Al-Naba' (The Tidings): (27) Indeed, they did not...

There are two questions regarding this verse:

The First Question: The reckoning (Hisab) is something difficult for a person. For something difficult, one should not say "they did not hope for it" (la yarjūna), but rather "they did not fear it" (lā yakhshawna).

The Answer is in several aspects:

1. Interpretation of Yarjun (Hope): Al-Muqatil and many commentators state that "they did not hope for" (lā yarjūna) means "they did not fear." This is similar to the interpretation of the verse: {What is the matter with you that you do not ascribe greatness to Allah?} (Noah: 13), where lā tarjūna is understood as lā takhāfūna (you do not fear).

2. The Believer's Hope: A believer must hope for Allah's mercy because they are certain that the reward for their faith outweighs the punishment for all sins, except disbelief. Therefore, the statement {Indeed, they did not hope for a reckoning} indicates that they were not believers.

3. Hope as Expectation: Rajā' (hope) here means expectation. The one who hopes for something expects it. However, the noblest form of expectation is Rajā', so the general term (expectation) is named after its noblest type (hope).

4. The Dominance of Hope in Reckoning: This verse alerts us that regarding the Reckoning with Allah, the aspect of hope is stronger than the aspect of fear. This is because the servant has a right over Allah based on the promise regarding reward, while Allah has a right over the servant regarding punishment. A noble one might waive their own right, but they would not waive what is a right belonging to another. Thus, the aspect of hope is stronger in the Reckoning, which is why hope was mentioned and fear was not.

The Second Question: The disbelievers committed various types of heinous acts and major sins. Why did Allah specifically mention this type of disbelief first?

The Answer: A person's desire to do good deeds and refrain from prohibitions stems from the belief that they will benefit in the Hereafter. Whoever denies the Hereafter will not undertake any commendable actions nor refrain from any prohibited ones. Therefore, the statement {Indeed, they did not hope for a reckoning} is a pointer that they committed every evil and abandoned every good.

< { And they denied Our signs with utter denial. } >

The second category of their evil deeds is the statement: {And they denied Our signs with utter denial} (kadhdhābā).