As-Saaffaat (Those drawn up in Ranks)

174. “So turn you away from them for a time,”

175. “And see them, for they soon shall see (their retribution)”

176. “Do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?”

At first there must be warning, admonition, and ultimatum and after that there comes punishment. In these verses, both for the condolence of the Prophet (S) and the believers, and for emphasis on their victory, and also for threatening the neglectful polytheists the Qur’an says:

“So turn you away from them for a time,”

This is an expressive and frightful threat which originates from the certainty in final Divine victory, specially that it has ambiguously been said ‘for a time’.

The length of this time is not known, whether it is the time of migration, the time of the Battle of Badr, the time of the Conquer of Mecca, or the exact time when the conditions of ultimate and common raise of Muslims against these blind-hearted people will be provided.

Similar to these threats, of course, are seen in some other verses of the Qur’an, such as Surah an-Nisa’, No. 4, verse 81, and Surah Al ’An‘am, No. 6, verse 91.

This sentence is emphasised with another threat in the second verse where it implicitly points to their situation to be seen that it is empty of content: their obstinacy, their lies, their superstitions, and their pertinacities; but they will see the result of their evil deeds soon.

The verse says:

“And see them, for they soon shall see (their retribution)”

Soon they will see the victory of you and the believers over them and their humiliating failure in this world and the Divine punishment in the next world.

Since those obstinate shameless people used to repeat this word that what happened to the promise of Allah about His punishment, and if you, the Prophet, are truthful why do you hesitate?

So, in the third verse, the Qur’an with a threatening tone answers them, saying:

“Do they seek to hasten Our chastisement?”

Sometimes they say:

“…‘When will this promise be, if you are truthful?’”1 ,

and sometimes they say:

“…‘When shall be this victory, if you are truthful?’”2

They should know that the chastisement of Allah will seize them soon.