Surah Hā Mīm al-Sajdah (Prostration)

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

[Surah Fussilat (41): verse 16]
“So We sent against them a furious wind through days of misfortune, to make them taste the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world. But the punishment of the Hereafter is even more disgraceful, and they will not be helped.” (16)

There is no doubt that the days on which Allah, glorified be He, inflicted punishment upon His enemies and the enemies of His messengers were days of misfortune for them, because misfortune befell them during those days. Yet they were days of good for His believing allies. Thus, they brought misfortune to those who denied the truth and good fortune to the believers.

The same is true of the Day of Resurrection: it will be difficult for the disbelievers, a day of misfortune for them, but easy for the believers, a day of good fortune for them.

Mujāhid said, “‘Days of misfortune’ means calamitous days.” Al-Dahhāk said, “It means severe”—that is, severely cold, so that the cold itself was a torment to them.

Abū Alī said, “Al-Asmaī cited the following verse as evidence that nahs can mean cold:

As though choice wine had been exposed to cold,
Its chill sending limpid water down the throat.”

Ibn Abbās said, “‘Days of misfortune’ means successive days.” The same applies to His saying: 54:19 “Indeed, We sent against them a furious wind on a day of unrelenting misfortune.”