Allah says,
[قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى
أَنشَأَكُمْ]
(Say it is He Who has created you,) meaning, He initiated your creation after
you were not even a thing worth mentioning (i.e., nothing). Then He says,
[وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ
الْسَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ وَالأَفْئِدَةَ]
(and endowed you with hearing and seeing, and hearts.) meaning, intellects
and powers of reasoning.
[قَلِيلاً مَّا
تَشْكُرُونَ]
(Little thanks you give.) meaning, how little you use these abilities that
Allah has blessed you with to obey Him, to act according to His commandments,
and avoid His prohibitions.
[قُلْ هُوَ الَّذِى
ذَرَأَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ]
(Say: "It is He Who has created you on the earth...'') meaning, He has spread
and distributed you all througout the various regions and areas of the earth
with your differing languages, colors, shapes, appearances and forms.
[وَإِلَيْهِ
تُحْشَرُونَ]
(and to Him shall you be gathered.) meaning, you all will come together after
this separation and division. He will gather you all just as He separated you
and He will bring you back again just as He originated you. Then while informing
of the disbelievers who reject the final return, and doubt concerning its real
occurrence, Allah said;
[وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَى
هَـذَا الْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ ]
(They say: "When will this promise come to pass if you are telling the
truth'') meaning, `when will this gathering after separation that you are
informing us of, occur'
[قُلْ إِنَّمَا
الْعِلْمُ عِندَ اللَّهِ]
(Say: "The knowledge is with Allah only...'') meaning, `no one knows the time
of the Day of Judgement exactly except Allah, but He has commanded me to inform
you that it is real and it will definitely occur, so beware of it.'
[وَإِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ
نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ]
(and I am only a plain warner.) meaning, `I am only obligated to convey, and
verily I have performed my duty (of conveying) towards you.' Then Allah says,
[فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ
زُلْفَةً سِيئَتْ وُجُوهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ]
(But when they will see it approaching, the faces of those who disbelieve
will be sad and grievous.) means, when the Day of Judgement begins, and the
disbelievers witness it, and they see that the matter has drawn close, because
everything that is to occur will occur, even if it takes a long time. So, when
what they denied occurs, it will grieve them because they will know what is
awaiting them there (in Hell) of the worst evil. This means that it will
surround them and Allah will command what they were not able to reckon or fully
comprehend to come to them.
[وَلَوْ أَنَّ
لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ لاَفْتَدَوْاْ
بِهِ مِن سُوءِ الْعَذَابِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ وَبَدَا لَهُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ مَا
لَمْ يَكُونُواْ يَحْتَسِبُونَ - وَبَدَا لَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَـسَبُواْ وَحَاقَ
بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ]
(and there will become apparent to them from Allah what they had not been
reckoning. And the evils of that which they earned will become apparent to them,
and that which they used to mock at will encircle them.) (39:47,48) This is why
it will be said to them in order to scold and repri- mand them,
[هَـذَا الَّذِى
كُنتُم بِهِ تَدَّعُونَ]
(This is what you were calling for!) meaning, that you were seeking to
hasten.
[قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ
إِنْ أَهْلَكَنِىَ اللَّهُ وَمَن مَّعِىَ أَوْ رَحِمَنَا فَمَن يُجِيرُ
الْكَـفِرِينَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ - قُلْ هُوَ الرَّحْمَـنُ ءَامَنَّا بِهِ
وَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ - قُلْ
أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَصْبَحَ مَآؤُكُمْ غَوْراً فَمَن يَأْتِيكُمْ بِمَآءٍ مَّعِينٍ
]
(28. Say: "Tell me! If Allah destroys me, and those with me, or He bestows
His mercy on us - who can save the disbelievers from a painful torment'') (29.
Say: "He is the Most Gracious, in Him we believe, and upon Him we rely. So, you
will come to know who it is that is in manifest error.'') (30. Say: "Tell me! If
(all) your water were to sink away, who then can supply you with flowing
water'')