nor will they be protected from the punishment. The answer to the conditional statement, “If only those who disbelieve knew,” is omitted; its meaning is: Had they known, they would not have persisted in their disbelief, sought to hasten it, or said, “When will this promise come?”
“Rather, it will come upon them suddenly and bewilder them, and they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved. (40) Messengers before you were certainly mocked, but those who ridiculed them were besieged by that which they used to ridicule. (41) Say, ‘Who can protect you by night or day from the Most Merciful?’ Yet they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord. (42) Or do they have gods besides Us who can protect them? They cannot even help themselves, nor can they be granted protection from Us. (43) Rather, We gave these people and their fathers enjoyment until their lives grew long. Do they not see that We come to the land, reducing it from its borders? Are they then the victors? (44)”
“Rather, it will come upon them,” meaning the Hour, “suddenly,” that is, unexpectedly, “and bewilder them,” meaning, leave them confused. It is said of a man, “He is bewildered,” meaning, confused. “And they will not be able to repel it, nor will they be reprieved,” that is, granted respite.
“Messengers before you were certainly mocked, but those who ridiculed them were besieged”—that is, overtaken—“by that which they used to ridicule,” meaning, the recompense for their mockery.
“Say, ‘Who can protect you?’” meaning, guard you, “by night or day from the Most Merciful,” if He were to send His punishment upon you. Ibn Abbas said: Who can prevent the punishment of the Most Merciful from reaching you? “Yet they turn away from the remembrance of their Lord,” that is, from the Quran and Allah’s admonitions.
“Or do they have”—here, the particle “or” is supplementary, as it is in similar cases—“gods besides Us who can protect them?” The wording involves an inversion; its intended sense is: Or do they have gods besides Us who can protect them? He then describes those gods as weak, saying, “They cannot even help themselves,” meaning, they cannot protect themselves; so how could they help those who worship them? “Nor can they be granted protection from Us.” Ibn Abbas said: They cannot be prevented. Atiyyah said: They cannot be given refuge from Him. The Arabs say, “I am your protector and defender against so-and-so,” meaning, one who grants protection against him. Mujahid said: They cannot be helped. Qatadah said: Nor do they receive any good from Allah.
“Rather, We gave these people,” meaning the disbelievers, “and their fathers enjoyment” in this world—that is, We granted them respite. It was also said: We bestowed blessings upon them—“until their lives grew long,” meaning, time was prolonged for them, and so they were deceived.
“Do they not see that We come to the land, reducing it from its borders?” This refers to what We diminish from the domains of the polytheists and increase—