Tafseer of The Reality · Al-Haaqqa · 69:10
And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity].
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 saying: فَعَصَوْا رَسُولَ رَبِّهِمْ ("They disobeyed the messenger of their Lord"). He, exalted is His praise, says: these whom Allah has mentioned — and they are Pharaoh and those who were before him and the overturned cities (al-muʾtafikāt) — disobeyed the messenger of their Lord.
His saying: فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً ("and He seized them with an excessive seizing"). He says: their Lord seized them because of their denial of His messengers with a seizing — that is to say: an increasing, severe, growing seizing. It is derived from their expression "arbaytu" — when someone takes more than he has given, [derived] from ribā (usury). One says: "arbayta fa-rabā ribāka" ("you have practiced usury and your usury has grown"), and "the silver and the gold have grown (rabaw)."
And in the sense of what we have said about this, the scholars of exegesis spoke.
* Mention of those who said that:
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً , he said: severe.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying: فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً , that is to say: a severe seizing.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the saying of Allah: فَأَخَذَهُمْ أَخْذَةً رَابِيَةً , he said: just as in good there is a "rābiya" (increase), so in evil there is also a "rābiya." He said: "rabā ʿalayhim" — it increased over them. And he recited the saying of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَصَدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَاهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ ("Indeed, those who disbelieved and turned away from the path of Allah, We increased their punishment above the punishment"), and he recited the saying of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: وَالَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا زَادَهُمْ هُدًى وَآتَاهُمْ تَقْوَاهُمْ ("And those who followed the guidance, He increased them in guidance and gave them their godfearingness"). He says: for these the good increased, and for these the evil.
