And when it was known that the one commanded to convey to them and warn them of this warning ﷺ is in the utmost mercy for them [and compassion towards them -] it is such that it is extremely difficult for him to understand this saying of their destruction if they do not believe. [And -] he loves to be patient with them. So, glorified is He, the address turned to him, adding to what is decreed: for indeed, our delay with them and our forbearance towards them and our informing them of Our great power has been prolonged, while they do not return, and our admonition to them has increased, and our words have been conveyed among them through the tongues of our messengers, blessings and peace be upon them, while they persist and do not stop. His saying depicts [to them -] what He has warned them of in a tangible matter, for indeed, the observed matters are more striking for a person due to his attachment to the imagination, confirming the indication that disbelief alongside the establishment of proofs is something that must be denied, so he hardly believes: ﴿And indeed, they have denied﴾ and transgressed and rebelled and turned away and acted arrogantly and persisted with their faces (p-251) and their hearts ﴿those﴾.

And when this disbelief did not encompass those of the past, He said: ﴿before them﴾ meaning the disbelievers of the past nations.

And when glorified is He had given them respite, then took them after a long forbearance with a taking that left His news, and it has not been erased until now despite the passage of time, its traces remain. So, it was such that one would ask about it due to the greatness of its conditions, and the severity of its earthquakes and the horror of its matters. He caused this by His saying, alerting them to the remembrance of that punishment, even by asking about it: ﴿So how was My denial﴾ meaning My denial against them for what I afflicted them with from the punishment in the establishment of its existence and the horror of its matter. For He combined to the consolation the utmost threat.