(1–5) “In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has split * Yet whenever they see a sign, they turn away and say, ‘Persistent magic!’ * They denied the truth and followed their desires, but every matter will reach its appointed end * There have certainly come to them reports containing a deterrent * consummate wisdom—but warnings are of no avail.”
Allah, Exalted is He, informs us that the Hour—the Resurrection—has drawn near, its time is imminent, and the moment of its arrival has approached. Despite this, these deniers persist in denying it and remain unprepared for its descent. Allah shows them such tremendous signs pointing to its occurrence that ⦗824⦘ human beings should believe upon seeing their like.
Among the greatest signs attesting to the truth of what Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allāh, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, brought was the following: when the deniers asked him to show them an extraordinary event proving [the truth of what he had brought and] his truthfulness, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, pointed to the moon by Allah’s permission, and it split into two parts. One part appeared over Mount Abū Qubays and the other over Mount Qu‘ayqi‘ān, while the polytheists and others watched this tremendous sign (1) taking place in the celestial realm—a sign that no created being could produce through deception or illusion.
They witnessed something whose like they had never seen; indeed, they had never even heard of anything similar occurring for any messenger before him. They were astounded, yet faith did not enter their hearts, and Allah did not will good for them. They therefore resorted to false accusations and transgression, saying, “Muhammad has bewitched us.” Yet the way to test that claim was to ask those returning (2) to them from their journeys, for even if he were able to bewitch them, he could not (3) bewitch those who had not witnessed it alongside them. They questioned everyone who returned, and they all confirmed that it had occurred. They then said, “Persistent magic! Muhammad has bewitched us and others as well.”
This was a false accusation that could deceive only the most foolish of people and those furthest astray from guidance and reason. Nor was this the only sign they denied. Rather, whenever any sign came to them, they were ready to confront it with falsehood (4) and reject it. Allah therefore says, “Yet whenever they see a sign, they turn away.” He did not use a pronoun referring specifically to the splitting of the moon and say, “Whenever they see it.” Instead, He says, “Whenever they see a sign, they turn away.” Their purpose was not to follow truth and guidance; it was merely to follow their desires. He therefore says, “They denied the truth and followed their desires.” This is like His statement, Exalted is He: “But if they do not respond to you, then know that they are merely following their desires.”
Had their purpose been to follow guidance, they would certainly have believed and followed Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, because Allah showed them at his hands (5) such clear signs, proofs, and decisive evidence as established every divine truth and every objective of the revealed law.
“But every matter will reach its appointed end.” That is, matters have not yet reached their final outcome and ultimate end, but they will eventually do so. The believer will delight in Gardens of bliss and in Allah’s forgiveness and good pleasure, while the denier will remain forever and ever amid Allah’s wrath and punishment.
Allah, Exalted is He, then makes clear that they have no sound purpose and do not follow guidance: “There have certainly come to them reports”—that is, accounts of earlier and later events, as well as manifest miracles—“containing a deterrent”; that is, something that should restrain them from their error and misguidance. This is “consummate wisdom” from Him, Exalted is He, so that His proof may be established against those who oppose (6) and no one may have any argument against Allah after the coming of the messengers. “But warnings are of no avail.” This is like His statement, Exalted is He: “Even if every sign came to them, they would not believe until they saw the painful punishment.”