Tafsir

Comforting the Messenger of Allah ﷺAllah says to His Messenger, while comforting him in facing his people's denial of him,وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ`(And indeed (many) Messengers were mocked at before you), so you have a good example in them,فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ(but I granted respite to those who disbelieved,) deferred their judgment for a term appointed,ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ(and finally I punished them.) with encompassing punishment. How did you obtain the news of how I gave them respite and then took them with punishment' Allah said in another Ayah,وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ(And many a township did I give respite while it was given to wrongdoing. Then (in the end) I seized it (with punishment).

And to Me is the (final) return (of all).)22:48 It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet said,«إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه»(Verily, Allah gives respite to the unjust until when He seizes him, He never lets go of him.) The Messenger ﷺ next recited this Ayah,وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His punishment is painful, (and) severe.)11:102أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَآئِمٌ عَلَى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَجَعَلُواْ للَّهِ شُرَكَآءَ قُلْ سَمُّوهُمْ أَمْ تُنَبِّئُونَهُ بِمَا لاَ يَعْلَمُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَم بِظَـهِرٍ مِّنَ الْقَوْلِ بَلْ زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّواْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ

it was said to comfort him: وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِئَ بِرُ‌سُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عِقَابِ (And Messengers have been mocked at before you, so I let the disbelievers go on for a while. Then I seized them. So, how was My punishment?) In other words, it means that conditions faced by the Holy Prophet were not faced by him alone. There were prophets before him who had been facing similar conditions when their deniers were not seized immediately upon the commitment of their crime and they continued to make fun of the prophets. When they reached the limit, they were seized by Divine punishment and what a seizure that was which left none of them active enough to go on with their confrontation.

وإذا كانوا قد سخروا من دعوتك -أيها الرسول- فلقد سَخِرَتْ أمم من قبلك برسلهم، فلا تحزن فقد أمهلتُ الذين كفروا، ثم أخذتُهم بعقابي، وكان عقابًا شديدًا.

يقول تعالى مسليا لرسوله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - في تكذيب من كذبه من قومه : ( ولقد استهزئ برسل من قبلك ) أي : فلك فيهم أسوة ، ( فأمليت للذين كفروا ) أي : أنظرتهم وأجلتهم ، ( ثم أخذتهم ) أخذة رابية ، فكيف بلغك ما صنعت بهم وعاقبتهم ؟ كما قال تعالى : ( وكأين من قرية أمليت لها وهي ظالمة ثم أخذتها وإلي المصير ) [ الحج : 48 ] وفي الصحيحين : " إن الله ليملي للظالم حتى إذا أخذه لم يفلته " ، ثم قرأ رسول الله ، صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( وكذلك أخذ ربك إذا أخذ القرى وهي ظالمة إن أخذه أليم شديد ) [ هود : 102 ] .