This points to the fact that their denial was not because of...

“And they say: ‘When shall this promise (of chastisement) come to pass, if you are truthful?’” 72. “Say: ‘May be that it is after you, a part of what you seek to hasten’.” 73. “And verily your Lord is the Lord of grace unto the people, but most of them are not grateful.” 74.

“And verily your Lord well-knows what their breasts conceal and what they manifest.” Whenever the Divine prophets warned people concerning Hereafter and the punishment of Allah, some people asked about the time of the occurrence of Hereafter. But in view of the fact that none knows the time of Hereafter except Allah, the prophets did not answer them, and they only warned the people of the principle of the punishment of Allah, not its time.

The pagans, of course, in order to observe the Divine chastisement, had some haste with ridicule, and instead of taking counsel from the warning of their kind prophet and paying attention to their fate, they ridiculed them, as the verse indicates: “And they say: ‘When shall this promise (of chastisement) come to pass, if you are truthful?’” This verse addresses the Prophet (S) but the matter is used in plural form, because the true believers also said the same thing that the Prophet (S) announced and naturally they are the addressees of the verse, too.

Through the next verse, the Qur’an, with a very truthful tone, answers this ridiculous statement of theirs, when it says: “Say: ‘May be that it is after you, a part of what you seek to hasten’.” Why do you hasten? Why do you consider the Divine punishment so little? Why do you not have pity to yourselves? Do know that chastisement is certainly earnest! Probably the punishment of Allah has come above you because of these very words of yours, and soon will fall over you and annihilate you.

What is this ceaseless obstinacy for? The Arabic word /ridf/ is derived from /radf/ which means ‘to be set after each other’.