َ وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا ﴿۱۴﴾ ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ ﴿۱۵﴾ كَلَّا إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا ﴿۱۶﴾ سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا ﴿۱۷﴾ إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ ﴿۱۸﴾ فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿۱۹﴾ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ﴿۲۰﴾ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ﴿۲۱﴾ ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ ﴿۲۲﴾

﴾14﴿ Wa mahhattu lahoo tamheeda
﴾15﴿ Summa yat ma'u an azeed
﴾16﴿ Kallaaa innahoo kaana li Aayaatinaa 'aneedaa
﴾17﴿ Sa urhiquhoo sa'oodaa
﴾18﴿ Innahoo fakkara wa qaddar
﴾19﴿ Faqutila kayfa qaddar
﴾20﴿ Summa qutila kaifa qaddar
﴾21﴿ Summa nazar
﴾22﴿ Summa 'abasa wa basar

﴾14﴿ And We prepared for him all (that was needed)
﴾15﴿ He still covets that I should give him more
﴾16﴿ Never! Surely, he is indeed an opponent of Our signs
﴾17﴿ So surely, I will raise him to a great height
﴾18﴿ Surely, he thought and calculated
﴾19﴿ So may he be destroyed—how did he calculate
﴾20﴿ Again, may he be destroyed—how did he calculate
﴾21﴿ Then he looked
﴾22﴿ Then he frowned and his color changed

[16] (‘Anīdan) – Refers to someone whose habit and lifestyle has become persistent opposition.
He shows stubborn hostility toward tawḥīd, prophethood, the Qur’an, and the news of resurrection (ba‘th).
He resists every word of truth—not out of ignorance, but knowingly rejects it despite having knowledge.
[17] This is a warning directed toward the one who is persistently hostile (‘anīd).
(Ṣa‘ūdan) – Refers to a punishment of severe hardship, with no relief or ease.
It can also mean a torment that is continuous and exhausting.
According to a ḥadīth narrated by Aḥmad and al-Tirmidhī, Ṣa‘ūd is described as a mountain which takes seventy years to climb, and after reaching the top, the person is thrown down—only to be made to climb it again.
However, Ibn Kathīr states that this ḥadīth is gharīb (unusual) and munkar (weak or rejected).
Thus, the stronger interpretation is that ṣa‘ūd symbolizes unbearable and relentless torment.
[18,19,20] This section explains the meaning of ‘anād (obstinate rejection) mentioned in ‘anīdan, by describing ten states of those who deny the Qur’an and the Messenger—each stated for rebuke and condemnation.
(Fakkara) – Means: when he was asked about the Qur’an and the Prophet, he began to think—not to understand the truth, but to devise a way to attack or criticize.
(Qaddara) – He formulated a plan in his heart to mock or discredit the message.
(Fa-qutila kaifa qaddara) – This is a form of du‘ā’ sharr (a curse)—but from Allah, it is not metaphorical; it is a real pronouncement of destruction and curse.
(Thumma qutila) – The repetition emphasizes the intensity of the curse. The first may refer to worldly destruction, and the second to punishment in the Barzakh (intermediate realm).
The verb qaddara (he planned) is also repeated, indicating he crafted two kinds of accusations:
1. That the Qur’an is magic (siḥr), and
2. That it is merely human speech (qawlu al-bashar)—as mentioned in the following verses.
[21,22,23] In (Thumma naẓar), there is an indication that while thinking, he either closed his eyes or looked downward in concentration. Then, after thinking, he lifted his gaze and looked toward the people.
(‘Abasa) – When a person doesn’t reach a clear conclusion, their heart tightens, and the forehead wrinkles in frustration. These wrinkles between the eyes are referred to as ‘abasa.
Interestingly, the root of the word ‘abasa refers to dry animal dung, suggesting a rough, hardened appearance—mirroring the facial expression.
(Basara) – After the frown, the distress appears on the face, causing the face to pale or appear as if covered with dust. This is called basar, meaning a change in facial expression due to anxiety or stress.
(Thumma adbara wa-stakbara) – The word “thumma” shows that, despite not finding any real reason to reject the message, he turned away. He was on the verge of belief, but out of pure obstinacy, he rejected it.
This wasn’t out of ignorance, but out of arrogance (istikbār).
Istikbār means to deem the truth and its people insignificant, and to deny the truth despite knowing it.
As mentioned in a ḥadīth: arrogance is “to reject the truth and to belittle people.”