Quran Universe
16:33

هَلۡ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأۡتِيَهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَ أَمۡرُ رَبِّكَۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ

Hal yanthuroona illa an tatiyahumu almalaikatu aw yatiya amru rabbika kathalika faAAala allatheena min qablihim wama thalamahumu Allahu walakin kanoo anfusahum yathlimoona

Do the disbelievers await [anything] except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allah wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.

Word by word
  1. هَلۡDo
  2. يَنظُرُونَthey wait
  3. إِلَّآexcept
  4. أَنthat
  5. تَأۡتِيَهُمُ(should) come to them
  6. ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُthe Angels
  7. أَوۡor
  8. يَأۡتِيَ(should) come
  9. أَمۡرُ(the) Command
  10. رَبِّكَۚ(of) your Lord
  11. كَذَٰلِكَThus
  12. فَعَلَdid
  13. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  14. مِن(were) before them
  15. قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ(were) before them
  16. وَمَاAnd not
  17. ظَلَمَهُمُwronged them
  18. ٱللَّهُAllah
  19. وَلَٰكِنbut
  20. كَانُوٓاْthey were
  21. أَنفُسَهُمۡthemselves
  22. يَظۡلِمُونَwronging
An-Nahl · 16:33Makkah

What are they waiting for, the angels at death?

Delaying faith until it is too late

What they are waiting for
the deniersholding off
until
angels at deathor the Day comes
Who did the wrong
Allah was unfairthey were not warned
they wronged themselvesMessengers and Books came

The verse asks the idolators of Makkah what they are waiting for. Ibn Kathir says only the angels coming to take their souls, or the Day of Resurrection. Allah did not wrong them, because He sent Messengers and Books and made His proofs clear.

You tell yourself you will start praying properly after the exams, after the wedding, after this busy season at work. The waiting has no end date you control. The warning has already come.

I will get serious about faith later, when life calms down.

Waiting for later is a choice, and the warning has already reached me.

Try this

Pick one thing you keep postponing for later and do the first small step today.

Related52:14
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Are they but waiting for the angels to come to them, or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those before them. And Allah did not wrong them, but they were wronging themselves (33)Then, they were afflicted by their evil deeds, and they were surrounded by that which they used to mock (34)

The Disbelievers' Refrain from Faith means that They were simply awaiting Punishment

Threatening the idolators for their persistence in falsehood and their conceited delusions about this world, Allah says: Are these people waiting only for the angels to come and take their souls? Qatadah said:

أَوْ يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ

(Or there comes the command of your Lord?) means the Day of Resurrection and the terror that they will go through."

كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

(Thus did those before them.) means, thus did their predecessors and those who were like them among the idolators persist in their Shirk, until they tasted the wrath of Allah and experienced the punishment and torment that they suffered.

وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ

(And Allah did not wrong them.) because by sending His Messengers and revealing His Books He gave them enough warning and clearly demonstrated His proofs to them.

وَلَٰكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they were wronging themselves.) meaning, by opposing the Messengers and denying what they brought. For this reason Allah's punishment tormented them.

وَحَاقَ بِهِم

(they were surrounded) meaning, they were overwhelmed by the painful torment.

مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

(by that which they used to mock.) meaning, they used to make fun of the Messengers when they warned them Allah's punishment, and for this it will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection:

هَٰذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِي كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ

(This is the Fire which you used to belie.)(52:14).