(21–23) “Those who do not expect to meet Us say, ‘If only the angels were sent down to us, or we could see our Lord!’ They have indeed grown arrogant within themselves and exceeded all bounds in insolence. On the Day they see the angels, there will be no glad tidings that Day for the criminals, and they will cry, ‘May there be an inviolable barrier!’ Then We shall turn to whatever deeds they did and reduce them to scattered dust.”
That is, those who deny the Messenger and reject Allah’s promise and warning—whose hearts contain neither fear of the threatened punishment nor hope of meeting their Creator—say:
“If only the angels were sent down to us, or we could see our Lord!” That is, why do the angels not descend to testify that you are a messenger and support you, or descend as messengers in their own right? Or why do we not see our Lord so that He may speak to us and say, “This is My messenger, so follow him”? This is no valid objection to the Messenger at all; rather, it arises from arrogance, haughtiness, and insolence.
“They have indeed grown arrogant within themselves” by making such a demand and displaying such audacity. Who are you—poor and helpless as you are—to demand to see Allah and claim that the Messenger’s truthfulness cannot be established without it? What arrogance could be greater than this?
“And exceeded all bounds in insolence.” That is, they became exceedingly hard and unyielding toward the truth. Their hearts were harder than stone and more unyielding than iron: they would not soften toward the truth or listen to sincere counsel. Thus, no admonition or reminder benefited them, nor did they follow the truth when the warner came to them. Instead, they met the most truthful of all creation and the one most sincere in seeking their welfare, together with Allah’s manifest signs, with rejection, denial, and opposition. What insolence could be greater than this? Consequently, their deeds were rendered null and faded away; they suffered the gravest loss and were utterly deprived.
“On the Day they see the angels” whom they demanded be sent down, “there will be no glad tidings that Day for the criminals.” For as long as they persist in their crimes and obstinacy, they will see the angels only when they come to punish them and torment overtakes them. This begins at death, when the angels descend upon them. Allah Most High says:
“If only you could see when the wrongdoers are in the throes of death and the angels stretch forth their hands, saying, ‘Yield up your souls! Today you will be repaid with a humiliating punishment because you used to say of Allah what was not true and treated His signs with arrogance.’”
Then, in the grave, Munkar and Nakīr come to them and question them about their Lord, their prophet, and their religion. They fail to give any answer that could save them, whereupon punishment overtakes them and mercy departs from them. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, the angels will drive them to the Fire and hand them over to the keepers of Hell, who will take charge of tormenting and punishing them. Thus, if they persist in their crimes, they will inevitably see and encounter precisely what they proposed and demanded. They will then seek refuge from the angels and attempt to flee, but there will be no escape.
“And they will cry, ‘May there be an inviolable barrier!’”
“O company of jinn and mankind! If you are able to pass beyond the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass beyond them. You will not pass beyond them except with authority.”
“Then We shall turn to whatever deeds they did”—that is, the deeds they hoped would benefit them and for which they exerted themselves—“and reduce them to scattered dust.” In other words, We shall render them vain and vanished. They will have lost those deeds, been deprived of their reward, and been punished on account of them. This is because those deeds lacked faith and proceeded from one who denied Allah and His messengers. The deed Allah accepts is that which proceeds from a sincere believer who believes the messengers and follows them in performing it.