أَفَأَمِنُوٓا۟ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَٰشِيَةٌ مِّنْ عَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
“Deem they themselves secure from the coming on them of a pall of Allah's punishment, or the coming of the Hour suddenly while they are unaware?” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this scholar, what is meant in the verse is the punishment and torment of Allah that suddenly befalls the polytheists because of their polytheism; or it is the Day of Judgment that comes to them suddenly while they are in polytheism and disbelief, in which case Allah makes them eternal in His fire while they are unaware of what is coming.
تغشاهم من عقوبة الله وعذابه، على شركهم بالله، أو تأتيهم القيامة فجأة وهم مقيمون على شركهم وكفرهم بربهم، فيخلدهم الله عز وجل في ناره وهم لا يدرون بمجيئها وقيامها
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this scholar, 'al-gāshiyah' refers to a punishment that suddenly covers and encompasses people, coming at a moment when they are unaware; narrations are provided regarding whether this punishment is a general calamity that encompasses everyone (the previous and the later generations) or specifically the fire that covers the faces of the disbelievers. Furthermore, it is noted that the particle 'min' in the expression 'min shay' carries the meaning of partitiveness (teb'îz), meaning the question is about whether there exists anyone who can ward off a portion of Allah's punishment.
بغتهم الأمر بغتا وبغتة إذا فاجأهم من حيث لم يتوقعوا
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this scholar, the expression in the verse describes a punishment that comes suddenly and encompasses; Ibn Abbas explained it as 'covering and encompassing,' Mujahid as the punishment encompassing from above and below, Qatadah as a calamity that suddenly strikes people, and Dahhak as thunderbolts/disasters and the Day of Judgment. The word 'suddenly' is grammatically governed in the nominative as a circumstantial accusative (hal), and is originally an infinitive noun, being an example of the Arabs' usage of bringing a circumstantial accusative after an indefinite noun. According to al-Nahhās, the meaning of this word is striking from a completely unexpected direction.
قال بن عباس : مجللة وقال مجاهد : عذاب يغشاهم نظيره يوم يغشاهم العذاب من فوقهم ومن تحت أرجلهم وقال قتادة : وقيعة تقع لهم وقال الضحاك : يعني الصواعق والقوارع يعني القيامة
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Ibn Kesîr, this verse expresses that the polytheists are in a state of security, not accounting for a punishment that will come to them suddenly from a direction they are unaware of and will encompass them. This state of security is mentioned in a context of reproach and warning.
أفأمن هؤلاء المشركون بالله أن يأتيهم أمر يغشاهم من حيث لا يشعرون
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Beydāwī, in verse 106, although most people acknowledge to Allah their existence and His creative power, they commit polytheism by engaging in one of the types of polytheism such as worshipping others besides Him, taking rabbis as lords, attributing children to Allah, dualism of light and darkness, or looking to causes; on this matter, narrations are also provided that the verse was revealed regarding the Meccan polytheists, hypocrites, or the People of the Scripture. In verse 108, the verse is explained as the Prophet's call to the path of monotheism and preparation for the Hereafter; the expression 'with clear insight' means clear evidence and proof, not blind.
وما يؤمن أكثرهم بالله في إقرارهم بوجوده وخالقيته. إلا وهم مشركون بعبادة غيره أو باتخاذ الأحبار أربابا. ونسبة التبني إليه تعالى، أو القول بالنور والظلمة أو النظر إلى الأسباب ونحو ذلك.
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Zamakhsharī, the word 'al-gāshiyah' in the verse means a punishment that encompasses them; it has been said that this is the thing that covers and envelops them in punishment or thunderbolts. Furthermore, it is noted that in the repetition of the particle 'min' in the expression 'min shay,' one carries the meaning of clarification (bayān) and the other partitiveness (teb'îz), or both can be used for partitiveness.
نقمة تغشاهم
Comparison
Common ground
The common emphasis among Taberî, al-Rāzī, al-Qurtubī, Ibn Kesîr, and Zamakhsharī in the verse they addressed is that the expression 'al-gāshiyah/suddenly' means a punishment or calamity that suddenly encompasses people at a moment when they are unaware. All commentators accept that this sudden arrival occurs while people are in a state of heedlessness and security, and that it is mentioned in a context of reproach and warning.
Differences
While Taberî conveys this punishment both as worldly punishment and the Day of Judgment through transmission-based reports, al-Qurtubī lists the views of the Companions and Successors (Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Dahhak), showing variety regarding how the punishment encompasses. Al-Rāzī and Zamakhsharī, on the other hand, address the matter more on the linguistic and rhetorical level, discussing the meanings of partitiveness (teb'îz) and clarification (bayān) of the particle 'min'; this reflects the methodological approach of al-Rāzī and Zamakhsharī as theologian-linguists, whereas Taberî and al-Qurtubī employ transmission-based methodology. Beydāwī focuses on a different group of verses (106 and 108), addressing the types of polytheism and the Prophet's call, which shows that the scope of his exegesis differs.
Historical context
A line can be observed from Taberî's early period transmission-based approach, to Zamakhsharī and al-Rāzī's linguistic/rhetorical and theological analysis, to al-Qurtubī's synthesis combining both, and to Ibn Kesîr and Beydāwī's contextual and comparative reading. The fundamental meaning (the theme of suddenly arriving punishment and warning) remains constant throughout the periods, while methodological tools (transmission, linguistic analysis, contextual comparison) have become diversified.