فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوا۟ فَسَيَأْتِيهِمْ أَنۢبَـٰٓؤُا۟ مَا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ 6
Translations
For they have already denied, but there will come to them the news of that which they used to ridicule.
Transliteration
Faqad kadhdhabo fasayatihim anba'u ma kanu bihi yastahzi'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns that those who rejected the message and mocked it will soon face the consequences of their disbelief and ridicule. Ibn Kathir explains that 'anba'u' (news/tidings) refers to the punishment that will befall them, which they used to mock and deny. Al-Tabari emphasizes that this is a decisive threat: the very things they jested about will come upon them as reality, serving as a warning to the Meccan disbelievers who rejected Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and ridiculed the message of resurrection and accountability.
Revelation Context
Surah Ash-Shu'ara is a Meccan surah revealed during the early period of Prophet Muhammad's preaching in Mecca when the polytheists and deniers were actively mocking him and the revelation. This ayah specifically addresses the arrogant Meccan leaders who ridiculed the signs of Allah and the message of the hereafter, providing them with a stern warning of imminent consequences.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in numerous hadiths about the consequences of mocking the religion. See Surah Al-An'am 10:15 and the general principle in Hadith Qudsi: 'Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I shall be at war with him' (Sahih Bukhari 5007), which emphasizes Allah's protection of His message and those who deliver it.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that mocking the signs of Allah and the message of faith is not a harmless matter—it carries serious spiritual consequences in both this life and the next. Modern readers should reflect on how they respond to religious truth and understand that dismissive attitudes toward faith will ultimately face reckoning.