Transliteration:( Wa izaa ra aakal lazeena kafarooo iny-yattakhizoonaka illa huzuwan; ahaazal lazee yazkuru aalihatakum wa hum bi zikrir Rahmaani hum kaafiroon )
"And when the infidels see you, they take you not but with mockery [54]. Is this he who speaks evil of your gods? [55]. While they are themselves the rejecters [56] of the very remembrance of the Most Affectionate."
This verse was revealed in response to the behavior of Abu Jahl, who would laugh upon seeing the Holy Prophet ﷺ and mock him with insulting remarks. This pattern of mockery by the disbelievers was a direct challenge to the dignity and truth of the Prophet's mission.
The disbelievers questioned in scorn: “Is this he who speaks evil of your gods?”
Their attitude implied (Allah forbid) that Prophets were of low rank and that their idols held greater status. The Qur’an exposes the absurdity of this logic. The phrase "they are themselves" is used with contempt, highlighting the ignorance of those who belittle the noblest of creation.
From this, we learn that insulting the Prophet ﷺ or questioning his spiritual status is an act of disbelief (kufr). The Prophets are the greatest of Allah’s servants, and only Divinity is superior to their status.
The verse ends by affirming that these very mockers are in fact the rejecters of the remembrance of the Most Affectionate (Al-Rahman).
This shows that those who view the Prophet ﷺ with contempt fail to grasp the reality of Allah’s remembrance, because the Prophet ﷺ himself is the living remembrance of Allah—a direct source and expression of divine knowledge and mercy.
To mock him is to reject the light through which Allah is known and remembered.
36. And when those who disbelieved see you, they take you not except for mockery (saying): “Is this the one who talks about your gods” While they disbelieve at the mention of the Most Gracious. 37. Man is created of haste. I will show you My Ayat. So ask Me not to hasten (them).
(And when those who disbelieved see you,) meaning, the disbelievers of the Quraysh, such as Abu Jahl and his like.
(they take you not except for mockery) means, they make fun of you and insult you, saying,
(“Is this the one who talks about your gods”) meaning, is this the one who insults your gods and ridicules your intelligence Allah says:
(While they disbelieve at the mention of the Most Gracious.) meaning, they disbelieve in Allah and yet they mock the Messenger of Allah . As Allah says:
(And when they see you, they treat you only in mockery (saying): “Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger He would have nearly misled us from our gods, had it not been that we were patient and constant in their worship!” And they will know, when they see the torment, who it is that is most astray from the path!) ﴿25:41-42﴾
(Man is created of haste.) This is like the Ayah:
(and man is ever hasty) ﴿17:11﴾, in all matters. The reason why the haste of man is mentioned here is that when mention is made of those who mock the Messenger , (the believers) will want to avenge them swiftly, and that so should happen sooner. Allah says,
(Man is created of haste.) because He delays (the punishment) until a time when, once He seizes him, He will never let him go. He delays it, then He hastens it; He waits, then He does not delay any longer. So He says:
(I will show you My Ayat) meaning, My vengeance, ruling and power over those who disobey Me.
(So ask Me not to hasten (them).)
(21:36) When the unbelievers see you they make you an object of fun, saying: Is he the one who mentions your gods?[39] They say so, and yet they reject with disdain the very mention of the Most Compassionate Lord.[40]
39. It should be noted that this sentence contains only the reason why they scoffed at him, but does not refer to the expression of scoff itself. Obviously, the disbelievers must have been using some other words or expressions of derision to avenge themselves on the Prophet (peace be upon him) for his rejecting their self-made deities.
40. This is to rebuke the disbelieves as if to say: You cherish so much love of your self-made idols and false gods that you cannot tolerate anything against them. So much so, that you scoff at the Messenger of Allah, and you are not ashamed when you hear the name of the Merciful and discard His mention with disdain.
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