Surah Al-Muminoon (23) — Ayah 76

(Ayah 77,76){ وَ لَقَدْ اَخَذْنٰهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ … : ’’ اَخَذْنٰهُمْ ‘‘} (We seized them) in {’’هُمْ‘‘} ({اُن}), the reference is not to the present disbelievers and deniers, but rather to those deniers like them who have passed before, and who in their own times persisted in similar disbelief and denial. The present-day deniers are being directed to the lesson of history, that such people do not take heed from the warnings of punishments sent by Allah, until they finally reach their dreadful end. This too is Allah’s mercy, that He first sends a lesser punishment, so that people may take heed. He said: «{ وَ لَنُذِيْقَنَّهُمْ مِّنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَدْنٰى دُوْنَ الْعَذَابِ الْاَكْبَرِ }» [ السجدۃ : ۲۱ ] “And surely We will make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment.” Then, when people do not take heed from this punishment, their rope is lengthened and they are granted prosperity despite their disobedience, so that the proof is completed against them. This theme is mentioned frequently in the Noble Qur’an. See Surah Al-An’am (42–44), Al-A’raf (94–98), Yunus (12–21), and Ad-Dukhan (10–16).

Some commentators have taken this punishment to mean the famine that was imposed on the people of Makkah before the migration due to the supplication against them of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the gate of severe punishment to mean the Day of Badr, while others have taken this punishment to mean Badr and the gate of severe punishment to mean the famine that occurred after the migration when Thumamah bin Uthal (may Allah be pleased with him) withheld wheat. Ibn Juzayy says in “At-Tashil”: “The more correct view is that the first punishment refers to the punishment of this world, and the severe punishment refers to death and the punishment of the Hereafter. Because the severe punishment is that, and the punishment of this world is lesser in comparison.” And He said: «{ اِذَا هُمْ فِيْهِ مُبْلِسُوْنَ }» meaning they will be hopeless of every good. This hopelessness will be for the disbelievers on the Day of the Hereafter, as He said: «{ وَ يَوْمَ تَقُوْمُ السَّاعَةُ يُبْلِسُ الْمُجْرِمُوْنَ }» [ الروم : ۱۲ ] “And the Day the Hour will be established, the criminals will despair.” After Badr and the famine, they continued to attack repeatedly.

76-1. By "punishment" here is meant either the defeat that the disbelievers of Makkah suffered in the Battle of Badr, in which seventy of their men were killed, or the punishment of famine that befell them as a result of the supplication of the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ prayed, "O Allah, just as there was a seven-year famine in the time of Yusuf, afflict them with famine and help me against them." Thus, the disbelievers of Makkah were afflicted with this famine, upon which Sufyan came to the Prophet ﷺ and, invoking Allah and the ties of kinship, said that now they had been forced to eat animal skins and even blood. Upon this, the verse was revealed (Ibn Kathir).

76. And We afflicted them with punishment, yet they did not humble themselves before their Lord, nor did they supplicate.

[76]
Famine Upon the Disbelievers of Makkah:

When, in the early days of Islam, the disbelievers of Makkah began to inflict hardships upon the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam, and opposed them to such an extent that life became unbearable for them, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated to Allah against them and said: "O Allah! Impose upon them the seven years of famine like those of Yusuf (Joseph) ؑ." Thus, his supplication was accepted and the punishment of famine descended upon them. The rains stopped. The import of grain from outside also ceased, and the situation reached such a point that these people were forced to eat carrion, bones, and even blood, yet their hunger was not satiated. People began to die of hunger and became so weak due to starvation that when they looked up towards the sky, they saw smoke. This incident is mentioned in several places in the Quran and is explicitly mentioned in Surah ad-Dukhan. Eventually, Abu Sufyan came to his presence and said: "You always emphasize maintaining ties of kinship, and we are your own kinsmen, yet we are dying of hunger. Pray to Allah for mercy for us." So, he ﷺ supplicated, and Allah showed mercy. The rains began again, grain started coming from outside, and good days returned. Then the disbelievers of Makkah forgot everything and once again began to trouble the Muslims as before.