Allah says, `Who among My creatures does more wrong than one who is reminded of the signs of Allah then turns away from them,' i.e., ignores them and does not listen or pay attention to them.

[وَنَسِىَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ]

(forgetting what his hands have sent forth.) means, bad deeds and evil actions.

[إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ]

(Truly, We have set over their hearts) means, the hearts of these people,

[أَكِنَّةً]

(Akinnah) means, coverings.

[أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ]

(lest they should understand this,) means, so that they will not understand this Qur'an and its clear Message

[وَفِى ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا]

(and in their ears, deafness.) means that they will be deaf in an abstract way, to guidance.

[وَإِن تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى فَلَنْ يَهْتَدُواْ إِذاً أَبَداً]

(And if you call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.)

[وَرَبُّكَ الْغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ]

(And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of mercy.) means, `your Lord, O Muhammad, is forgiving and has great mercy.'

[لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُواْ لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابَ]

(Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment.) This is like the Ayah:

[وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ]

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth.) [35:45]

[وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ]

(But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment) [13:6]. And there are many Ayat which say the same thing. Then Allah tells us that He is patient, He conceals faults and forgives sins. He may guide some of them from wrongdoing to true guidance, and whoever continues in his evil ways, then there will come to him a Day when infants will turn grey and every pregnant female will shed her load. He says:

[بَل لَّهُم مَّوْعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُواْ مِن دُونِهِ مَوْئِلاً]

(But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.) meaning, they will find no way out.

[وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَى أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُواْ]

(And these towns, We destroyed them when they did wrong.) This refers to earlier nations in times past; `We destroyed them because of their stubborn disbelief.'

[وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًا]

(And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction.) `We appointed for them a set time limit, not to be increased or decreased. The same applies to you, O ido- lators, so beware or what happened to them will happen to you too, for you have rejected the noblest Messenger and greatest Prophet, and you are not dearer to Us than them, so fear My punishment and wrath.'

[وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِفَتَـهُ لا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّى أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِىَ حُقُباً - فَلَمَّا بَلَغَا مَجْمَعَ بَيْنِهِمَا نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا فَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِى الْبَحْرِ سَرَباً - فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَا قَالَ لِفَتَـهُ ءَاتِنَا غَدَآءَنَا لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِن سَفَرِنَا هَـذَا نَصَباً - قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَآ إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّى نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَآ أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلاَّ الشَّيْطَـنُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِى الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا - قَالَ ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَى ءَاثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا - فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَآ ءَاتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا ]

(60. And (remember) when Musa said to his boy-servant: "I will not give up until I reach the junction of the two seas or a Huqub passes.'') (61. But when they reached the junction of the two seas, they forgot their fish, and it took its way through the sea as in a tunnel.) (62. So when they passed further on, Musa said to his boy-servant: "Bring us our morning meal; truly, we have suffered Nasaban in this, our journey.'') (63. He said: "Do you remember when we betook ourselves to the rock I indeed forgot the fish; none but Shaytan made me forget to remember it. It took its course into the sea in a strange (way)!'') (64. [Musa] said: "That is what we have been seeking.'' So they went back retracing their footsteps.) (65. Then they found one of Our servants, on whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.)