[وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ عَنِ الصِّرَطِ لَنَـكِبُونَ ]

(And verily, those who believe not in the Hereafter are indeed deviating far astray from the path.) meaning, they have gone astray and deviated.

[ن]

(And though We had mercy on them and removed the distress which is on them, still they would obstinately persist in their transgression, wandering blindly.) Here Allah tells of their stubbornness in their disbelief, in that even if He had removed the calamity from them and made them understand the Qur'an, they still would not follow it; they would still persist in their disbelief and stubborn transgression. This is like the Ayat:

[وَلَوْ عَلِمَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ خَيْرًا لأَسْمَعَهُمْ وَلَوْ أَسْمَعَهُمْ لَتَوَلَّواْ وَّهُم مُّعْرِضُونَ ]

(Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen; and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away with aversion.) [8:23]

[وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يلَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلاَ نُكَذِّبَ بِـَايَـتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بَلْ بَدَا لَهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يُخْفُونَ مِن قَبْلُ وَلَوْ رُدُّواْ لَعَـدُواْ لِمَا نُهُواْ عَنْهُ]

(And if (Lauw) you could but see when they will be held over the (Hell) Fire! They will say: "Would that we were but sent back (to the world)! Then we would not deny the Ayat of our Lord, and we would be of the believers!'' Nay, it has become manifest to them what they had been concealing before. But if they were returned (to the world), they would certainly revert to that which they were forbidden.) [6:27-29] Until His statement:

[بِمَبْعُوثِينَ]

(be resurrected) This has to do with the knowledge of Allah. He knows about some- thing that will not happen, but if it were to happen, He knows how it would be. Ad-Dahhak reported from Ibn `Abbas: "Every- thing that is implied in the word:

[لَوْ]

(If (Lauw)) is something that will never happen.''

[وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ - حَتَّى إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَاباً ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ - وَهُوَ الَّذِى أَنْشَأَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالاٌّبْصَـرَ وَالاٌّفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ - وَهُوَ الَّذِى ذَرَأَكُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ - وَهُوَ الَّذِى يُحْىِ وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ اخْتِلَـفُ الَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ - بَلْ قَالُواْ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ الاٌّوَّلُونَ - قَالُواْ أَءِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَاباً وَعِظَـماً أَءِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ - لَقَدْ وُعِدْنَا نَحْنُ وَءَابَآؤُنَا هَـذَا مِن قَبْلُ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ ]

(76. And indeed We seized them with punishment, but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor did they invoke with submission to Him.) (77. Until, when We open for them the gate of severe punishment, then lo! they will be plunged in despair.) (78. It is He Who has created for you hearing, eyes, and hearts. Little thanks you give.) (79. And it is He Who has created you on the earth, and to Him you shall be gathered back.) (80. And it is He Who gives life and causes death, and His is the alternation of night and day. Will you not then understand) (81. Nay, but they say the like of what the men of old said.) (82. They said: "When we are dead and have become dust and bones, shall we be resurrected indeed'') (83. "Verily, this we have been promised -- we and our fathers before! This is only (from) tales of the ancients!'') Allah's saying:

[وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ]

(And indeed We seized them with punishment,) means, `We tried and tested them with difficulties and calamities.' His saying:

[فَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ]

(but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor did they invoke with submission to Him.) means, that did not deter them from their disbelief and resistance, rather they persisted in their sin and misguidance,

[فَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ]

(but they humbled not themselves)

[وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ]

(nor did they invoke (Allah) with submission to Him. ) they did not call on Him. This is like the Ayah:

[فَلَوْلا إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا تَضَرَّعُواْ وَلَـكِن قَسَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ]

(When Our torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves But their hearts became hardened,) [6:43] Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Abu Sufyan came to the Messenger of Allah and said, `O Muhammad, I ask you by Allah and by the ties of kinship between us, we have been reduced to eating camel hair and blood.' Then Allah revealed,

[وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَـهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُواْ]

(And indeed We seized them with punishment, but they humbled not themselves.) This was also recorded by An-Nasa'i. The basis of this Hadith is in the Two Sahihs, where it says that the Messenger of Allah prayed against the Quraysh when he could not make any headway with them, and he said,

«اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَبْعٍ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُف»

(O Allah, help me against them sending on them seven years (of famine) like the seven (years of drought) of Yusuf.)

[حَتَّى إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَاباً ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ ]

(Until, when We open for them the gate of severe punishment, then lo! they will be plunged in despair.) When the command of Allah reaches them and the Hour comes to them suddenly, and they are overtaken by the punishment of Allah which they were not expecting, then they will despair of any ease and goodness, and all their hopes will disappear.