14-28 Seest thou not those who change Allah’s favor for disbelief and make their people to alight in the abode of perdition —a
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ بَدَّلُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ كُفْرًۭا وَأَحَلُّوا۟ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ ٱلْبَوَارِ (۲۸)
14-28a: بَوَار – It means کَسَاد extreme dullness of market, stagnation, and a derived meaning is doom, perish or perdition, as in: يَرْجُونَ تِجَـٰرَةًۭ لَّن تَبُورَ :hope for a gain that perishes not (35:29); وَمَكْرُ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُوَ يَبُورُ:And their plan will perish (35:10); وَكُنتُمْ قَوْمًۢا بُورًۭا :and you are a people doomed to perish (48:12).
By Allah’s favor is meant Divine revelation, or the Quran, and by changing Allah’s favor is meant not accepting it and adopting disbelief instead. This is as if favor is traded for disbelief. It refers to the people of Makkah who instead of accepting the favor of Allah are bent upon expelling the Holy Prophet who has brought this favor. The outcome of this action is the doom of their nation.
14-29 Hell. They will burn in it. And an evil place it is to settle in!
جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْقَرَارُ (۲۹)
14-30 And they set up equals with Allah to lead astray from His path. Say: Enjoy yourselves, for surely your return is to the Fire.
وَجَعَلُوا۟ لِلَّهِ أَندَادًۭا لِّيُضِلُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِهِۦ ۗ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا۟ فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِ (۳۰)
14-31 Tell My servants who believe to keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them, secretly and openly, before the coming of the day in which there is no bartering, nor befriending.a
قُل لِّعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُنفِقُوا۟ مِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ سِرًّۭا وَعَلَانِيَةًۭ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِىَ يَوْمٌۭ لَّا بَيْعٌۭ فِيهِ وَلَا خِلَـٰلٌ (۳۱)
14-31a: Keeping up prayer and spending in the way of Allah is prescribed as the remedy for the difficulties being faced at that time at the hands of the disbelievers. See 2-254a for the day in which there will be no bartering nor befriending.
14-32 Allah is He Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down water from the clouds, then brought forth with it fruits as a sustenance for you, and He has made the ships subservient to you to run their course in the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subservient to you.
ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَخْرَجَ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ رِزْقًۭا لَّكُمْ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْفُلْكَ لِتَجْرِىَ فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِأَمْرِهِۦ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرَ (۳۲)
14-33 And He has made subservient to you the sun and the moon, pursuing their courses; and He has made subservient to you the night and the day.
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ دَآئِبَيْنِ ۖ وَسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ ٱلَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ (۳۳)
14-34 And He gives you of all you ask of Him. And if you count Allah’s favors, you will not be able to number them. Surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful.
وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ۚ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ ۗ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌۭ كَفَّارٌۭ (۳۴)
14-34a: تُحْصُو – حَصَی is a pebble and since in ancient times pebbles were used for counting (or because counting was taught by pebbles) hence the meaning of اِحۡصَاء became to acquire something by enumeration or reckoning, as in أَحْصَىٰ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ عَدَدًۢا :He keeps account of all things (72:28); عَلِمَ أَن لَّن تُحْصُوهُ:He knows that (all of) you are not able to do it (73:20).
ظَلُومٌۭ And كَفَّارٌ – These are the superlative forms of ظالم or unjust and کافر or ungrateful, meaning very unjust and very ungrateful.
Subservience of sun, moon etc.: After mentioning in the previous two verses that Allah has made subservient and put to work for humans, the sun and moon, and the night and day, in this verse this concept is generalized by stating that everything has been placed in the service of humans and we use these resources to our advantage. Humans can benefit from these things as much as they want to, and their efforts reflect the desire to benefit. Wind, clouds, electricity, fire, water etc. all serve humans because they benefit us. The more that humans put these things to their use, the greater is the benefit that they derive from them. Just as humans benefit from the worldly blessings of Allah, they should endeavor to benefit from the spiritual blessings of Allah. Why would one unjustly and ungratefully disregard spiritual blessings? Divine revelation provides spiritual benefits just like the sun and moon provide physical benefits. When man rejects Divine revelation, he deprives himself of its benefits, and in consequence has to bear suffering and distress, just as he would if he deprived himself of physical blessings. Another point that is conveyed in this verse is that the things people tend to worship are actually created to be subservient and in service to them.
Bayan-ul-Quran 