Awalam yanthuroo fee malakooti assamawati wal-ardi wama khalaqa Allahu min shay-in waan (surah Araf: 185)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(7:185) Have they not observed the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and all that Allah has created *143 and that their term of life might have drawn near *144 After this warning from the Prophet, what will it be that will make them believe?

Awalam yanzuroo fee malakootis samaawaati wal ardi wa maa khalaqal laahu min shai`inw wa an `asaaa ai yakoona qadiqtaraba ajaluhum fabi aiyi hadeesim ba`dahoo yu`minoon

*143). The word 'companion' here refers to the Prophet (peace be on him) who was born, brought up, grew into youth, in short, spent his whole life including his old age in their midst. Before the advent of his prophethood, Muhammad (peace be on him) was known to all the Quraysh as good natured and of sound mind. However, as he started calling people to accept the Message of God, they immediately dubbed him insane. Now it is obvious that they were not attributing insanity to him as regards his pre-prophetic life, for they had nothing evil to say about that period of his life. The charge of insanity, therefore, was levelled against the Message he began to preach when he was designated a Prophet.
The Qur'an, therefore, asks them to give serious thought to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him) and to see if there is anything that is inconsistent with sanity, or is meaningless and irrational. Had people reflected on the order of the universe, or carefully considered even one single creation of God, they would have been convinced of the truth of the teachings of the Prophet (peace be on him). They would have realized that whatever he said to refute polytheism, or to establish God's unity or the accountability of man in the Hereafter, or about the necessity of man's surrender to God, was corroborated by the entire order of the universe and every single atom of God's creation.
*144). The unbelievers, feeble-minded as they are, fail to understand that no one knows when he will die. For death overtakes man totally unawares. This being the case, what will be the end of those who waste the time at their disposal until death overtakes them and fail to find the direction to their salvation?