Surah 16 An-Nahl — Ayah 33
هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Cosa aspettano quegli altri, se non che vengano gli angeli o giunga il Decreto di Allah? Già agirono così coloro che li precedettero. Non è Allah che li ha danneggiati, sono loro che hanno fatto torto a se stessi.
hal yanẓurūna illā an tatiyahumu l-malāikatu aw yatiya amru rabbika kadhālika faʿala alladhīna min qablihim wamā ẓalamahumu l-lahu walākin kānū anfusahum yaẓlimūna
Word by word
- هَلْ hal Do
- يَنظُرُونَ yanẓurūna they wait
- إِلَّآ illā except
- أَن an that
- تَأْتِيَهُمُ tatiyahumu (should) come to them
- ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ l-malāikatu the Angels
- أَوْ aw or
- يَأْتِىَ yatiya (should) come
- أَمْرُ amru (the) Command
- رَبِّكَ ۚ rabbika (of) your Lord
- كَذَٰلِكَ kadhālika Thus
- فَعَلَ faʿala did
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- مِن min (were) before them
- قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ qablihim (were) before them
- وَمَا wamā And not
- ظَلَمَهُمُ ẓalamahumu wronged them
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
- وَلَـٰكِن walākin but
- كَانُوٓا۟ kānū they were
- أَنفُسَهُمْ anfusahum themselves
- يَظْلِمُونَ yaẓlimūna wronging
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
The Disbelievers' Refrain from Faith means that They were simply awaiting Punishment
Threatening the idolators for their persistence in falsehood and their conceited delusions about this world, Allah says: Are these people waiting only for the angels to come and take their souls Qatadah said:
(Or there comes the command of your Lord) means the Day of Resurrection and the terror that they will go through."
(Thus did those before them.) means, thus did their predecessors and those who were like them among the idolators persist in their Shirk, until they tasted the wrath of Allah and experienced the punishment and torment that they suffered.
(And Allah did not wrong them.) because by sending His Messengers and revealing His Books He gave them enough warning and clearly demonstrated His proofs to them.
(but they were wronging themselves.) meaning, by opposing the Messengers and denying what they brought. For this reason Allah's punishment tormented them.
(they were surrounded) meaning, they were overwhelmed by the painful torment.
(by that which they used to mock.) meaning, they used to make fun of the Messengers when they warned them Allah's punishment, and for this it will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection:
(This is the Fire which you used to belie.) (52:14).