Tafsir of Fussilat 41:13

"Then if they turn away, say..."

After you have recited to them these proofs of His Oneness and His Power, warn them that a sa'iqa (thunderbolt) may strike them. That is: a punishment of severe impact, as if it were a thunderbolt. It is also read as sa'qa—like the sa'qa of 'Ad and Thamud—which is the noun of instance for sa'q (striking/blasting). It is said: "The sa'iqa struck him (sa'aqat-hu), so he was struck (su'iqa)."

"From before them and from behind them" Meaning: They came to them from every side, exerting themselves and employing every stratagem against them, yet they saw nothing from them but arrogance and turning away. This is as God Almighty recounted regarding Satan: "I will surely come to them from before them and from behind them" (Al-A'raf: 17), meaning I will come to them from every direction and employ every trick against them.

Al-Hasan said: "Warn them of God’s visitations upon the nations before them and the punishment of the Hereafter." For when they warn them of this, they have brought them admonition from the perspective of the past—what befell the disbelievers—and from the perspective of the future—what will befall them.

It is also said: It means when the messengers came to them from before them and from after them. If you ask: How can the messengers who came before and after them be described as having come to them, and how can they address them saying, "We disbelieve in that with which you have been sent"? I say: Hud and Salih came to them, calling them to believe in them and in all the messengers who came "from before them"—meaning before their time—and who would come "from behind them"—meaning after their time. Thus, all the messengers had effectively come to them. Their statement, "We disbelieve in that with which you have been sent," is their address to Hud, Salih, and all the prophets who called them to believe in them.

The an in an la ta'budu (that you worship not) is either explanatory or a lightened form of the heavy anna (that). Its origin is bi-annahu la ta'budu (that the matter is: do not worship). The object of "willed" is omitted: "If our Lord had willed" to send messengers, "He would have sent down angels."

"We disbelieve in that with which you have been sent" means: Since you are human beings and not angels, we do not believe in you or what you have brought. Their saying "you have been sent" is not an admission of their messengership; it is a reflection of the messengers' own language and contains mockery, just as Pharaoh said: "Your messenger who has been sent to you is mad" (Ash-Shu'ara: 27).

Historical Context: It is narrated that Abu Jahl said to a gathering of Quraysh: "The affair of Muhammad has become confusing to us. If you would seek out a man learned in poetry, soothsaying, and magic to speak to him and bring us a clarification of his affair..." Utbah ibn Rabi'ah said: "I have heard poetry, soothsaying, and magic, and I know them well." He went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "O Muhammad, are you better, or Hashim? Are you better, or 'Abd al-Muttalib? Are you better, or 'Abdullah? Why do you insult our gods and lead us astray? If you desire leadership, we will crown you our leader. If you are ill, we will bring you the best physicians. If you desire wealth, we will collect enough for you to be satisfied."

The Messenger of God (ﷺ) remained silent. When he finished, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Ha Mim..." until he reached: "A thunderbolt like the thunderbolt of 'Ad and Thamud" (Fussilat: 13). Utbah placed his hand over the Prophet's mouth, adjuring him by kinship to stop. He returned to his family and did not go out to Quraysh. When he was delayed, they said: "We see that Utbah has apostatized." They went to him and said: "Nothing kept you from us but that you have apostatized." He became angry and swore never to speak to Muhammad again, saying: "By God, I spoke to him and he answered me with something from God that is neither poetry, nor soothsaying, nor magic. When he reached the 'thunderbolt of 'Ad and Thamud,' I covered his mouth and adjured him by kinship to stop. You know that when Muhammad says something, he does not lie, and I feared that the punishment would descend upon you."