Tafsir & Commentary
Jonah (يونس) · Meccan
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَتَىٰكُمْ عَذَابُهُۥ بَيَـٰتًا أَوْ نَهَارًا مَّاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ50
10:50
Translation — Sahih International
Say, "Have you considered: if His punishment should come to you by night or by day - for which [aspect] of it would the criminals be impatient?"
Transliteration
Qul araaytum in atakum adhabuhu bayatan aw naharan maza yasta'jilu minhu al-mujrimun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet (ﷺ) to ask the disbelievers: if His punishment were to come upon them whether by night or day, what is it that the criminals are hastening toward? This ayah ridicules the arrogance of those who mock the threat of divine punishment and challenge Allah to bring it upon them. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the ayah highlights the foolishness of the disbelievers who simultaneously deny the punishment while impatiently (or mockingly) calling for its arrival, demonstrating their cognitive dissonance and stubborn rejection of truth.
Revelation Context (Asbab al-Nuzul)
This ayah appears in the Meccan period of Surah Yunus, which deals extensively with the rejection of the Quran and divine warnings by the Meccan polytheists. The context addresses those who persistently mocked the Prophet's message and the warnings of the Day of Judgment, challenging him to bring the promised punishment if he spoke truth.
Related Hadiths
The theme relates to Sahih Muslim (2798) where the Prophet (ﷺ) said that those who disbelieve and mock the signs of Allah will face severe punishment. Additionally, the Quran itself references similar mockery in Surah Al-Anbiya (21:41) where disbelievers ask 'When is this threat coming, if you are truthful?'
Themes
Key Lessons
This ayah teaches believers not to be swayed by the mockery and false confidence of those who reject divine warnings, and reminds them that the arrogance of deniers who challenge Allah's punishment is itself evidence of their spiritual blindness. For modern readers, it serves as a caution against dismissing moral and spiritual consequences while simultaneously living as though they don't matter.