Tafsir of Ghafir 40:77

Ghafir (The Forgiver): Verse 77

[Ghafir: 77] So be patient; indeed, the promise of Allah is true...

Know that when the Almighty spoke from the beginning of the Surah up to this point concerning the refutation of the methodology of those who dispute Allah's signs, He commanded His Messenger in this verse to be patient with their harm and their vexation caused by those disputes.

Then He said: {Indeed, the promise of Allah is true}. He means what He promised the Messenger: His support, and the sending down of punishment upon his enemies.

Then He said: {So whether We show you some of what We promise them}, meaning some types of punishment for those disbelievers, such as the killing on the Day of Badr—that is what is desired. {Or We take you in death} before the punishment is sent down upon them, {then to Us they will be returned} on the Day of Resurrection, where We will exact the severest vengeance from them.

This is similar to His saying:

{So if We take you away, then indeed We shall take vengeance upon them, *Or if We show you that which We have promised them, then indeed We are powerful over them} (Az-Zukhruf: 41-42).

Then the Almighty said: {And We have certainly sent messengers before you; of them We have related to you [their stories], and of them We have not related to you}.

The meaning is that He said to Muhammad (peace be upon him): You are like the messengers before you. We have related the condition of some of them to you, and We have not related the condition of the rest. There is none among them whom Allah gave signs and miracles except that his people disputed those signs with him, denied him, and suffered distress similar to what you have suffered, yet they remained patient.

They constantly demanded that the Prophets display miracles exceeding what was necessary, out of obstinacy and stubbornness. Allah Almighty, knowing that displaying what He displayed was beneficial for their well-being, did so; otherwise, He would not have displayed it. This did not detract from their prophethood.

Similarly, when your people demanded extra miracles from you, since displaying them was not beneficial for their well-being, We did not display them. This is what is meant by His saying: {And it was not for any messenger to bring a sign except by permission of Allah...} (This phrase seems to be an incomplete citation or reference to the context following the verse about past messengers).

Then He said: {And when the command of Allah comes, it will be judged in truth}. This is a warning following the demand for signs. {And the losers will be those who denied the truth}. They are the obstinate ones who dispute Allah's signs and demand miracles exceeding what is necessary out of stubbornness.

[Ghafir: 78] Allah is the One who made for you the cattle to ride some of them and some of them to eat. * And for you in them are benefits and [they are used] to reach a destination therein, and upon them and upon the ships you are carried. * And He shows you His signs. So which of the signs of Allah do you deny?}