'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' His saying, exalted and glorified is He: "And We certainly seized them with punishment, but they did not humble themselves to their Lord, nor did they supplicate." "Until when We opened upon them a door of severe punishment, suddenly they were in despair therein." This is news from Allah, exalted and glorified is He, about their arrogance and tyranny after they were afflicted with hunger. This is a saying reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Ibn Jurayj that 'the punishment' is hunger and the well-known drought that befell them until they ate the skins and what was similar to them. And that 'the door' promised is on the day of Badr. However, this saying is refuted by the fact that the drought that afflicted them was after the incident of Badr. It has been reported that when hardship reached them, Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, and said: 'Aren't you claiming, O Muhammad, that you were sent as a mercy to the worlds?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Then you have killed the fathers with the sword and the sons with hunger, and we have eaten the alhaza.' So the verse was revealed.' And 'they did not humble themselves' means: they did not lower themselves and show humility. It is possible that it is from 'sukoon' (calmness), and it must be that it is 'they did not humble themselves.' It is directed that the opening of the kaf has led to the generation of the alif, and the morphology indicates that it is from 'kana,' and its form is (istaf'ala), while in the first case, its form is (ift'ala). And the fact that it is from 'kana' is clearer, and the meaning is: they did not seek to be for their Lord people of obedience and servants of goodness. It has been reported from Al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him, that he said: 'When people are afflicted by calamity from the devil, it is indeed a blessing. So do not face the blessing of Allah with arrogance, but rather face it with seeking forgiveness, and humble yourselves and supplicate to Allah.' And he recited this verse: "And We certainly seized them with punishment, but they did not humble themselves to their Lord, nor did they supplicate." And 'the severe punishment' is either on the day of Badr with swords, as some of them said, or it is a threat of unspecified punishment, which is the correct view due to what we mentioned about the famine preceding Badr. It has been reported from Mujahid that the punishment and the severe door is all the famine of Quraysh. The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: 'This is good. The 'seizure' was at the beginning of the matter, then the door was opened at its end when they were in despair, and Abu Sufyan came.' And 'the despair' is that which has descended upon them as evil, and they have despaired of its removal and replacement with goodness.