14-42 And think not Allah to be heedless of what the unjust do. He only respites them to a day when the eyes will stare (in terror),
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍۢ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ (۴۳)
14-42: يُؤَخِّرُ – It means delay or deferment and its opposite is تقدیم or advancement, bringing forward.
تَشْخَص – شَخۡص is a multitude of people who can be seen from afar, and a body that is high and visible. Hence the meaning of شَخَص is given as اِرۡتَفَعَ rising, lifting, ascending, that is, the thing became elevated. The meaning of شَخَصَ البَصَرُ is for the eyes to open so that they do not blink. A hadith about death has the statement: شَخَصَ بَصَرُہٗ by which is meant the eyes became fixedly open and the eyesight faded (LA) as in: فَإِذَا هِىَ شَـٰخِصَةٌ أَبْصَـٰرُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ :the eyes of those who disbelieve will be fixedly open (21:97).
Imagery of chastisement: When the opponents keep on succeeding in their plans to erase the truth, a thought that arises in many minds is that if Allah is seeing this why does He not chastise them? The reply given here is that Allah does not hasten to chastise people and gives them more time until the day arrives when the eyes are fixedly open, and that is the time of death. This can mean the actual time of death of an unjust person, or the day of chastisement when many hearts experience what they would go through at the time of death. The next verse makes it clear that this is the day of chastisement when the severity of the reckoning produces suffering similar to being in the throes of death.
14-43 Hastening forward, their heads upraised, their gaze not returning to them, and their hearts vacant.a
مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْـِٔدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌۭ (۴۳)
14-43a: مُهْطِعِين – The meaning of ھَطَعَ and اَھۡطَعَ is to come towards a thing staring at it. It also means to come running towards a thing in a state of extreme terror. The word is only used to describe a state of fear. In one saying, مُھطِع is one who looks up in a state of humility and indignity and مُقۡنِع is one who looks on with his head raised in a state of dishonor, as in مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى ٱلدَّاعِ :Hastening to the Inviter (54:8).
مُقْنِعِى – قَنَاعة means to be satisfied with a little, and قَنُوع means to ask. Derived from it is قانع meaning satisfied; content , as in: وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْقَانِعَ وَٱلْمُعْتَرَّ:and feed the contented one and the beggar (22:36) where the meaning is one who asks, and one who does not entreat, that is he asks but becomes content with a little. The meaning of اَقۡنع راسَهٗ is head upraised, because قِنَاع is that with which the head is covered (R).
The portrayal here is of a time when proud and haughty people are vanquished and come before the very people they had treated unjustly. Their heads are shamefully hanging, yet they also look up, terror stricken.
14-44 And warn people of a day when the chastisement will come to them, then the wrongdoers will say: Our Lord, respite us to a near term, we will respond to Thy call and follow the messengers. Did you not swear before that there will be no passing away for you?a
وَأَنذِرِ ٱلنَّاسَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ فَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ أَخِّرْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ قَرِيبٍۢ نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِعِ ٱلرُّسُلَ ۗ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوٓا۟ أَقْسَمْتُم مِّن قَبْلُ مَا لَكُم مِّن زَوَالٍۢ (۴۴)
14-44a: زَوَالٍۢ – The meaning of زال is something made to change its usual condition or prior state, as inلِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ ٱلْجِبَالُ :that the mountains should be moved thereby (14:46); أَن تَزُولَا :lest they come to naught (35:41); وَلَئِن زَالَتَآ : And if they come to naught (35:41). زَوَالٍۢ is only said for something that was initially whole or strong but then its condition changes. It is in the same context that the word is used in زَوَالٍۢ آفتاب , declining of the sun, because the sun is fully radiant at noon and then declines in its strength (R).
There is a clear indication in this verse that a time will come when the opponents lose their rule and power. Therefore, they will be reminded of the past time when, intoxicated with power and dominance, they used to declare that their might would never decline.
14-45 And you dwell in the abodes of those who wronged themselves, and it is clear to you how We dealt with them and We made (them) examples for you.a
وَسَكَنتُمْ فِى مَسَـٰكِنِ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ (۴۵)
14-45a: The nations referred to are those that lived and held power in Arabia or its environs and whose narratives and the consequence of their rejections are given in the Quran.
