وَمَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنْذِرِينَ وَيُجَادِلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالْبَاطِلِ لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ وَاتَّخَذُوا آيَاتِي وَمَا أُنْذِرُوا هُزُوًا ﴿۵۶﴾ وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذُكِّرَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ فَأَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِنْ تَدْعُهُمْ إِلَى الْهُدَى فَلَنْ يَهْتَدُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا ﴿۵۷﴾ وَرَبُّكَ الْغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحْمَةِ لَوْ يُؤَاخِذُهُمْ بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابَ بَلْ لَهُمْ مَوْعِدٌ لَنْ يَجِدُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ مَوْئِلًا ﴿۵۸﴾ وَتِلْكَ الْقُرَى أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِمْ مَوْعِدًا ﴿۵۹﴾

﴾56﴿ Wa maa nursilul mursaleena illaa mubashshireena wa munzireen; wa yujaadilul lazeena kafaroo bilbaatili liyudhidoo bihil haqqa wattakhazooo Aayaatee wa maaa unziroo huzuwaa
﴾57﴿ Wa man azlamu mimman zukkira bi ayaati Rabbihee fa-a'rada 'anhaa wa nasiya maa qaddamat yadaah; innaa ja'alnaa 'alaa quloobihim akinnatan any yafqahoohu wa feee aazaanihim waqraa; wa in tad'uhum ilal hudaa falany yahtadooo izan abadaa
﴾58﴿ Wa Rabbukal Ghafooru zur rahmati law yu'aakhi zuhum bimaa kasaboo la 'ajjala lahumul 'azaab; bal lahum maw'idul lany yajidoo min doonihee maw'ilaa
﴾59﴿ Wa tilkal quraaa ahlak nahum lammaa zalamoo wa ja'alnaa limahlikihim maw'idaa

﴾56﴿ And We do not send the messengers except as bearers of good news and warners. But those who disbelieve argue with falsehood to refute the truth thereby, and they take My signs and that with which they are warned as a mockery
﴾57﴿ And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then turns away from them and forgets what his hands have sent forth, Indeed, We have placed coverings over their hearts so they do not understand it, and in their ears is heaviness. And if you call them to the right path, they will never be guided to it, ever
﴾58﴿ And your Lord is the Forgiving, Possessor of Mercy. If He were to seize them for what they have earned, He would have hastened their punishment. But they have an appointed time from which they will find no escape
﴾59﴿ And these are the towns that We destroyed when they wronged, and We made an appointed time for their destruction

[56] In this verse, the primary wisdom behind sending messengers is mentioned: that messengers were sent to prevent punishment by conveying the message of truth and giving people a chance to reform.
Then the verse contains a rebuke for those who argue with false doubts and resist the truth, even mocking the signs of Allah.
(بِالْبَاطِلِ) – refers to doubts without evidence, objections and arguments made purely for resistance—not to seek the truth. This is similar to what is mentioned in Surah Ghāfir, verses 5, 35, and 56.
(لِيُدْحِضُوا بِهِ الْحَقَّ) – indicates that their aim is not to discover truth, but to oppose and eliminate it through argumentation.
Their false reasoning is rooted in enmity, not sincerity.
(وَاتَّخَذُوا آيَاتِي) – is a response to a possible question or objection: “If clear signs and prophetic proofs exist, why do they still argue with falsehood?” The answer: They consider divine signs to be insignificant, treating them as mockery and amusement. This shows that they neither listen to nor value the truth—they view it as meaningless.
[57] In this verse, there is a rebuke (zajr) for those who turn away from the reminder of the Qur’an.
(وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتْ يَدَاهُ) – “And forgets what his hands have sent forth” – refers to a person neglecting repentance for past sins and ignoring the consequences of their actions.
(إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا) – “Indeed, We have placed…” – after mentioning their turning away, Allah clarifies the consequence: due to their willful neglect, a veil has been placed over their hearts, so they become permanently deprived of the Qur’anic reminder.
(فَلَنْ يَهْتَدُوا) – “So they will never be guided” – this phrase alludes to the veil over their sight, meaning their spiritual perception is blocked, and they cannot find guidance.
Thus, both the heart and vision are covered—leaving no path to awareness or change.
[58] In the first verse, there is an encouragement to repent—calling people to turn back from shirk (polytheism) and disbelief, with the promise that Allah Most High will forgive them and show them mercy.
Then the verse also includes a worldly warning for those who persist in denial.
This verse beautifully combines two divine attributes: The attribute of mercy for those who repent and seek forgiveness, And the attribute of wrath for those who reject the truth.
A similar combination of mercy and warning is found in Surah al-An‘ām (6:33), where Allah balances His mercy for believers with His warning to the disbelievers.
[59] In this verse, there is a worldly warning (takhwīf dunyawī) through the mention of past destroyed nations.
(تِلْكَ الْقُرَى) – “Those towns” – refers to the cities and communities that were destroyed in previous generations.
Though they are no longer physically present, the use of “tilka” (a demonstrative for something visible or near) indicates that their stories are so well-known and vivid that it is as if they are still clearly seen.
(لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا) – “When they wronged…” – points to the reason for their destruction, and that wrongdoing is explained in verse 57, namely, turning away from the message of the Qur’an.
(وَجَعَلْنَا) – refers to the past nations, indicating how Allah dealt with those who disbelieved and rebelled.
(بَلْ لَهُمْ مَوْعِدٌ لَنْ يَجِدُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ مَوْئِلًا) – “Rather, they have an appointed time which they will not find escape from” – this shifts the address to the current people, warning them that though they may not yet be punished, a fixed time awaits them from which there is no escape.
It draws a clear parallel between past and present, reinforcing the idea that divine justice is inevitable.