Tafsir of Al-Haqqah 69:10

Al-Haqqah (The Inevitable Reality): Verse 10

فعصوا رسول ربهم (So they disobeyed the Messenger of their Lord.)

Exegesis:

The pronoun referring to "they" (who disobeyed) could relate to:

1. Pharaoh and those before him (mentioned in verse 9): In this case, the Messenger of their Lord is Moses (peace be upon him).
2. The people of the Overturned Cities (Sodom and Gomorrah): In this case, the Messenger of their Lord is Lot (peace be upon him).

Al-Wahidi stated that the most appropriate interpretation is that the term "the Messenger" refers to both messengers, as the news concerns both nations mentioned previously. This is similar to the structure where God says, "Indeed, I am a Messenger from the Lord of the worlds" (Ash-Shu'ara: 16).

فأخذهم أخذة رابية (So He seized them with a seizing that was overwhelming/increasing.)

• The word rabiyyah (رابية) comes from the root raba, meaning to increase or grow. There are two interpretations for this overwhelming seizure:

1. Increased Severity: The punishment inflicted upon them was greater in intensity than the punishments of other disbelievers, just as their deeds were greater in ugliness than the deeds of others.
   2. Growth/Connection to the Hereafter: The punishment of Pharaoh's people in this world was immediately connected to the torment of the Hereafter, as indicated by the verse, "They were drowned and then admitted to a Fire" (Nuh: 25). Since the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe than that of this world, that worldly punishment was as if it were growing or increasing toward the greater torment.

The Third Story: The Story of Noah (Peace Be Upon Him)

! 7 < { إنا لما طغا المآء حملناكم فى الجارية } . > 7 !

Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried you in the Ark (the floating vessel).