Фатир 35:38–45

(He it is Who has made you successors generations after generations in the earth,) meaning, all people succeed one another, generation after generation. This is like the Ayah:

(and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations) (27:62).

(so whosoever disbelieves, on him will be his disbelief.) means, he and no one else will have to bear the consequences of that.

(And the disbelief of the disbelievers adds nothing but hatred of their Lord.) means, the longer they persist in their disbelief, the more Allah hates them, and the longer they persist in it, the more they and their families will lose on the Day of Resurrection. This is in contrast to the believers, for the longer they live and do good deeds, the higher their status in Paradise will be, the greater their reward, and the more beloved they will be to their Creator.

The Helplessness of the false gods and the Power of Allah

Allah tells His Messenger to say to the idolators:

(Have you considered your partners whom you call upon besides Allah) the idols and rivals.

(Show Me what they have created of the earth. Or have they any share in the heavens) meaning, they have nothing at all of that, they do not possess even the membrane covering the stone of a date.

(Or have We given them a Book, so that they act on clear proof therefrom) meaning, `have We revealed to them a Book on which they base their Shirk and disbelief' This is not the case at all.

(Nay, the wrongdoers promise one another nothing but delusions.) means, they are merely following their own whims, opinions and wishes which are their personal desires, and they are no more than misguidance and falsehood. Then Allah tells us of His mighty power, by which the heavens and the earth stand by His command, and the forces that He has placed between them to hold them. He says:

(Verily, Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they should move away from their places,) means, lest they should shift from where they are. This is like the Ayat:

(He withholds the heaven from falling on the earth except by His leave) (22:65), and

(And among His signs is that the heaven and the earth stand by His command) (30:25).

(and if they were to move away from their places, there is not one that could grasp them after Him.) means, no one can make them stay and preserve them except Him. He is Ever Most Forbearing and Oft-Forgiving because He sees His servants disbelieving in Him and disobeying Him, yet He is patient and gives them time, He waits and does not hasten the punishment, and He conceals the faults of others and forgives them. He says:

(Truly, He is Ever Most Forbearing, Oft-Forgiving.)

They longed for a Warner to come, but when He came, They disbelieved in Him

Allah tells us how Quraysh and the Arabs swore by Allah their most binding oath before the Messenger came to them,

لَئِن جَآءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ لَّيَكُونُنَّ أَهْدَى مِنْ إِحْدَى الاٍّمَمِ

(that if a warner came to them, they would be more guided than any of the nations;) i.e., than any of the nations to whom Messengers had been sent. This was the view of Ad-Dahhak and others. This is like the Ayat:

أَن تَقُولُواْ إِنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ الْكِتَبُ عَلَى طَآئِفَتَيْنِ مِن قَبْلِنَا وَإِن كُنَّا عَن دِرَاسَتِهِمْ لَغَفِلِينَ أَوْ تَقُولُواْ لَوْ أَنَّآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا الْكِتَبُ لَكُنَّآ أَهْدَى مِنْهُمْ فَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن كَذَّبَ بِآيَتِ اللَّهِ وَصَدَفَ عَنْهَا

(Lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: "The Book was sent down only to two sects before us, and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied." Or lest you should say: "If only the Book had been sent down to us, we would surely have been better guided than they." So, now has come unto you a clear proof from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy. Who then does more wrong than one who rejects the Ayat of Allah and turns away therefrom) (6:156-157)

وَإِن كَانُواْ لَيَقُولُونَ - لَوْ أَنَّ عِندَنَا ذِكْراً مِّنَ الاٌّوَّلِينَ

لَكُنَّا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ - فَكَفَرُواْ بِهِ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ

(And indeed they (Arab pagans) used to say: "If we had a reminder as had the men of old, We would have indeed been the chosen servants of Allah!" But they disbelieve therein, so they will come to know!) (37:167-170) Allah says:

فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ نَذِيرٌ

(yet when a warner came to them,) -- meaning, Muhammad ﷺ with the Book revealed to him, i.e., the Clear Qur'an,

مَّا زَادَهُمْ إِلاَّ نُفُوراً

(it increased in them nothing but flight (from the truth).) means, they only increased in their disbelief. Then Allah explains this further:

اسْتِكْبَاراً فِى الاٌّرْضِ

((They took to flight because of their) arrogance in the land) means, they were too arrogant to follow the signs of Allah.

وَمَكْرَ السَّيِّىءِ

(and their plotting of evil.) means, they plotted to prevent people from following the path of Allah.

وَلاَ يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّىءُ إِلاَّ بِأَهْلِهِ

(But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes it.) means, the evil consequences of that will come back upon them and not on others.

فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلاَّ سُنَّةَ آلاٌّوَّلِينَ

(Then, can they expect anything (else) but the Sunnah (way of dealing) of the peoples of old) meaning, the punishment of Allah for disbelieving in His Messengers and going against His command.

وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلاً

(and no turning off will you find in Allah's Sunnah.) means, it does not change or alter, and this is what happens to every disbeliever.

وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَحْوِيلاً

(and no turning off will you find in Allah's Sunnah.) means,

وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوءًا فَلاَ مَرَدَّ لَهُ

(But when Allah wills a people's punishment, there can be no turning back of it) (13:11). This means, no one can remove that from them or ward it off from them. And Allah knows best.

Remember the Bad Consequences of disbelieving in the Prophets

Allah says: `say, O Muhammad, to these people who disbelieve the Message you have brought: travel in the land and see what was the punishment of those who disbelieved the Messengers, how Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (end awaits) the disbelievers. See how their homes were emptied of them and how they lost everything after living in luxury and being so numerous and so well equipped, and having so much wealth and so many children. All of that was of no avail to them and could not protect them in the slightest from the punishment of Allah when the command of the Lord came. Nothing is impossible for Him when He wants it to happen in the heavens or on earth.'

(Verily, He is All-Knowing, All-Able.) means, He knows all that exists and is able to do all things.

The Wisdom behind delaying the Punishment Then Allah says:

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth;) meaning, if He were to punish them for all of their sins, He would destroy all the people of the earth and all that they own of livestock and crops. Sa`id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi commented on the Ayah:

(He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth;) "This means, He would have stopped sending rain to them, and all the animals would have died as a result."

(but He gives them respite to an appointed term,) means, but He is delaying until the Day of Resurrection, when He will bring them to account and will reward or punish each one according to his deeds: He will reward those who obeyed Him and will punish those who disobeyed Him. He says:

(and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His servants.) This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Fatir. All praise and gratitude is due to Allah.