قُلْ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الضَّلَالَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ لَهُ الرَّحْمَنُ مَدًّا حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَوْا مَا يُوعَدُونَ إِمَّا الْعَذَابَ وَإِمَّا السَّاعَةَ فَسَيَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مَكَانًا وَأَضْعَفُ جُنْدًا ﴿۷۵﴾ وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ مَرَدًّا ﴿۷۶﴾ أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا ﴿۷۷﴾ أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا ﴿۷۸﴾ كَلَّا سَنَكْتُبُ مَا يَقُولُ وَنَمُدُّ لَهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ مَدًّا ﴿۷۹﴾

﴾75﴿ Qul man kaana fidda laalati falyamdud lahur Rahmaanu maddaa; hattaaa izaa ra aw maa yoo'adoona immal 'azaaba wa immas Saa'ata fasa ya'lamoona man huwa sharrum makaananw wa ad'afu jundaa
﴾76﴿ Wa yazeedul laahul lazeenah tadaw hudaa; wal baaqiyaatus saalihaatu khairun 'inda Rabbika sawaabanw wa khairum maraddaa
﴾77﴿ Afara'aytal lazee kafara bi Aayaatinaa wa qaala la oota yanna maalanw wa waladaa
﴾78﴿ 'At tala'al ghaiba 'amit takhaza 'indar Rahmaani 'ahdaa
﴾79﴿ Kallaa; sanaktubu maa yaqoolu wa namuddu lahoo minal 'azaabi maddaa

﴾75﴿ Say, "Whoever is in error, the Most Merciful will give them respite until they see what they were promised—either the punishment or the Hour. Then they will know who is worse in position and weaker in forces
﴾76﴿ And Allah increases in guidance those who are rightly guided. And righteous deeds that endure are better in reward with your Lord and better in return
﴾77﴿ Have you seen the one who disbelieves in Our signs and says, I will surely be given wealth and children
﴾78﴿ Has he gained knowledge of the unseen, or has he taken a covenant with the Most Merciful
﴾79﴿ Never! We will surely record what he says, and We will increase for him the punishment extensively

[75] In this verse, the reason is mentioned for why disbelievers are sometimes granted wealth and worldly adornment.
It is because Allah gives respite to such misguided individuals—similar to what is mentioned in Surah Āl-‘Imrān (3:178) and Surah Al-Mu’minūn (23:55).
The phrase “fal-yamdad” is in the form of a command, but it carries the meaning of either:
1. Statement – i.e., Allah grants them respite,
2. Or supplication – as if saying may Allah extend for them, to expose their end.
Ibn Jarīr interpreted this as a form of mubāhalah (invoking Allah's curse) against the arrogant polytheists.
The phrase “sharrun makānan wa aḍʿafu jundā” (worse in position and weaker in forces) is a rebuttal to their proud claim of being “khayran maqāman wa aḥsanu nadiyyā” (better in status and assembly).
It clarifies that true excellence is not by worldly wealth or gatherings, but by faith and obedience to Allah.
[76] In this verse is a glad tiding (bushrā) for the believers—especially those who proclaim and live by the clear verses of the Qur'an, as mentioned earlier in verse 73.
This verse stands in contrast to “fal-yamdad”—while the arrogance of the disbelievers increases, the faith of the believers grows.
This is a clear proof for the reality of increasing īmān (ziyādat al-īmān).
The phrase “al-bāqiyātu aṣ-ṣāliḥāt” (“the everlasting good deeds”) also appears in Surah Al-Kahf (18:46).
There, it was brought in refutation of those who hoped for benefit through wealth and children, because Allah had mentioned worldly increase (amlā) and then contrasted it with the eternal nature of righteous deeds.
Here, “al-bāqiyātu aṣ-ṣāliḥāt” comes in contrast to “sharran makānan” (a worse place), meaning that Paradise—“marddan”, which is also a “place”—is the true, lasting reward.
[77] This is the third rebuke (zajr)—directed at those who seek honor and advancement through shirk.
The meaning of the verse is that a disbeliever—such as ʿĀṣ ibn Wā’il—claims:
“As long as I remain firm upon shirk, through the blessings of these idols, I will gain status and success both in this world and in the Hereafter.”
This arrogant assumption is what the verse rebukes, exposing the false hope of dignity through false gods.
[78] This verse is a response to the claim of that polytheist.
It challenges his statement: “I will surely be given wealth and children” by asking:
“Does he have knowledge of the unseen?”—meaning, is this claim based on any unseen truth?
The “unseen” (ghayb) here refers specifically to his false statement about future worldly and heavenly gain.
Then Allah says: “Or has he taken a covenant with the Most Merciful?”—this carries two possible meanings:
1. Has he received a divine promise from Allah regarding salvation or guaranteed reward?
2. Or, is his belief based on true tawḥīd, which is the real covenant that leads to Paradise?
The verse exposes the baselessness of both possibilities and rebukes the delusion of achieving honor or success through shirk.
[79] This verse contains both rebuke (zajr) and warning (takhwīf).
The word “Kallā” appears 33 times in the Qur'an, and this is the first occurrence.
It has two meanings:
1. Sometimes it means “truly” (ḥaqqan),
2. Other times, it means prohibition or rejection (radʿ)—and here, it is used in the sense of rejection.
The phrase “sanaktubu” (“We will surely write”)—the letter “sīn” is used for emphasis, not future delay.
And the writing here refers to the action of the angels recording his false claim and misdeeds.