Tafseer of The Forgiver · Ghafir · 40:22
That was because their messengers were coming to them with clear proofs, but they disbelieved, so Allah seized them. Indeed, He is Powerful and severe in 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 discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانَت تَّأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ فَكَفَرُوا۟ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ (That was because their messengers used to come to them with the clear proofs, but they disbelieved, so Allah seized them. Indeed, He is Strong, severe in punishment) (22).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: This which I did to those communities, which were before the polytheists (mushrikīn) of the Quraysh, in our destroying them on account of their sins — We did that to them because the messengers of Allah came to them with the clear proofs — He means by this the signs that point to the truth of that to which He invited them, namely the oneness of Allah (tawḥīd) and adhering to His obedience. فَكَفَرُوا۟ (but they disbelieved) He says: they denied their message, rejected the oneness of Allah, and refused to obey Allah. فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ (so Allah seized them) He says: so Allah seized them with His punishment and destroyed them. إِنَّهُۥ قَوِيٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ (Indeed, He is Strong, severe in punishment) He says: indeed, Allah is the possessor of a strength which nothing can overwhelm and nothing can overcome, and nothing that He wills can render Him powerless; severe in His punishment of whomever He punishes among His creatures. And this is a threat from Allah to the polytheists of the Quraysh, who deny His messenger Muḥammad — may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He, exalted be His praise, says to them: Beware then, O people, lest you tread their path in denying Muḥammad — may Allah bless him and grant him peace — and rejecting the oneness of Allah and opposing His command and His prohibition, lest He cause you, in hastening your destruction, to go along their path.
