Medina recited the three forms ara’aytakum, ara’aytum, and ara’ayta with the second hamzah softened, while al-Kisa’i recited them with it omitted. Ibn Abbas said: Say, O Muhammad, to these polytheists: “Have you considered: if Allah’s punishment were to come upon you before death, or if the Hour—that is, the Resurrection—were to overtake you, would you call upon anyone other than Allah to avert the punishment from you, if you are truthful?” What is meant is that, in times of dire necessity, the disbelievers call upon Allah, as Allah has related of them: “When waves loom over them like clouds, they call upon Allah, devoting their faith sincerely to Him.” (Luqman, 32)

Then He says: “Rather, it is Him alone that you call upon,” meaning, you call upon Allah and not upon anyone else. “Then, if He wills, He removes that for which you call upon Him.” He made the response contingent upon His will—and all matters are subject to His will—(1) “and you forget,” that is, you abandon, “those whom you associate with Him.”

“We sent messengers to communities before you, then We afflicted them with adversity,” that is, hardship and hunger, “and hardship,” namely illness and chronic infirmity, “so that they might humble themselves,” meaning, repent and submit. Humble entreaty is to ask in a state of abasement.

“Then why did they not humble themselves when Our punishment came to them?” That is, why did they not believe, so that it would be lifted from them? 118\a Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informs us that He sent messengers to a people whose hearts had reached such hardness that, although they were afflicted with hardship in themselves and their wealth, they neither submitted nor humbled themselves. This is the meaning of His saying: “But their hearts became hardened, and Satan made what they were doing—disbelief and sins—seem fair to them.”

“So when they forgot what they had been reminded of, We opened for them the gates of every good thing, until, just as they rejoiced in what they had been given, We seized them suddenly, and they were left in despair. (44)”