وَمَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ﴿۱۱﴾ كَذَلِكَ نَسْلُكُهُ فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۱۲﴾ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿۱۳﴾ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ سُنَّةُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿۱۳﴾ لَقَالُوا إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا بَلْ نَحْنُ قَوْمٌ مَسْحُورُونَ ﴿۱۵﴾ وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِي السَّمَاءِ بُرُوجًا وَزَيَّنَّاهَا لِلنَّاظِرِينَ ﴿۱۶﴾

﴾11﴿ Wa maa yaateehim mir Rasoolin illaa kaanoo bihee yastahzi'oon
﴾12﴿ kazaalika naslukuhoo fee quloobil mujrimeen
﴾13﴿ Laa yu'minoona bihee wa qad khalat sunnatul awwaleen
﴾14﴿ Wa law fatahnaa 'alaihim baabam minas samaaa'i fazaloo feehi ya'rujoon
﴾15﴿ Laqaaloo innamaa sukkirat absaarunaa bal nahnu qawmum mashooroon
﴾16﴿ Wa laqad ja'alnaa fissamaaa'i buroojanw wa zaiyannaahaa linnaazireen

﴾11﴿ And no messenger would come to them except that they ridiculed him
﴾12﴿ Thus, We place (mockery) into the hearts of the criminals
﴾13﴿ They do not believe in this (the Qur'an), and indeed the way of the former peoples has already passed
﴾14﴿ And if We were to open for them a gate from the heavens and they continued to ascend through it in broad daylight
﴾15﴿ They would surely say, Indeed, our eyes have been sealed; rather, we are a people affected by magic
﴾16﴿ And indeed, We created constellations in the heavens and adorned them for the observers

[12,13] In this verse, there is a warning to the deniers that their behavior is the same as those before them in terms of mockery and denial. The reason for this has been expressed through (نَسْلُكُهُ)—the pronoun refers to mockery and denial, and according to Ibn Kathīr, it refers to shirk, though the intended meaning is the same.
A similar expression is found in verses 200–201 of Surah Ash-Shu‘arā.
Since this verse refers to future criminals, the present tense verb (نَسْلُكُهُ) is used. But in Surah Ash-Shu‘arā, the reference was to past deniers, so the past tense verb is used there.
The meaning here relates to Allah’s sealing and stamping of the hearts, indicating divine justice upon persistent rejection.
The view that the pronoun (هُ) refers to the Qur’an is considered weak.
[14,15] In this verse, there is a warning about denying miracles out of stubbornness.
One of the miracles referred to here is the ascension into the sky. The phrase (فَظَلُّوا) implies that this ascension would be completely clear and visibly real.
When faced with such a miracle, the deniers would say: (إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتْ أَبْصَارُنَا)—meaning: “Our eyes have been sealed or intoxicated,” i.e., we were not actually taken up; our vision was affected.
Then they would contradict themselves by admitting: “Yes, this is the sky,” but still insist that it was magic that made them ascend.
This shows their deep-rooted obstinacy and refusal to accept the truth, even in the face of undeniable signs.
[16] From this verse to verse 50 is the second section of the surah. In this section: Ten rational proofs are presented from verses 16 to 20, Within these proofs, eighteen attributes of Allah’s power and knowledge are mentioned, Then follows the account of the prostration to Adam (peace be upon him), All of this connects back to the central claim of the surah, which is warning the deniers, Then, warnings about the Hereafter are mentioned in verses 43–44, And from verse 45 to 50, the surah closes with glad tidings for the believers.
In verse 16, since the denial of Tawḥīd was previously mentioned, now the evidences for Tawḥīd are presented in response.
The term (بُرُوج) refers either to the great stars—supported by the phrase (وَزَيَّنَّاهَا), since decoration is through stars, as in verse 6 of Surah As-Sāffāt and verse 5 of Surah Al-Mulk. Or it may refer to the celestial positions or stations of the sun and moon, which appear in them at different times.
This verse also mentions two attributes of Allah the Exalted, pointing to His creative power and mastery over the heavens.