Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:23
And the ones who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and the meeting with Him - those have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment.
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.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَلِقَائِهِ أُولَئِكَ يَئِسُوا مِنْ رَحْمَتِي وَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ("And those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and in the meeting with Him — those are the ones who have despaired of My mercy, and those will have a painful punishment") (29:23).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: and those who disbelieve in the proofs of Allah, who deny His indications, and who reject the meeting with Him and the appearance before Him on the Day when the Hour comes: أُولَئِكَ يَئِسُوا مِنْ رَحْمَتِي ("those are the ones who have despaired of My mercy"). The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: those are the ones who have despaired of My mercy in the Hereafter, when they behold with their own eyes what has been prepared for them of punishment (ʿadhāb); and those are the ones for whom there is a painful punishment.
If someone asks: how is this interrupted by these verses, from His words: وَإِنْ تُكَذِّبُوا فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ... ("And if you deny, then nations before you have already denied...") up to His words: إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ ("Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe"), while the connection to His words: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ ("And the answer of his people was nothing but...") — which belongs to the story of Abraham — was let go? And His words: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ... ("Indeed, those whom you worship besides Allah...") up to His words: فَابْتَغُوا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ("So seek provision from Allah, and worship Him and be grateful to Him; to Him you will be returned").
The answer is: this was done because the reports concerning the affair of Noah and Abraham and the people of both, and concerning all the rest of the messengers and communities whom Allah, the Exalted, has mentioned in this sūra and elsewhere, are nothing but an admonition from Allah, the Exalted, to those with whose mention He begins before the interruption by the report, and a warning from Him to them that there will descend upon them what descended upon those others. It is as though in this place it was said: so worship Him and be grateful to Him; to Him you will be returned. Then you denied, O community of Quraysh, your messenger Muḥammad, just as those others denied Abraham. Then, in place of "then you denied," He set: وَإِنْ تُكَذِّبُوا فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ ("And if you deny, then nations before you have already denied"), since this indicates the report about their denial of their messenger. Then He returned to the report about Abraham and his people, and the completion of his story and theirs, with His words: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ ("And the answer of his people was nothing but...").
