Surah ad-Dukhan (Smoke) 44 : 11

Explanatory Note

At this point, the surah refers to the unbelievers' own situation, which was the opposite of the seriousness with which they should have dealt with God's revelations:
Yet they remain in doubt, playing about. Wait, then, for the Day when the skies shall bring forth a kind of smoke which will make things clear. It will envelope the people. Grievous is this suffering! [They will cry': `Our Lord! Relieve us from this suffering; for, indeed, we are believers.' How will this remembrance benefit them? A messenger who clearly explained things had previously come to them; but they turned their backs on him and said: `He is taught by others, a madman!' We shall remove this suffering for a while; but you are bound to revert [to your old ways'. On that Day We shall deliver a mighty onslaught; We will indeed exact retribution. (Verses 9-16)

The surah tells the Prophet that they are playing about when the situation requires seriousness, and that they continue to be in doubt about God's confirmed revelations. He is, therefore, instructed to leave them until they face a day of great hardship: "Wait, then, for the Day when the skies shall bring forth a kind of smoke which will make things clear. It will envelope the people. Grievous is this suffering." (Verses 10-11)

Scholars during the early period of Islam differed in their views about what the smoke mentioned in this verse means. Some of them maintained that it will occur on the Day of Judgement, which makes the warning implied here similar to other warnings in the Qur'an about that day. They said that this will surely take place and that the Prophet awaited it. Others said that it actually did take place just as the Qur'an states. It was then lifted after the Prophet prayed God to so remove it.