Overall meaning : After pointing out the qualities of His faithful and pious servants and the rich reward He has in store for them, Almighty Allah mentions the qualities of the wretched and their final abode: They are those who violate Allah’s covenant after they have affirmed it, break whatever bonds Allah has ordered to be maintained (such as faith, good deeds and kinship ties), and perpetrate corruption in the land through unbelief, sins and turning people away from Allah’s religion. Those with such evil qualities will be excluded from Allah’s grace and mercy and will have the worst abode and punishment that will only cause them untold misery.
Allah extends or restricts sustenance to whomever He wills of His servants. The unbelievers, who are given abundant provision, rejoice in the pleasures of this worldly life, full of pride, showing ingratitude to Allah and being totally heedless of the hereafter, though the eternal pleasures of this life are rather limited and very brief indeed compared to the pleasures of the hereafter. The unbelievers say, out of sheer obstinacy, ‘Why has no miraculous sign been sent down to him from his Lord so we believe his message?’ Say to them, ‘Surely Allah leads astray whomever He wills of His servants who prefer blindness to guidance, and He guides to Himself all those who repent and turn to Him wholeheartedly. Miracles are not what lead people to believe or disbelieve. You are not led astray simply because a miracle of the sort you ask for is not sent down to me, nor are you guided simply because it is sent. This matter essentially rests with Allah alone.’