Allah then says:
قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ
(Say: "O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! All-Knower of the unseen and the seen!...") meaning, `call you upon Allah Alone with no partner or associate, Who has created the heavens and the earth and originated them,' i.e., made them like nothing that ever before existed.
عَـلِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ
(All-Knower of the unseen and the seen!) means, what is secret and what is open.
أَنتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِى مَا كَانُواْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ
(You will judge between your servants about that wherein they used to differ.) means, in this world; `You will judge between them on the Day when they are resurrected and brought forth from their graves.' In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Salamah bin `Abdur-Rahman said, "I asked `A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ started his prayer when he stood up to pray at night. She said, may Allah be pleased with her: `When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to pray at night, he would start his prayer with the words: ؟
«اللْهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ، فَاطِرَ السَّموَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ، اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيم»
(O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You will judge between Your servants concerning that wherein they differ. Guide me with regard to that wherein there is dispute concerning the truth by Your leave, for You guide whomsoever You will to the straight path.)"
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ
(And those who did wrong,) means, the idolators.
مَّا فِى الاٌّرْضِ جَمِيعاً وَمِثْلَهُ مَعَهُ
(if they had all that is in earth and therewith as much again,)
لاَفْتَدَوْاْ بِهِ مِن سُوءِ الْعَذَابِ
(they verily, would offer it to ransom themselves therewith from the evil torment;) means, that which Allah has decreed for them on the Day of Resurrection. But the ransom will not be accepted from them, even if it were to be an earth-full of gold as He mentioned elswhere (3:91). Then Allah says:
وَبَدَا لَهُمْ مِّنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَمْ يَكُونُواْ يَحْتَسِبُونَ
(and there will become apparent to them from Allah what they had not been reckoning.) which means, when they come to realize what Allah's punishment for them will be, which they had never before imagined.
وَبَدَا لَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَـسَبُواْ
(And the evils of that which they earned will become apparent to them,) means, they will see the punishment for the forbidden actions and sins which they committed in this world.
وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
(and that which they used to mock at will encircle them.) means, the punishment which they used to make fun of in this world will encompass them.