14-46 And they have indeed planned their plan, and their plan is with Allah, though their plan is such that the mountains should be moved thereby.a
وَقَدْ مَكَرُوا۟ مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِندَ ٱللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِن كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ ٱلْجِبَالُ (۴۶)
14-46a: Plans of the Quraish: The reference here is to the Quraish and their designs, mentioned elsewhere as: وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ ۚ: And when those who disbelieved devised plans against thee that they might confine thee or slay thee or drive thee away (8:30). The opponents had crafted such a strong plan that it is metaphorically referred to as having the strength to blast away mountains, but Allah the Most Powerful controls everything and He gives assurance that He will not let their designs succeed. This is the meaning of عِندَ ٱللَّهِ مَكْرُهُمْ : their plan is with Allah.
14-47 So think not that Allah will fail in His promise to His messengers. Surely Allah is Mighty, the Lord of retribution.a
فَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِفَ وَعْدِهِۦ رُسُلَهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌۭ ذُو ٱنتِقَامٍۢ (۴۷)
14-47a: Great stress is laid on the fulfillment of Allah’s promises to the Messengers because there were immense challenges yet to be faced by the Holy Prophet, in which it would seem that the religion of Islam was finished. The verse reminds tells us that Islam will never end, and the promise of Allah for the domination of Islam will certainly come true.a
14-48 On the day when the earth will be changed into a different earth, and the heavens (as well), and they will come forth to Allah, the One, the Supreme.a
يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ ٱلْأَرْضُ غَيْرَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتُ ۖ وَبَرَزُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلْوَٰحِدِ ٱلْقَهَّارِ (۴۸)
14-48a: Chastisement is promised in this world and the next: All the promises of chastising the disbelievers in the Quran can be applied to the next world as well as to this world. Similarly, the changing of heaven and earth is applicable to the Hereafter and in a sense to this world as well. When the whole of Arabia bowed down before Islam, idol worship was replaced by the worship of One God, no trace was left of idols, ignorance was replaced with the spread of knowledge, this was truly a transformation of the heaven and earth. The statement in the next verse of the guilty linked together in chains was seen after the battles that Muslims had to fight.
14-49 And thou wilt see the guilty on that day linked together in chainsa —
وَتَرَى ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِى ٱلْأَصْفَادِ (۴۹)
14-49a: مُقَرَّنِينَ – قرن or اقتران is the coupling or linking of two or more things, and قَرَّنَ has an element of excess or augmentation. Based on this meaning there are terms like قَرِین ہمنشین or my twin brother, and قَرۡن نسل and in the Quran: أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ :or angels come with him in procession (43:53).
أَصْفَاد – It is the plural of صَفَد which means chain, shackle, fetter.
14-50 Their shirts made of pitch, and fire covering their faces,
سَرَابِيلُهُم مِّن قَطِرَانٍۢ وَتَغْشَىٰ وُجُوهَهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ (۵۰)
14-50a: سَرَابِيلُ – It is the plural of سِربال which means a shirt, garment, dress or coat of mail which can be made of any material, as in سَرَٰبِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ ٱلْحَرَّ وَسَرَٰبِيلَ تَقِيكُم بَأْسَكُمْ ۚ : He has given you garments to save you from the heat, and coats of mail to save you in your fighting (16:81).
قَطِرَان – It means melted pitch or resin. In another place in the Quran قَطِرَان is used to mean molten brass, as in: ءَاتُونِىٓ أُفْرِغْ عَلَيْهِ قِطْرًۭا :Bring me molten brass to pour over it (18:96). قُطۡر means direction, side, from, towards, and its plural is اقطار , as in: أَن تَنفُذُوا۟ مِنْ أَقْطَارِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ :if you are able to pass through the regions of the heavens and the earth (55:33); وَلَوْ دُخِلَتْ عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَقْطَارِهَا :And if an entry were made upon them from the outlying parts of it (33:14) (R).
14-51 That Allah may repay each soul what it has earned. Surely Allah is Swift in reckoning.
لِيَجْزِىَ ٱللَّهُ كُلَّ نَفْسٍۢ مَّا كَسَبَتْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ (۵۱)
14-52 This is a message for the people and that they may be warned thereby, and that they may know that He is One God, and that men of understanding may mind.
هَـٰذَا بَلَـٰغٌۭ لِّلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنذَرُوا۟ بِهِۦ وَلِيَعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَـٰهٌۭ وَٰحِدٌۭ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ (۵۲)
14-52a: Outcome of propagation: The outcome is that people should recognize the Unity of Allah, and it happened that all of Arabia bowed their heads before the Oneness of Allah. The transformation that was wrought in Arabia will be seen in some form or another all over the world.
Bayan-ul-Quran 