Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:176

[The Parable of the Punishment] The punishment descending upon them—after they were warned of it yet denied it—is like a commander who warns his people of an impending attack. They paid no heed to his warning, made no preparations, and devised no plan to save themselves, until he suddenly descended upon their courtyard, launched a raid, and eradicated them completely. It was the custom of raiders to attack in the morning, so a raid was called a "morning" (sabah), even if it occurred at another time.

This verse would not have achieved such eloquence, nor the awe one feels upon reading it, nor the way it captivates the soul and nature, were it not for its use of allegory (tamthil).

[Variant Readings and Interpretations]

• Ibn Mas‘ud read it as: "Fa-bi’sa sabah" (How wretched a morning).
• It is also read as: "Nazala bi-sahatihim" (It descended upon their courtyard), attributing the action to the prepositional phrase, similar to saying "Yazid went and descended," meaning "the punishment descended."
• The meaning is: "Wretched is the morning of those who were warned." The definite article in "the warned" (al-mundharin) refers to the generic class of those who have been warned, as sa’a (how evil) and bi’sa (how wretched) require such a generalization.

[Historical Context]

• It is said: This refers to the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in Mecca on the day of the Conquest.
• From Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived at Khaybar, the people were going out to their farms with their tools. They cried out, "Muhammad and his army!" and retreated to their fortress. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Allahu Akbar! Khaybar is ruined. Indeed, when we descend upon the courtyard of a people, wretched is the morning of those who were warned."

[Repetition and Scope] The command "Turn away from them" was repeated to provide consolation upon consolation, and to emphasize the certainty of the promised time. It also carries an additional benefit: the two verbs are left without specific objects, implying that they will see—and they will see—types of joy and varieties of suffering that words cannot encompass. It is also said that one refers to the punishment of this world, and the other to the punishment of the Hereafter.

{Exalted is your Lord, the Lord of Might, above what they describe. And peace be upon the messengers. And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds.}