Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Allah tells them how much they wasted in their short lives in this world by failing to obey Allah and worship Him Alone. If they had been patient during their short stay in this world, they would have attained victory just like His pious close friends. قَـلَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ (He will say: "What number of years did you stay on earth") means, how long did you stay in this world قَالُواْ لَبِثْنَا يَوْماً أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ فَاسْأَلِ الْعَآدِّينَ (They will say: "We stayed a day or part of a day. Ask of those who keep account.") meaning, those who keep the records. قَالَ إِن لَّبِثْتُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً (He will say: "You stayed not but a little...") meaning, it was only a short time, no matter how you look at it. لَّوْ أَنَّكُمْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (if you had only known!) means, you would not have preferred the transient to the eternal, and treated yourself in this bad way, and earned the wrath of Allah in this short period. If you had patiently obeyed Allah and worshipped Him as the believers did, you would have attained victory just as they did. Allah did not create His Servants in vain أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَـكُمْ عَبَثاً (Did you think that We had created you in play,) means, `did you think that you were created in vain, with no purpose, with nothing required of you and no wisdom on Our part' Or it was said that "in play" meant to play and amuse yourselves, like the animals were created, who have no reward or punishment. But you were created to worship Allah and carry out His commands. وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ تُرْجَعُونَ (and that you would not be brought back to Us) means, that you would not be brought back to the Hereafter. This is like the Ayah: أَيَحْسَبُ الإِنسَـنُ أَن يُتْرَكَ سُدًى (Does man think that he will be left neglected) 75:36 فَتَعَـلَى اللَّهُ الْمَلِكُ الْحَقُّ (So Exalted be Allah, the True King.) means, sanctified be He above the idea that he should create anything in vain, for He is the True King Who is far above doing such a thing. لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْكَرِيمِ (None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Lord of Al-`Arsh Al-Karim!) The Throne is mentioned because it is the highest point of all creation, and it is described as Karim, meaning beautiful in appearance and splendid in form, as Allah says elsewhere: أَنبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ (every good kind We cause to grow therein) 26:7.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Shirk is the Worst form of Wrong, its Practitioner shall never succeed. Allah threatens those who associate anything else withHim and worship anything with Him. He informs that those whoassociate others with Allah: لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ (of whom he has no proof), meaning no evidence for what he says. Then Allah says: وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ (And whoever invokes, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof;) this is a conditional sentence, whose fulfilling clause is: فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ (then his reckoning is only with his Lord.) meaning, Allah will call him to account for that. Then Allah tells us: إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الْكَـفِرُونَ (Surely, disbelievers will not be successful.) meaning, they will not be successful with Him on the Day of Resurrection; they will not prosper or be saved. وَقُل رَّبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأنتَ خَيْرُ الرَحِمِينَ (And say: "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the best of those who show mercy!") Here Allah is teaching us to recite this supplication, for forgiveness, in a general sense, means wiping away sins and concealing them from people, and mercy means guiding a person and helping him to say and do good things.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Shirk is the Worst form of Wrong, its Practitioner shall never succeed. Allah threatens those who associate anything else withHim and worship anything with Him. He informs that those whoassociate others with Allah: لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ (of whom he has no proof), meaning no evidence for what he says. Then Allah says: وَمَن يَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهَا ءَاخَرَ لاَ بُرْهَانَ لَهُ بِهِ (And whoever invokes, besides Allah, any other god, of whom he has no proof;) this is a conditional sentence, whose fulfilling clause is: فَإِنَّمَا حِسَابُهُ عِندَ رَبِّهِ (then his reckoning is only with his Lord.) meaning, Allah will call him to account for that. Then Allah tells us: إِنَّهُ لاَ يُفْلِحُ الْكَـفِرُونَ (Surely, disbelievers will not be successful.) meaning, they will not be successful with Him on the Day of Resurrection; they will not prosper or be saved. وَقُل رَّبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ وَأنتَ خَيْرُ الرَحِمِينَ (And say: "My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the best of those who show mercy!") Here Allah is teaching us to recite this supplication, for forgiveness, in a general sense, means wiping away sins and concealing them from people, and mercy means guiding a person and helping him to say and do good things.