The Sovereignty (Al-Mulk): (27) Then when they see it as a near thing...

Then the Almighty clarified their state when that promised threat arrived, saying: {Then when they see it as a near thing (zulfa), the faces of those who disbelieved will become distressed}. In this verse, there are several issues:

The First Issue: His saying {Then when they see it}

The pronoun refers to the promised threat (the punishment). Al-Zulfa means closeness. The meaning is: "Then when they see it close," or perhaps, when its approach becomes intense, it is described as if it is the very essence of closeness. Al-Hasan said it means "direct sight (mu'ayanah)," but this is an interpretation of the meaning, not a literal explanation, because anything close to a person is seen directly.

The Second Issue: His saying: {the faces of those who disbelieved will become distressed (sū’at)}

Ibn Abbas said: Their faces will become blackened, covered with gloom and darkness. Al-Zajjaj said: Evil (al-sū’) becomes apparent on them. The root of sū’ is ugliness, and sayyi’ah (evil/distress) is the opposite of hasanah (goodness). It is said: sā’a al-shay’u yasū’u fa-huwa sayyi’ if it becomes ugly, and sayyi’a yusā’u if it becomes ugly. It can be intransitive or transitive. Thus, the meaning of {sū’at wujūhuhum} is that their faces became ugly, afflicted by gloom, covered by darkness and grimness, and they became frowning, their faces like the face of one being led to execution.

The Third Issue: Understanding the Tense

Know that His saying {Then when they see it as a near thing (zulfa)} is a report about the past. If the promised threat mentioned in {And they say, "When is this threat [due]?"} (Al-Mulk: 25) is interpreted as the general punishment, then the interpretation of this verse becomes easy. For this reason, Abu Muslim said regarding {Then when they see it as a near thing}: meaning when the destructive punishment of Allah comes upon them, like what befell 'Ad and Thamud, their faces become distressed as it nears them.

However, for those who interpreted that promise as the Day of Resurrection, His saying {Then when they see it as a near thing} means: "So whenever they see it as a near thing." This is because {Then when they see it as a near thing} is a report about the past, while the events of the Resurrection are future, not past. Therefore, the word must be interpreted as we have stated. Muqatil said: {Then when they see it as a near thing} means: when they see the punishment in the Hereafter approaching.

Regarding His saying: {And this is that which you used to call for}

In this phrase, there are several issues:

Some said the speakers are the Zabāniyah (the angels of Hell). Others said that some of them (the disbelievers) say this to one another.

There are several interpretations:

1. From Du‘ā’ (Calling/Requesting): Al-Farrā’ said it means you used to call for it, meaning you requested and hastened it. Tad‘ūn and tad‘ūn are the same in language, like tadhkurūn and tadhkurūn (you remember).
2. From Da‘wā (Claim/Assertion): This means this is what you used to deny, meaning you claimed it was false and would never come to you, or this is what you used to claim regarding your denial of resurrection.
3. As a Rhetorical Question of Denial: It could be an interrogative statement meant to express strong denial: "Is this the thing you used to claim?" No, rather, you used to claim its non-existence.

Ya‘qūb al-Hadrami recited {tad‘ūn} with a light dāl (implying du‘ā’ - calling/requesting). The Seven Reciters recited {tad‘ūn} with a heavy dāl (implying idda‘ā’ - claiming/asserting).

{7} Say, "Inform me: If Allah should destroy me and those with me or have mercy upon us, then who will protect the disbelievers from a painful punishment?"