His saying - glorified and exalted is He -: "Do they wait except that the angels come to them or your Lord comes or some of the signs of your Lord come? On the Day when some of the signs of your Lord come, a soul will not benefit from its faith if it had not believed before or earned good in its faith. Say, 'Wait, we are waiting.'"

The pronoun in "they wait" refers to the group that was previously addressed with: "Indeed, a clear proof has come to you from your Lord" [Al-An'am: 157]; and they are the ones who are just with their Lord; from the Arabs, most of whom the verses of the Surah have dealt with in their argument; and "they wait" means: they are waiting; and "the angels" here refers to the angels of death, who accompany "Izra'il"; specifically responsible for taking souls; this was said by Mujahid, Qatadah, and Ibn Jurayj; and it is possible that it refers to the angels who are involved in the events of the Hour; Hamzah and Al-Kisai read: "except that they come to them" with a 'ya'; while the others read: "comes to them" with a 'ta' from above.

And His saying, "Or your Lord comes"; Al-Tabari said: "For the position of reckoning on the Day of Resurrection"; and he attributed this to Qatadah and a group of interpreters; and Al-Zajjaj narrates that what is meant by His saying, "Or your Lord comes" is: "The punishment that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, sends down in this world upon whom He wills of His servants; such as cries, earthquakes, and landslides, and the like."

Qadi Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: This statement - in any interpretation - is based on the omission of a supplement; its estimation is: "The command of your Lord"; or: "The grip of your Lord"; or: "The reckoning of your Lord"; otherwise, the coming understood from the language is impossible concerning Allah, glorified and exalted is He; do you not see that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, says: "Then Allah came to them from where they did not expect" [Al-Hashr: 2]? This is a coming that has occurred; and it is metaphorical; and the omission of the supplement.

And His saying, "Or some of the signs of your Lord come"; as for the apparent wording - if we were to stop with it - it implies that He threatened them with the terrifying and famous signs of the Hour; without specifying any condition; He intends by that ambiguity, which leaves the listener with the strongest of his imagination; but when He said after that: "On the Day when some of the signs of your Lord come, a soul will not benefit from its faith"; and the authentic reports in Al-Bukhari and Muslim clarify that the sign that accompanies this condition is the rising of the sun from the west; and it is strengthened that the reference in His saying, "Or your Lord comes or some of the signs of your Lord come" is indeed to the rising of the sun from its west; and this interpretation was supported by Mujahid, Qatadah, Al-Suddi, and others; and it is also possible that the reference is to the gurgling of the person at the time of death; or what occurs in its place; for it is in the hadith that the repentance of the servant is accepted as long as he has not gurgled; and this is consensus; for whoever has gurgled and witnessed is counted among the dead; and the state of the person in this condition is among the signs of Allah, glorified and exalted is He; and this is for the one who sees the angels who are involved in the events of the Hour.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: The purpose of this verse is to threaten the disbelievers with conditions from which they cannot escape; as if he said: "Are they waiting - while they remain upon disbelief - except for the death that will come to them after which is the severest punishment; and the inevitable seizing from Allah - the Mighty and Majestic -; or the signs that will lift the repentance; and inform of the nearness of the Day of Resurrection?".

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: It is correct that he means by his saying: ﴿Or some of the signs of your Lord should come﴾; all that will be established by its occurrence from the signs of the Hour; then he specified - after that - by his saying, the Exalted: ﴿Or some of the signs of your Lord should come﴾; the verse that lifts the repentance along with it; and the hadiths have clarified that it is the rising of the sun from its west.

And Zuhair Al-Furqabi read: "The Day when it comes"; with a raised form; and it is on the beginning; and the news is in the sentence which is: "Will not benefit"; until the end of the verse; and the subject of the sentence is omitted; due to the length of the speech; and Ibn Sirin, and Abdullah ibn Amr, and Abu Al-Aliya read: "Will not benefit"; with a feminine form; and he feminized the faith; when it was added to a feminine noun; or when it was placed in the position of repentance; and the majority of the people of interpretation - as previously mentioned - said: The verse from which repentance does not benefit from polytheism; or from sins after it; is the rising of the sun from the west; and it has been narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that it is one of three; either the rising of the sun from its west; or the emergence of the beast; or the emergence of Gog and Magog.

The judge Abu Muhammad - may Allah have mercy on him - said: And this has a consideration because the hadiths refute it; and specify the sun; and it has been narrated in the hadith that the sun moves every day until it prostrates under the Throne; and seeks permission from Him; and it is permitted to rise from the east; and when Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - intends to close the door of repentance; He commands it to rise from its west; Ibn Mas'ud and others said: "The Prophet - blessings and peace be upon him - said: 'It will rise, she and the moon, like two companion camels'"; and it also strengthens the consideration that the gurgling is the sign with which repentance is lifted.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Or she has earned in her faith good﴾; means all acts of righteousness; both obligatory and voluntary; and this section is for the sinful believers; just as His saying - blessed and exalted -: ﴿Had she not believed before﴾; is for the disbelievers; and the verse referred to cuts off the repentance of both types; and Abu Huraira read: "Or she has earned in her faith righteousness".

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Say: Wait﴾; the verse; contains a warning; meaning: You will see who deserves His words; and it will become clear what He has informed of.