Surah at-Tur (The Mount) 52 : 44

Explanatory Note

With this exaltation of God and its clear statement of His oneness this series of rhetorical questions, characterised by a powerful beat, is concluded. All their arguments have been refuted, and all doubts removed. They are presented with the clear truth and left without any excuse to justify their hostility to it. At this point their stubbornness in rejecting the clear truth is put clearly before their eyes: "Even if they see a part of the sky falling down, they would say, it is but a mass of clouds!"(Verse 44).

This means that even if God decides to punish them by making a part of the sky fall down upon them, destroying their world, and they see it falling on their heads, they would still claim that it is but a mass of clouds, bringing rain and prosperity. It is just like the one who denies the truth of what he sees, even with a sword piercing his neck, as it were. This may be a reference to what the people of 'Ad said when they saw the clouds heralding their own destruction. They claimed: "This cloud will bring us rain."(46: 24). The truth was then told to them: "No, indeed. It is the very thing you wanted to hasten: a storm wind bearing painful suffering which will destroy everything by the command of its Lord."(46: 24-25).