And when He made clear their foolishness and the severity of their ignorance by their hastening for the punishment, mockingly, it caused a rebuke for those who did not take heed of their condition. So He said: "So Allah made them taste"; meaning: the One whose command cannot be rejected; "the disgrace"; meaning: the humiliation resulting from the disgraceful act; and the great punishment; for what they intended of humiliating the messengers by denying them; "in this worldly life"; meaning: the immediate, lowly life.

And when waiting for relief is among that which brings comfort, He said - informing that their punishment is everlasting; as a means of progressing to what is more severe; and He confirmed it due to their denial of it -: "And the punishment of the Hereafter"; meaning: that which they will transition to by death; and they will go to it by resurrection; "is greater"; than the punishment that destroyed them in this world; and more humiliating for them; for the verse is from the interweaving: He mentioned disgrace first; as evidence of His intention secondly; and the greater secondly; as evidence of the great first; and its secret is the severity of the matter upon them by combining between disgrace and punishment for what they did to His messengers - blessings and peace be upon them - contrary to what comes in "Fussilat"; for its context is to attack the oneness; and it is due to the abundance of its evidence; and its distance from doubts; and the greatness of the one characterized by it; and its lack of effect in anything; is enough for the punishment of the disbeliever with the absolute punishment.

And when one knows that his action leads to punishment, he refrains from it; but they do not refrain; nor do they take heed; He said: "If only they knew"; meaning: if they had any knowledge at all; they would have known that it is greater; so they would have taken heed and believed; but they have no knowledge at all; rather they are like cattle; rather they are more astray; for the particulars do not benefit them as they benefit other animals; for the sheep sees the wolf and flees from it; realizing that there is enmity between it and him due to what Allah created in its nature of eating its kind; and these see what has befallen their likes from punishment for denying the messengers; yet they do not flee from it to belief.