Surah 30. Ar-Rum, Ayah 56

See surah {16}, note [25].

Lit., "with regard to (fi) God's revelation (kitab)", i.e., that the dead shall be resurrected and judged by Him. It is to be noted that the verb labitha signifies "he waited [for something] or "he was tardy [with regard to something]" as well as "he stayed [in a place]" or "he remained". Evidently, in verse {55} ma labithu has the meaning of "they had not stayed" or "remained", while in verse {56} labithtum denotes "you have been tardy" or "you have waited".

Lit., "you were wont not to know" - i.e., "you persistently closed your mind to this promise".

The men of knowledge and faith knew all along of the true values-of the things of this ephemeral life and the things that will endure and face them at the End,-unlike the wrong-doers who were content with falsehoods and were taken by surprise, like ignorant men, when they faced the Realities.