Tafsir Al-Jalalayn: Ghafir, Ayah 85
فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنفَعُهُمْ إِيمَٰنُهُمْ لَمَّا رَأَوْا۟ بَأْسَنَا ۖ سُنَّتَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِى قَدْ خَلَتْ فِى عِبَادِهِۦ ۖ وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ ٱلْكَٰفِرُونَ
But never did their faith benefit them once they saw Our punishment. [It is] the established way of Allah which has preceded among His servants. And the disbelievers thereupon lost [all].
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(But their faith could not avail them when they saw Our doom) which came to destroy them, for faith upon the advent of Allah's punishment is of no value; but it is also said that such faith avails the person who declares it, just as repentance in such a moment benefits. (This is Allah's law) this is Allah's wont (which hath ever taken course for his bondsmen) that He sends His punishment upon them whenever they disbelieve, and rejects faith and repentance upon the advent of His punishment. (And then the disbelievers) in Allah (will be ruined) when the punishment visits them'.
Al-Jalalayn Commentary
But their faith was of no benefit to them when they saw Our doom — This is God’s way sunnata’Llāhi is in the accusative because it functions as a verbal noun from an implicit verb of the same expression with the believers among all communities which is that faith is of no benefit to them once the chastisement has been sent down which has its precdent; and it is thence that the disbelievers will be losers — it is thence that their status as losers will become apparent to all of mankind even though they will have always been losers before that.