أَفَأَمِنَ الَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ اللَّهُ بِهِمُ الْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿۴۵﴾ أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِي تَقَلُّبِهِمْ فَمَا هُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ ﴿۴۶﴾ أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۴۷﴾ أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلَالُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالشَّمَائِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلَّهِ وَهُمْ دَاخِرُونَ ﴿

﴾45﴿ Afa aminal lazeena makarus saiyi aati ai yakhsifal laahu bihimul arda aw yaaa tiyahumul 'azaabu min haisu laa yash'uroon
﴾46﴿ Aw yaakhuzahum fee taqallubihim famaa hum bi mu'jizeen
﴾47﴿ Aw yaakhuzahum 'alaa takhawwuf; fa inna Rabbakum la Ra'oofur Raheem
﴾48﴿ Awa lam yaraw ilaa maa khalaqal laahu min shai'iny-yatafaiya'u zilaaluhoo 'anil yameeni washshamaaa' ili sujjadal lillaahi wa hum daakhiroon

﴾45﴿ Do those who plot evil deeds feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them, or that the punishment will not come upon them from where they do not expect
﴾46﴿ Or that He may seize them while they travel, and they will not be able to escape Allah's punishment
﴾47﴿ Or that He may seize them while they are in a state of fear. Indeed, your Lord is Most Kind, Most Merciful
﴾48﴿ Do they not see the creations of Allah—how their shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah in humility while they are subdued

[45,46,47] Since in the previous verses the objections and doubts of the polytheists regarding the Prophet, the Qur'an, Tawḥīd, and the Resurrection were mentioned, now in these next three verses, a worldly warning (تخویف دنیوی) is given to them. The phrase "مَكَرُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ" refers to their plots, objections, and doubts against Islam that were previously mentioned. The phrase "تَقَلُّبِهِمْ" refers to their traveling for worldly purposes. Such travel inevitably comes with hardship and instability, which is why it is mentioned in verb form, indicating ongoing action. This trait is also attributed to disbelievers in verse (196) of Surah Āl-ʿImrān. Another interpretation is that "تَقَلُّب" refers to rolling about on beds, implying luxury and heedlessness. The word "تَخَوُّفٍ" has multiple interpretations: – Loss or reduction in wealth, crops, and livestock. – Or, it refers to a swift and sudden punishment. – Or, it could mean fear of enemies and threats. Each meaning reflects a form of divine warning or worldly affliction aimed at awakening the disbelievers from their heedlessness.
[48] From this verse until verse (64) is the third section (باب سوم) of the surah. In this section, various types of rational and revelatory arguments are presented:
1. Three rational evidences of the universe's submission to Allah are mentioned in verses (48), (52), and (53).
2. The proof from revelation (وحي) is in verse (51).
3. Then a warning against shirk (polytheism) is found in verses (54) and (55).
4. A warning against making vows (نذر) for other than Allah is in verse (56).
5. A warning against associating angels with Allah is given from verses (57) to (60).
6. A worldly warning is in verse (61).
7. Another warning about shirk appears in verse (62).
8. A warning and threat regarding following Shayṭān is in verse (63).
9. An encouragement to turn to the Qur’an is in verse (64).
--- Now about verse (48): In this verse, the prostration (sujūd) of shadows is mentioned. The intended meaning is the movement, shortening, and lengthening of shadows, all occurring by the command of Allah the Exalted. This natural behavior is a sign of submission and obedience of all things in the universe to Allah. The word "Yamīn" (right side) is used in the singular, while "Shamā’il" (left sides) is in the plural. The reason is: – The beginning of the shadow is always from the right (Yamīn) in one consistent state (such as after sunrise). – Then it gradually moves toward different positions on the left (Shamā’il) as the sun moves—thus plural is used for the varying positions. Additional point: Among the Arabs, when one faces east (the direction of sunrise), there are fewer regions to the right (south) and many regions to the left (north)—perhaps this is another subtle reason for using singular and plural forms. The phrase "مِنْ شَيْءٍ" refers to all physical objects, whose shadows follow this pattern. A similar expression appears in verse (15) of Surah Ra‘d, where all things are described as prostrating to Allah.