The Disbelievers' Refrain from Faith means that They were simply awaiting Punishment
Ayahs Covered
سُورَةُ النَّحۡلِ
An-Nahl (The Bee)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
2 ayahs
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Do the disbelievers await [anything] except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allah wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.
فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا عَمِلُوا۟ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
So they were struck by the evil consequences of what they did and were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
Common Words
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كانوا2x
ما2x
هل1x
ينظرون1x
إلا1x
أن1x
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أو1x
يأتى1x
أمر1x
ربك1x
كذلك1x
فعل1x
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من1x
قبلهم1x
وما1x
ظلمهم1x
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Other Scholars on These Ayahs
Do they the disbelievers await anything but that the angels should come to them read feminine person ta’tīhim or masculine ya’tīhim to seize their spirits or that there should come your Lord’s command...
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...
Ibn Kathir Commentary
Related Tafsir
The Disbelievers' Refrain from Faith means that They were simply awaiting Punishment
Threatening the idolators for their persistence in falsehood and their conceited delusions about this world, Allah says: Are these people waiting only for the angels to come and take their souls Qatadah said:
أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ
(Or there comes the command of your Lord) means the Day of Resurrection and the terror that they will go through."
كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ
(Thus did those before them.) means, thus did their predecessors and those who were like them among the idolators persist in their Shirk, until they tasted the wrath of Allah and experienced the punishment and torment that they suffered.
وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ
(And Allah did not wrong them.) because by sending His Messengers and revealing His Books He gave them enough warning and clearly demonstrated His proofs to them.
وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
(but they were wronging themselves.) meaning, by opposing the Messengers and denying what they brought. For this reason Allah's punishment tormented them.
وَحَاقَ بِهِم
(they were surrounded) meaning, they were overwhelmed by the painful torment.
مَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
(by that which they used to mock.) meaning, they used to make fun of the Messengers when they warned them Allah's punishment, and for this it will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection:
هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ
(This is the Fire which you used to belie.) (52:14).