Surah Al-Furqaan
Chapter 25 · Verse 21 · Revealed in Makkah
“And those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, "Why were not angels sent down to us, or [why] do we [not] see our Lord?" They have certainly become arrogant within themselves and [become] insolent with great insolence.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
The Stubbornness of the Disbelievers
Allah describes how stubborn the disbelievers were in their disbelief when they said:
لِقَآءَنَا لَوْلاَ أُنزِلَ عَلَيْنَا
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
Commentary
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا (And said those who do not believe in meeting Us - 25:21). رَجَاء (Raja:) means to hope for something desired. Sometimes it is also used for having fear, as mentioned by Ibn-al-Ambari, the famous scholar of Arabic lexicon. Here in this verse it is used for apprehension and fear. Thus the meaning of the phrase is 'those who are not apprehensive of being brought before Us'. The allusion is toward those who totally deny the Hereafter as only they could have the courage to raise such preposterous and absurd points and put such frivolous demands. Those who believe in the Hereafter dread it so much all the time that they have no time to waste over such ridiculous ideas. In the present time those who appear to be unsure about the teachings and injunctions of Islam and indulge in dubious debate and arguments under the influence of modern education allude toward weakness of their faith in the Hereafter. When one attains total faith in the Hereafter then there is no question of having such dubious doubts.
What does this verse bring up for you today?