Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 6 Al-An'am, Ayat 158-158

هَلۡ يَنۡظُرُوۡنَ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ تَاۡتِيَهُمُ الۡمَلٰۤـئِكَةُ اَوۡ يَاۡتِىَ رَبُّكَ اَوۡ يَاۡتِىَ بَعۡضُ اٰيٰتِ رَبِّكَ ؕ يَوۡمَ يَاۡتِىۡ بَعۡضُ اٰيٰتِ رَبِّكَ لَا يَنۡفَعُ نَفۡسًا اِيۡمَانُهَا لَمۡ تَكُنۡ اٰمَنَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ اَوۡ كَسَبَتۡ فِىۡۤ اِيۡمَانِهَا خَيۡرًا​ ؕ قُلِ انْتَظِرُوۡۤا اِنَّا مُنۡتَظِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿6:158﴾

(6:158) What! Do they wait either for the angels to appear before them or for your Lord to come unto them or for some clear signs of your Lord1139 to appear before them? When some clear signs of your Lord will appear, believing will be of no avail to anyone who did not believe before, or who earned no good deeds through his faith.140 Say: 'Wait on; we too are waiting.'


Notes

139. That is, either tokens of the approach of the Day of Reckoning or God's scourge or any other sign that will uncover the Truth, after which there will be no reason left for testing man.

140. Those tokens will be so clear that after their appearance it will neither avail the unbeliever to repent of his unbelief nor the disobedient to forsake his disobedience. For faith and obedience have meaning and value only as long as the Truth remains hidden, as long as the tenure of life granted to people does not seem to have approached its end and the world with all its vanities continues to delude man that, as there may neither be God nor After-life, one should eat, drink and enjoy oneself as best one can.