وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ
مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْـِٔدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌ
Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the wrongdoers do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror. (They will be) hastening forward with necks outstretched, their heads raised up (towards the sky), their gaze returning not towards them and their hearts empty.
Allah gives Respite to the Disbelievers and is never unaware of what They do
Allah says, `O Muhammad, do not think that Allah is unaware of what the unjust disbelievers do. Do not think because Allah gave them respite and delayed their punishment that He is unaware or ignoring punishing them for what they do. Rather, Allah keeps full account of this for them and keeps it on record against them,
إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَـرُ
but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror
from the horror of the Day of Resurrection.’ Allah next mentions how they will all be raised up from their graves and hurriedly gathered for the Day of Gathering,
مُهْطِعِينَ
hastening forward
in a hurry. Allah said in other Ayat,
مُّهْطِعِينَ إِلَى الدَّاعِ
Hastening towards the caller Al Qamar 8
يَوْمَئِذٍ يَتَّبِعُونَ الدَّاعِىَ لاَ عِوَجَ لَهُ
On that Day mankind will follow strictly Allah’s caller, no crookedness will they show him. Taha 108
until,
وَعَنَتِ الْوُجُوهُ لِلْحَىِّ الْقَيُّومِ
And (all) faces shall be humbled before the Ever Living, the Sustainer. Taha 111
Allah said: another Ayah,
يَوْمَ يَخْرُجُونَ مِنَ الاٌّجْدَاثِ سِرَاعاً
The Day when they will come out of the graves quickly. Al Ma’arij 43
Allah said next,
مُقْنِعِى رُءُوسِهِمْ
with necks outstretched
meaning, raising their heads up, according to Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and several others. Allah said next,
لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ
their gaze returning not towards them
meaning, their eyes are staring in confusion, trying not to blink because of the horror and tremendous insights they are experiencing, and fear of what is going to strike them, we seek refuge with Allah from this end. This is why Allah said,
وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَآءٌ
and their hearts empty
meaning, their hearts are empty due to extreme fear and fright. Qatadah and several others said that the places of their hearts are empty then, because the hearts will ascend to the throats due to extreme fear. Allah said next to His Messenger ,