Overall meaning : Allah, Exalted be He, says to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: If you could see, Muhammad, the angels taking away the souls of the unbelievers while striking their faces and backsides, you would perceive something truly dreadful and terrifying! The angels will say to them, 'Taste the punishment of the Fire that will burn you. That is because of your unbelief and sins, and because Allah is not in the least unjust to His creatures.’
The case of the Quraysh idolaters, the Almighty then points out, is just like that of Pharaoh and his people and that of the unbelieving nations before them: They disbelieved in the signs of Allah, and so Allah destroyed them because of their unbelief and sins. Surely Allah is All-Strong, severe in retribution. They suffered such punishment because, in exchange for Allah’s favour, they offered only ingratitude. Allah would never withdraw a favour that He has conferred upon a people until they change what is in their hearts by falling into unbelief and sin. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
The case of these idolaters, He further states, is like that of Pharaoh and his people, as well as that of the unbelieving nations before them: They rejected the signs of their Lord when they came to them; He, therefore, destroyed them for their sins and drowned Pharaoh and his people; and all the past nations that Allah destroyed, as well as the Quraysh unbelievers, had wronged themselves because of their unbelief and their rejection of the truth.