinforming people about the Qur'an by telling them that it was nothing but the tales of the ancient whereby they make others too go astray like them. As for the consequences, these they shall have to face. It means that the total curse of their sins has to fall on them anyway on the Day of Judgment, but part of the curse of the evil consequences of their role in misguiding others will also fall on them. Then it was said that the burden of sins which these people are piling up on their shoulders is a terribly evil burden.