فَذوقوا عَذابي وَنُذُرِ

‘Taste My punishment and My warnings!’

EXPOSITION

This sentence has been mentioned twice in the context of the story of Prophet Lot (a). Whilst the repetition indicates emphasis, it is clear that the punishment being referred to in verse 37 was the blindness that was inflicted upon the group that forced their way into the house of Prophet Lot (a), whilst the punishment in this verse refers to the general punishment that was inflicted upon the whole community.[1]

Obviously, this statement was not literally said to them but it is a statement that reflects their state when punished.[2]

There are over a dozen verses in the Quran where the disbelievers are told by Allah to taste the punishment or My punishment (see 3:106, 3:181, 4:56, 6:30, 7:39, 8:35, 8:50, 10:52, 22:22, 32:14, 32:20, 34:42, 46:34, and verses 37 and 39 of this chapter).

Whilst this chapter does not detail the exact nature of the general punishment, through other verses we are able to understand that it was a combination of three things: a loud cry (15:73), raining of stones (51:33), and turning the land upside down (15:74).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Some have suggested that the difference between the punishment being referred to in this verse and the one referred to in verse 37, is that verse 37 refers to punishment in this world and this verse refers to punishment in the hereafter, or that verse 37 refers to the address of Allah to the people of Lot (a), whilst this verse is an address to the polytheists of Mecca and disbelievers in general.[3]

Some exegetes have suggested that this statement was directly stated by God and every person could hear it within themselves whilst being punished.[4]

[1] Amthal, 17/337.
[2] Alusi, 14/90.
[3] Nasr, p. 2374.
[4] Ibn Ashur, 27/197.