رُبَمَا يَوَدُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ كَانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿۲﴾ ذَرْهُمْ يَأْكُلُوا وَيَتَمَتَّعُوا وَيُلْهِهِمُ الْأَمَلُ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۳﴾ وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَعْلُومٌ ﴿۴﴾ مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ ﴿۵﴾ وَقَالُوا يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجْنُونٌ ﴿۶﴾ لَوْ مَا تَأْتِينَا بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿۷﴾ مَا نُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوا إِذًا مُنْظَرِينَ ﴿۸﴾ إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ ﴿۹﴾ وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿۱۰﴾

﴾2﴿ Rubamaa yawaddul lazeena kafaroo law kaanoo muslimeen
﴾3﴿ Zarhum yaakuloo wa yatamatta'oo wa yulhihimul amalu fasawfa ya'lamoon
﴾4﴿ Wa maaa ahlaknaa min qaryatin illaa wa lahaa kitaabum ma'loom
﴾5﴿ Maa tasbiqu min ummatin ajalahaa wa maa yastaakhiroon
﴾6﴿ Wa qaaloo yaaa aiyuhal lazee nuzzila 'alaihiz Zikru innaka lamajnoon
﴾7﴿ Law maa taateenaa bil malaaa'ikati in kunta minas saadiqeen
﴾8﴿ Maa nunazzilul malaaa'i kata illaa bilhaqqi wa maa kaanooo izam munzareen
﴾9﴿ Innaa Nahnu nazalnaz Zikra wa Innaa lahoo lahaa fizoon
﴾10﴿ Wa laqad arsalnaa min qablika fee shiya'il awwaleen

﴾2﴿ Many times, the disbelievers will wish they had accepted monotheism (Tawheed)
﴾3﴿ Leave them to eat, enjoy the pleasures of this world, and be distracted by their hopes, for soon they will come to know
﴾4﴿ And We did not destroy any city except that it had a decreed term written for it
﴾5﴿ No nation can hasten its appointed time, nor can they delay it
﴾6﴿ And they say, O man upon whom the revelation has been sent down, indeed you are truly mad (in their assumption)
﴾7﴿ Why do you not bring the angels to us, if you are among the truthful
﴾8﴿ We do not send down the angels except with the truth (i.e., punishment), and at that time they will not be granted any respite
﴾9﴿ Indeed, We have sent down the Revelation, and indeed, We will be its Guardian
﴾10﴿ And indeed, We sent messengers before you among the former communities

[2] In this verse, Tawḥīd (the oneness of Allah) is mentioned, highlighting how the polytheists, at the moment of punishment, will express regret and wish they had accepted Tawḥīd and believed in the Qur’an.
This reflects their remorse, but it will come too late, when belief and repentance are no longer accepted.
It emphasizes that true guidance must be accepted before the punishment arrives—when it can still benefit a person.
[3] In this verse, there is a warning against the love of the world, which includes worldly foods, pleasures, and material enjoyments. It draws attention to the heedlessness toward Tawḥīd, which arises due to false hopes and worldly attachments—and these become causes of denial and rejection of the truth.
In a marfū‘ hadith (attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him), it is mentioned that four things lead to misery and misfortune: 1. Dryness of the eyes (lack of weeping out of fear of Allah), 2. Hardness of the heart, 3. Lengthy hopes (delayed ambitions and procrastination in repentance), 4. Greed for the world.
These traits blind a person from the reality of the Hereafter and make them neglect the purpose of life, especially faith in Tawḥīd.
[4,5] In this verse, there is a worldly warning (تخویف دنیوی)—emphasizing that punishment will come at its appointed time.
Although the disbelievers have been given respite to enjoy food, pleasures, and worldly life, the verse reminds that their punishment is not far off—it is simply delayed until a fixed term (أجلٌ مُسمّى).
This ties directly to the central theme of the surah, which is the certainty of divine justice, the false security of the worldly life, and the inevitability of accountability.
Thus, their current comfort should not deceive them, as the decree of Allah is sure to be fulfilled.
[6] In this verse, there is a rebuke directed at those who mocked the Messenger (peace be upon him). The phrase (نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ)—“Has the Reminder been sent down to him?”—is said mockingly, implying “according to your claim” or “as you say”.
This verse is connected (ma‘ṭūf) to verse 3, where the disbelievers were described.
Here, the verse goes on to describe the vile traits of the deniers, including their arrogance, mockery, and rejection of revelation, exposing the corruption of their character and their scornful attitude toward the truth.
[7] In this verse, the disbelievers demand from the Messenger to bring angels either to testify to the truthfulness of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) or to support him, just as Pharaoh made the same demand from Musa (peace be upon him) in verse 53 of Surah Az-Zukhruf.
[8] This is the answer to the previous question, and the meaning of "the truth" is either punishment or revelation.
[9] This verse is a response to the first objection (Indeed, you are mad) and affirms the truth of the Quran. It is a consolation to the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) regarding the protection of the Noble Quran against the objections of the stubborn deniers.
The truth of the Quran itself is proof that the Prophet is not mad, and in this verse, the preservation of both its words and meanings from alteration, distortion, or corruption is clearly stated.
It is self-evident that over hundreds of years, despite the countless enemies of the Quran and various attempts at distortion—both in wording and meaning—none of these attempts have succeeded. Allah has always created people in every era who eliminate such distortions.
One story mentioned by Qurtubi in his tafsir is evidence of this. Allah has also protected the sayings of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace), because they are also revealed guidance. The scholars of truth have clearly classified what is authentic, weak, or fabricated.
This verse is also a direct refutation of the Shia claim that the Quran has been altered—their own books testify to this belief.
[10] In these two verses as well, there is consolation for the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) for being patient in the face of the mockery of stubborn deniers, as previous prophets were also mocked.
The word (أَرْسَلْنَا) has its object omitted, meaning “We sent messengers.”
(شِيَعِ) is the plural of shi‘ah, referring to a group that follows someone—whether that person is righteous or corrupt.