مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ بِفَاتِنِينَ ﴿۱۶۲﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ هُوَ صَالِ الْجَحِيمِ ﴿۱۶۳﴾ وَمَا مِنَّا إِلَّا لَهُ مَقَامٌ مَعْلُومٌ ﴿۱۶۴﴾ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الصَّافُّونَ ﴿۱۶۵﴾ وَإِنَّا لَنَحْنُ الْمُسَبِّحُونَ ﴿۱۶۶﴾ وَإِنْ كَانُوا لَيَقُولُونَ ﴿۱۶۷﴾ لَوْ أَنَّ عِنْدَنَا ذِكْرًا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿۱۶۸﴾ لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ﴿۱۶۹﴾ فَكَفَرُوا بِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۱۷۰﴾ وَلَقَدْ سَبَقَتْ كَلِمَتُنَا لِعِبَادِنَا الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿۱۷۱﴾ إِنَّهُمْ لَهُمُ الْمَنْصُورُونَ ﴿۱۷۲﴾

﴾162﴿ Maaa antum 'alaihi bi faaatineen
﴾163﴿ Illaa man huwa saalil jaheem
﴾164﴿ Wa maa minnaaa illaa lahoo maqaamun ma'loom
﴾165﴿ Wa innaa lanah nus saaffoon
﴾166﴿ Wa innaa lanah nul musabbihoon
﴾167﴿ Wa in kaanoo la yaqooloon
﴾168﴿ Law anna 'indanaa zikram minal awwaleen
﴾169﴿ Lakunna 'ibaadal laahil mukhlaseen
﴾170﴿ Fakafaroo bihee fasawfa ya'lamoon
﴾171﴿ Wa laqad sabaqat Kalimatunaa li'ibaadinal mursa leen
﴾172﴿ Innaa hum lahumul mansooroon

﴾162﴿ You cannot mislead anyone with it
﴾163﴿ Except for the one who is destined to enter the Fire
﴾164﴿ And indeed, we are those who glorify (Allah)
﴾165﴿ And indeed, we are those who stand in rows
﴾166﴿ And surely, we are indeed those who glorify (God)
﴾167﴿ And surely, they were the ones who used to say
﴾168﴿ If there had been a book from the former people with us
﴾169﴿ Surely, we would have been servants of Allah, the Most High, who are saved
﴾170﴿ But they denied the Reminder, so soon they will come to know
﴾171﴿ And indeed, Our promise has already preceded for Our servants who are the messengers
﴾172﴿ Surely, they are indeed the ones who will be granted victory

[164,165,166] This is a transmitted (revealed) proof from the angels — meaning, your deities are incapable of leading anyone astray, because they themselves are utterly submissive to Allah the Exalted.
In this context, an implied phrase is present in the wording, namely “the angels say…” (taqūlu’l-malā’ikah). This is a refutation of the polytheists who worship angels, similar to the beginning of the surah.
(مَقَامٌ مَعْلُومٌ) – According to a hadith reported in Tirmidhi, it is established that there is no space in the heavens the width of four fingers or even a handspan except that an angel is standing there or in prostration.
[167,168,169,170] This is a warning to the polytheists after the proof has been firmly established against them.
(ذِكْرًا مِنَ الْأَوَّلِينَ) – What is meant here is the stories and events of the earlier prophets (peace be upon them), as mentioned in this surah.
Their request (for reminders and signs) was fulfilled, yet they still do not believe.
[171,172,173] After the warning and intimidation of the deniers, there is a worldly glad tidings for the messengers and the believers.
Question: In the Noble Qur’an, the killing of ten prophets is mentioned in ten verses through narrative style. Is this not contradictory to divine support and victory?
Answer: There are several responses to this:
First: Al-Khatib al-Shirbini and other commentators have mentioned that victory and support can appear in different forms: sometimes as a triumph through proof (hujjah), sometimes as political power and dominance, and sometimes as the continuity and establishment of religion. Therefore, a believer, even if seemingly defeated at certain times due to worldly weaknesses, is in fact victorious in the Hereafter. Hence, the ruling is based on what prevails in the end. So, this does not contradict the killing of some prophets or the many defeats of believers.
(Translation of the passage from Siraj al-Munir)
Second answer: This divine promise of support is specific to messengers (rusul) who brought independent religious laws (ashab al-sharā’iʿ). The killing of prophets refers to those who were not bringers of such laws. This opinion is transmitted by Qurtubi from Hasan al-Basri. For this reason, in verses of divine support, the word “rasūl” (messenger) is used, while in verses about being killed, the attribute “nabī” (prophet) is mentioned. This is considered the stronger response.
Those who, based on this promise of support, deny altogether that any prophet was ever killed and reinterpret the verses of prophet-killing — their approach resembles interpretative distortion. The Qur’an is far removed from such interpretations.
Moreover, hadiths on this matter are explicit — for example: “The people who will face the severest punishment on the Day of Judgment are those who killed a prophet or were killed by a prophet.” [al-Nihāyah by Ibn al-Athīr, Vol. 4, p. 13]