Al-Ankabut: (67) "Have they not seen..."

"Have they not seen," meaning: have they not looked and witnessed? "That We have made a sanctuary" — that is, their city [a sanctuary], meaning a place in which many things are forbidden that are not forbidden in other locations. "Secure," meaning: safe for its inhabitants from what would harm them, such as captivity and killing; either because the security of the place is a metonym for the security of its inhabitants, or because the attribution is figurative, or because there is an implied possessive noun in the speech. The inhabitants of Mecca are singled out, even though everyone within it is secure—even birds and wild beasts—because the intention is to remind them of the favor bestowed upon them, and because this [security] is continuous regarding them.

Juwaybir narrated from al-Dahhak, from Ibn Abbas, that the people of Mecca said: "O Muhammad, nothing prevents us from entering your religion except the fear that people will snatch us away due to our small numbers, while the Arabs are more numerous than us; so as soon as they hear that we have entered your religion, they will snatch us away and devour us in one bite." Thus, Allah the Exalted revealed: "Have they not seen that We have made a sanctuary secure, while people are being snatched away from all around them?"

"While people are being snatched away from all around them," meaning: they are being seized from their surroundings through killing and captivity, for the Arabs around them were engaged in mutual raiding and pillaging. The apparent meaning is that the clause is circumstantial, with an implied subject—that is, "while they are being snatched away," etc.

"Do they then believe in falsehood?" meaning: do they, after the manifestation of the Truth about which there is no doubt, or after this evident blessing and others, believe in the idol? It is also said: [they believe] in Satan.

"And disbelieve in the favor of Allah?" — which is that which requires gratitude—by associating others with Him, the Exalted. The object (the prepositional phrase) is brought forward in both instances for the sake of emphasis, as it is the focus of the rebuke, or for the sake of exclusivity by way of hyperbole, because if faith is not exclusive, it is not counted; and because disbelieving in anything other than His favor—the Almighty and Majestic—is not considered disbelief [in the context of this specific rebuke].

Al-Sulami and al-Hasan read [the verbs] "tu’minuna" (you believe) and "takfuruna" (you disbelieve) with the prefix 'ta' for the second person.