Tafseer of The Light · An-Noor · 24:57
Never think that the disbelievers are causing failure [to Allah] upon the earth. Their refuge will be the Fire - and how wretched the destination.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His statement لا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ ("do not suppose that those who disbelieve can escape on earth"): Allah the Exalted says: do not suppose, O Muḥammad, that those who do not believe in Allah can elude His power on earth when He wills to destroy them. وَمَأْوَاهُمْ — and their refuge after their destruction — النَّارُ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ ("is the Fire — and how evil is that destination") — that refuge is the worst conceivable goal.
Some used to read: لا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا with a yāʾ — but this is a weak view among the Arabic grammarians. The reason is that the verb taḥsaba requires two objects in the accusative (manṣūb). When one reads yaḥsabanna, it has only one object, not two — though I am of the opinion that the one who chose the yāʾ reading held that the verb had exerted all its grammatical effect upon مُعْجِزِينَ and that its second object was فِي الأرْضِ . But that carries no meaning if that is what is intended.
