Maʿakum: that is, on account of your own deeds, your disbelief, and your refusal to heed those who advise you.

A-in dhukkirtum: meaning, “Is it merely because we have reminded you that you answer us by saying, ‘We take a bad omen from you’” (Yasin: 18).

Bal antum qawm musrifūn: your constant habit is to exceed all bounds in sin, and so misfortune has come upon you. Al-saraf denotes corruption—overstepping the limits in opposing the truth.

Overall meaning of the two verses

1. The first verse: Whenever Pharaoh’s people were afflicted with high prices or drought, they would say, “This has happened to us because of Moses and those with him; their presence is inauspicious.” Allah, Exalted is He, rebutted them, declaring that what befell them was solely by His decree and predestination as a consequence of their disbelief. He then described most of them as ignorant and unaware. Had they reflected and been fair, they would have realized that Moses brought nothing but goodness, blessing, and success for all who believed in him and followed him.

2. The second verse: Allah, Magnified and Glorified, responded to those who rejected the messengers, were then struck by calamity, and claimed that the calamity came from the messengers themselves. He made clear that the real cause of the affliction lay with them—their actions and their disbelief—not with the messengers, as they alleged. What befitted them was to accept the counsel of those who admonished them so they might be spared calamity, but they were a people persistent in sin, and therefore ill fortune and tribulation overtook them.

Relevance of the two verses to this chapter: Allah states that tatayyur (belief in omens) is a practice of the pre-Islamic pagans and polytheists, whom He censured and condemned.

Lessons derived from the two verses

1. Tatayyur is a practice of the pagans and polytheists.
2. Affirmation of divine decree and predestination and the obligation to believe in them.
3. Calamities occur because of sins and misdeeds.