Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (366)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(50–52) “Say, ‘Consider: if His punishment comes upon you by night or by day, what part of it would the guilty seek to hasten? Then, once it has befallen you, will you believe in it? Only now, when you used to seek to hasten it? Then it will be said to those who wronged, “Taste the everlasting punishment! Are you recompensed for anything other than what you used to earn?”’”

Allah Most High says: “Say, ‘Consider: if His punishment comes upon you by night,’” while you are asleep, “or by day,” while you are heedless, “what part of it would the guilty seek to hasten?” That is: What glad tidings were they so eager to receive, and what punishment were they rushing to meet?

“Then, once it has befallen you, will you believe in it?” Faith is of no benefit once Allah’s punishment descends. At that moment, when they claim to believe, they will be told by way of rebuke and reproach: “Only now?” Do you believe now, amid distress and hardship, “when you used to seek to hasten it?” Allah’s established way with His servants is that He accepts their efforts to make amends when they seek His acceptance before the punishment falls. Once the punishment has fallen, however, no soul benefits from its faith. As Allah Most High says of Pharaoh when drowning overtook him: “He said, ‘I believe that there is no god but the One in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims.’” He was then told: “Only now? You disobeyed before and were one of the corrupters.”

Allah Most High also says: “But their faith did not benefit them when they saw Our punishment. Such is Allah’s established way, which has always prevailed among His servants.” Here He says: “Then, once it has befallen you, will you believe in it? Only now?” You claim to have faith (1), “when you used to seek to hasten it?” This is what your own hands have wrought, and this is what you sought to hasten.

“Then it will be said to those who wronged,” when they are repaid in full for their deeds on the Day of Resurrection: “Taste the everlasting punishment”—the punishment in which you will remain forever and which will not be eased for you for even an hour. “Are you recompensed for anything other than what you used to earn” through disbelief, denial, and acts of disobedience?

(1) This is how it appears in manuscript B; manuscript A reads: “for faith.”

﴿٥٠ - ٥٢﴾ ﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُهُ بَيَاتًا أَوْ نَهَارًا مَاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ * أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ آلآنَ وَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ * ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْخُلْدِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ﴾ يقول تعالى: ﴿قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُهُ بَيَاتًا﴾ وقت نومكم بالليل ﴿أَوْ نَهَارًا﴾ في وقت غفلتكم ﴿مَاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ﴾ أي: أي بشارة استعجلوا بها؟ وأي عقاب ابتدروه؟. ﴿أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ﴾ فإنه لا ينفع الإيمان حين حلول عذاب الله، ويقال لهم توبيخًا وعتابًا في تلك الحال التي زعموا أنهم يؤمنون، ﴿آلآنَ﴾ تؤمنون في حال الشدة والمشقة؟ ﴿وَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ﴾ فإن سنة الله في عباده أنه يعتبهم إذا استعتبوه قبل وقوع العذاب، فإذا وقع العذاب لا ينفع نفسًا إيمانها، كما قال تعالى عن فرعون، لما أدركه الغرق ﴿قَالَ آمَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ﴾ وأنه يقال له: ﴿الآن وقد عصيت قبل وكنت من المفسدين﴾ . وقال تعالى: ﴿فَلَمْ يَكُ يَنْفَعُهُمْ إِيمَانُهُمْ لَمَّا رَأَوْا بَأْسَنَا سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي قَدْ خَلَتْ فِي عِبَادِهِ﴾ وقال هنا: ﴿أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ آلآنَ﴾ تدعون الإيمان (١) ﴿وَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ﴾ فهذا ما عملت أيديكم، وهذا ما استعجلتم به. ﴿ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا﴾ حين يوفون أعمالهم يوم القيامة: ﴿ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْخُلْدِ﴾ أي: العذاب الذي تخلدون فيه، ولا يفتر عنكم ساعة. ﴿هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ﴾ من الكفر والتكذيب والمعاصي.

(١) كذا في ب، وفي أ: للإيمان.