Surah At-Tur (The Mount): Verse 15

{أَفَسِحْرٌ هَٰذَا أَمْ هُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ} (Is this magic? Or do they not see?)

This verse is a refutation of their denial, establishing the reality of what they are witnessing.

When someone perceives something that contradicts their previous belief, the error lies in one of two places:

1. An issue related to the perceived object itself.
2. An issue related to the perceiver's sight.

Therefore, His statement, {أَفَسِحْرٌ هَٰذَا} (Is this magic?), questions: Is there doubt in what is being seen, or is there a defect in your vision?

This is a rhetorical question expressing denial (Inkar). It means neither of those possibilities is true; what you are seeing is the reality, even though you previously claimed it was not real.

Why did He use the term "magic" (سحر)? They used to attribute extraordinary phenomena (like the splitting of the moon, mentioned previously) to magic. On that Day (the Day of Judgment), when the pain afflicted them—a pain perceived both visually and through the sense of touch, reaching its utmost intensity—they would not be able to claim, "This is magic." If they did, their plea for salvation from the Fire would be invalid.

{اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لَا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ} (Enter it and be patient, or impatient—it is all the same to you. You are only being recompensed for what you used to do.)

Then, the Almighty said: {اصْلَوْهَا فَاصْبِرُوا أَوْ لَا تَصْبِرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ} (Enter it and be patient, or impatient—it is all the same to you. You are only being recompensed for what you used to do.)