Qāʾimah: that it will in fact be established (i.e., the Hour will come).

Wa-laʾin rujʿitu ilā Rabbī: “And if I am returned to my Lord”—that is, if the Hour should actually take place and I am sent back to my Lord.

Inna lī ʿindahu la-l-ḥusnā: “I will certainly have with Him the best”—meaning, I will enjoy the most favorable state of honor in the Hereafter. He says this because he assumes that the worldly blessings he enjoys are his by right and that Allah has shown him no special favor.

Fa-la-nunabbiʾanna alladhīna kafarū: We shall most surely inform the disbelievers.

Bi-mā ʿamilū: of the true reality of their deeds, in stark contrast to the good outcome they had imagined for themselves.

Gha­līẓ: harsh, severe.

Overall meaning of the verse: Allah tells us that when a human being is afflicted by hardship, he turns in desperation to his Lord, repents to Him, and invokes Him. Yet when ease and plenty come, his attitude changes: he denies Allah’s favor and refuses to give thanks, claiming the blessing as the product of his own effort, skill, power, and strength. Worse still, he denies that the Hour will ever be established and says, “Even if it does occur, my fine condition will surely continue, because I deserve it.” Allah then makes it clear that such a person—and those like him who disbelieve—will inevitably be confronted with the true nature of their reprehensible deeds and will be repaid for them with the most severe punishment.

Lessons derived from the verse:

1. One must give thanks for Allah’s favors and acknowledge that they come from Him alone.
2. It is forbidden to be self-admiring or deluded by one’s own power and strength.