TEXT OF VERSES 16-18:
أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الأرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ
16. Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not cause the earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)?
أَمْ أَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَنْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ
17. Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not send against you a violent whirlwind? Then you shall know how (terrible) has been My Warning?
وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ
18. And indeed those before them belied (the Messengers of Allâh), then how terrible was My denial (punishment)?
TAFSEER :
This is a caution and a warning to the one who continues on his transgression and his evil, and his disobedience which necessitates reprimanding and punishment.
Thus, He said :
{ أَأَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ }
Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven ,
And He is Allâh The Exalted, The One who is above His creations. [1]
{ أَنْ يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الأرْضَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَمُورُ }
..will not cause the earth to sink with you, then behold it shakes (as in an earthquake)?
And it moves until you are destroyed and you perish?
{ أَمْ أَمِنْتُمْ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَنْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا }
Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven (Allâh), will not send against you a violent whirlwind?
Meaning: a punishment from the skies which covers you. And as such Allaah reprimands you.
{ فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ }
..Then you shall know how has been My Warning?
Meaning: then you shall realize what My Messengers and what My Book has been warning you of.
So don’t think that your safety which you have right now – such that Allaah has not punished you from the earth or from the skies – [don’t think] it benefits you. Indeed you shall get the recompense of your actions – and it does not matter if your life is long or is short.
Surely those who were before you and they disbelieved as you have disbelieved; indeed Allaah destroyed them, so look what came to be the end of their denial. Allaah brought forth for them the punishment of the world before the punishment in the here-after: so beware that what touched them lest it happen to you also.
TAFSEER OF VERSE 19 :
أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا إِلَى الطَّيْرِ فَوْقَهُمْ صَافَّاتٍ وَيَقْبِضْنَ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلا الرَّحْمَنُ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ
19. Do they not see the birds above them, spreading out their wings and folding them in? None upholds them except the Most Beneficent. Verily, He is the All-Seer of everything.
And this is an encouragement of looking at the condition of the birds; of which Allaah controls, and destined for them the weather and the winds; it spreads out its wings in flight and folds them to be stable: thus it becomes able to move in the atmosphere. And it does so [the opening and folding of the wings] according to its need and its goal.
{ مَا يُمْسِكُهُنَّ إِلا الرَّحْمَنُ }
None upholds them except the Most Beneficent (Allâh).
For indeed He is The One who submitted for them the atmosphere, and created their bodies and their shapes in a way that is appropriate for flight.
So the one who looks at the condition of the bird , and contemplates upon it : it will prove to him the greatness of the power of The Originator , and His Lordly Will of giving each creature its appropriateness, and it will prove to him that He is The One; The Unique , The ONLY One who deserves to be worshipped.
{ إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ بَصِيرٌ }
Verily, He is the All-Seer of everything.
So He is The Controller of His creatures in accordance to what they deserve, and in accordance to what befits His Wisdom.
TEXT OF VERSES 20-21
أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ جُنْدٌ لَكُمْ يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِنِ الْكَافِرُونَ إِلا فِي غُرُورٍ
20. Who is he besides the Most Beneficent that can be an army to you to help you? The disbelievers are in nothing but delusion.
أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُ بَلْ لَجُّوا فِي عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ
21. Who is he that can provide for you if He should withhold His provision? Nay, but they continue to be in pride, and fleeing.
TAFSEER :
The Exalted says to those who are proud and hastening away from His command, those who deny the truth:
{ أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ جُنْدٌ لَكُمْ يَنْصُرُكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ الرَّحْمَنِ }
Who is he besides The Most Beneficent that can be an army to you to help you?
Meaning: If The Most Beneficent wanted to harm you, who is that is going to aid you against Him?
And it also means: Who is it, other than – The Most Beneficent – who aids you against your enemies?
Indeed He The Exalted is The Victor, The One who elevates and The One who lowers.
And as other than Him i.e. the creations; then if they were all to come together in order to benefit a person against any kind of enemy; they cannot benefit him even an atom.
Thus the continuing of the disbelievers in their disbelief after they have known that there is none other than The Most Beneficent who can aid them; this is delusion and stupidity.
Imaam as-Shawkaanee said on the part:
{ إِنِ الْكَافِرُونَ إِلا فِي غُرُورٍ }
..The disbelievers are in nothing but delusion..
It means that the disbelievers are only in a great delusion which the devil continues to delude them with.
Ibnul Jawzee said the same thing and added: ‘…and that is because the devil tells them that they will not be touched by the punishment..’ [2]
Allaah then says:
{ أَمَّنْ هَذَا الَّذِي يَرْزُقُكُمْ إِنْ أَمْسَكَ رِزْقَهُ }
Who is he that can provide for you if He should withhold His provision?
It means that all the provisions are from Allaah. And if He was to withhold it from you; then who is that would send the provision to you?
Indeed the creatures are not capable of providing for themselves, so how can they do it for others?
So The Creator, The Bestower of Favours, The One whom – no favours reach the creatures- except that it is from Him : He is The One who deserves to be singled out in worship.
But the disbelievers…
{ لَجُّوا فِي عُتُوٍّ وَنُفُورٍ }
..they continue to be in pride, and fleeing.
Meaning they continue to be in hardness [of their hearts] and failure to soften and accept the truth. And they flee from the truth.
Ibn Abbaas (radhiyaAllaahu anhum) said : ‘they continue upon misguidance.’ [3]
A Benefit A Day Keeps Ignorance Away 
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