وَمَا مَنَعَنَا أَنْ نُرْسِلَ بِالْآيَاتِ إِلَّا أَنْ كَذَّبَ بِهَا الْأَوَّلُونَ وَآتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ النَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُوا بِهَا وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِالْآيَاتِ إِلَّا تَخْوِيفًا ﴿۵۹﴾ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لَكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ أَحَاطَ بِالنَّاسِ وَمَا جَعَلْنَا الرُّؤْيَا الَّتِي أَرَيْنَاكَ إِلَّا فِتْنَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَالشَّجَرَةَ الْمَلْعُونَةَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَنُخَوِّفُهُمْ فَمَا يَزِيدُهُمْ إِلَّا طُغْيَانًا كَبِيرًا ﴿۶۰﴾ وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ قَالَ أَأَسْجُدُ لِمَنْ خَلَقْتَ طِينًا ﴿۶۱﴾

﴾59﴿ Wa maa mana'anaaa an nursila bil aayaati illaaa an kazzaba bihal awwaloon; wa aatainaa Samoodan naaqata mubsiratan fazalamoo bihaa; wa maa nursilu bil aayaati illaa takhweefaa
﴾60﴿ Wa iz qulnaa laka inna rabbaka ahaata binnaas; wa maa ja'alnar ru'yal lateee arainaaka illaa fitnatal linnaasi washshajaratal mal'oonata fil quraan; wa nukhaw wifuhum famaa yazeeduhum illa tughyaanan kabeeraa
﴾61﴿ Wa iz qulnaa lil malaaa'ikatis judoo li Aadama fasajadooo illaaa Ibleesa qaala 'a-asjudu liman khalaqta teena

﴾59﴿ And nothing has prevented Us from sending the signs (they demand) except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave the she-camel to the people of Thamud as a clear sign, but they wrongfully rejected it. And We do not send the signs except as a warning
﴾60﴿ And [remember] when We said to you, Indeed, your Lord has encompassed the people." And We did not make the vision which We showed you except as a trial for the people, and [likewise] the cursed tree [mentioned] in the Qur'an. And We warn them, but it only increases them in great transgression
﴾61﴿ And [remember] when We said to the angels, Prostrate to Adam," and they prostrated, except for Iblis. He said, "Shall I prostrate to one whom You created from clay

[59] From this verse to verse (75), this is the second section.
In this section, the second reason for punishment is mentioned, which is the denial of the signs of Allah the Exalted.
An example of this is given through the story of the Thamud people in verse (59), and then through the incident of the Night Journey (Isra), and the mention of the tree of Zaqqum in verse (60), and the story of Iblis, who denied the sign of Allah the Exalted, which was Adam (peace be upon him) and the command to honor him, from verse (61) to verse (65).
Then there is encouragement to remember the blessings in verse (70).
Then there is worldly warning in verses (68) and (69).
Again, encouragement to remember the blessings in verse (70).
Then there is warning of the Hereafter in verses (71 and 72).
Then there is a warning against compromise in verses (73, 74, and 75).
In verse (59), there is an answer to a doubt.
The doubt is: since a response was given to the polytheists, they then requested miracles from the Prophet.
The question is: why are these miracles not being sent to them?
The answer is that the reason for not sending those miracles they asked for is that if they are sent and then denied, punishment will surely come upon them—just as it came upon previous nations.
One example is the Thamud people: they requested a miracle, the she-camel appeared, and when they denied it, punishment came upon them.
So this verse indicates that denial of miracles leads to punishment.
“We do not send signs except as a warning” – This refers to the kind of signs that people request, and the sending of these involves warning of punishment.
If they are not accepted, punishment necessarily comes upon the deniers.
The second meaning is that all miracles are meant as warnings for disbelievers and as mercy for the believers.
“They wronged them” – This “wrong” refers to the deliberate denial and the killing of the she-camel.
[60] In the first sentence of this verse, there is encouragement to the Prophet for preaching, with the assurance that Allah the Exalted will protect him, and he should convey the message.
The meaning of “encompassing” is the encompassing power and knowledge of Allah the Exalted over all creation, and the protection of the Prophet is included in that.
Then, two signs are brought forth: first, the event of the Ascension (Mi‘raj), and second, the mention of the tree in Hell.
Denial of these two is followed by the fear of punishment.
(الرُّؤْيَا) – The correct interpretation is that this refers to seeing with the eyes while awake during the night of Mi‘raj, because ru’yā is a verbal noun meaning seeing.
This is the view transmitted by Imam Bukhari from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him).
It does not refer to a dream, because if it were a dream, it would not be a cause for trial—no one denies what is seen in dreams.
(وَالشَّجَرَةَ الْمَلْعُونَةَ) – This means when Allah the Exalted informed in Surah al-Saffat from verse (62) to verse (66) that there is a tree in Hell, it became a cause of trial for them.
The deniers objected: how can a tree grow in fire?
“Al-mal‘ūnah” (the accursed) – This means the tree that is cursed in the Qur’an due to those who eat from it, or it may mean that the evil attributes of this tree are described in the Qur’an, as in verses (43) to (46) of Surah al-Dukhan, and also in Surah al-Saffat.
As for those who interpret this tree as referring to the Umayyads (Banu Umayyah), this is a distortion, because there is no mention of the Umayyads in the Qur’an, nor is there any curse upon them in it.
Attributing such a statement to Ibn ‘Abbas is incorrect.
[61] This is the story of Adam (peace be upon him) and Iblis, and the purpose of this story is to show that Adam (peace be upon him) was a sign of Allah, and Iblis denied honoring him and showed disrespect in the phrase (أَأَسْجُدُ) and (أَرَأَيْتَكَ).
This became the reason for punishment for Iblis, and for this reason, it has been connected to the previous discussion.