Tafsir of Hud 11:102

"And thus is the seizing of your Lord..."

(And thus) meaning: like the seizing and the destruction that has previously been explained—which is what al-Samin said: a predicate placed forward, and His saying (the seizing of your Lord) is a delayed subject. It is also said: the reverse is the case. The "Kaf" (in Kadhalika) may be treated as a noun or a particle. The reference may also be to the seizing mentioned afterward, as established previously. In the recitation of Abdullah, it is "Kadhalika" (thus) without the "Waw" (and).

(When He seizes the cities)—meaning their inhabitants. It is attributed to the cities to signify the pervasion of its effect. Al-Jahdari and Abu Raja’ recited: "And thus your Lord seized when He seized," where "seized your Lord" is a verb and subject, and the adverb refers to the past. This is a report concerning the habit of Allah the Exalted in destroying the nations that preceded. "Thus" in this reading takes the place of the verbal noun (the masdar of quality), and there is no obstacle to it preceding the verb. The "cities" are disputed by the verbal noun and the verb.

His saying (while they are wrongdoers) is in the position of a state (hal) from "the cities," and therefore the pronoun and the word "wrongdoer" (zalima) are feminine. However, describing the cities as "wrongdoers" is metaphorical; in reality, it is a description of their inhabitants. To make it a state from the implied possessor (the inhabitants) initially, and for the femininity to be acquired from the noun added to it (the cities), is labored. The benefit of this state is to signify that their seizing is on account of their wrongdoing, and therein lies a warning to the oppressor that is manifest. "Wrongdoing" here means either disbelief or something more general. The action of some [scholars] suggests—derived from the absolute nature of the term—that it includes a person’s wrongdoing toward himself and others.

(Indeed, His seizing is painful)—grievous, (severe)—from which no escape is hoped for. This is an exaggeration in threat and warning. The two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and others recorded from Abu Musa al-Ash’ari that he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Indeed, Allah the Exalted grants respite to the wrongdoer until, when He seizes him, He does not let him escape." Then he recited: "And thus is the seizing of your Lord..." until His saying: "...Indeed, His seizing is painful, severe."