[Do they await anything but that the angels should come to them, or that your Lord’s command should come?] Al-Hasan’s exegesis: He says, "Are they awaiting anything but that the angels should come to them with their punishment?"—meaning the polytheists of the Arabs—"or that your Lord’s command should come?"—meaning the first blast (al-nafkhah al-ula) by which the last of the disbelievers of this nation, who followed the religion of Abu Jahl and his companions, shall perish before the punishment of the Hereafter. He said: [Thus did those who were before them]—that is, just as they did, so did those who preceded the polytheists of the Arabs disbelieve—[or that your Lord’s command should come]—meaning the first blast, just as the polytheists of the Arabs disbelieved, and so We destroyed them with the punishment... the verse.
﴿هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ﴾ تَفْسِيرُ الْحَسَنِ: يَقُولُ: هَلْ يَنْتَظِرُونَ إِلا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْمَلائِكَةُ بِعَذَابِهِمْ؛ يَعْنِي: مُشْرِكِي الْعَرَبِ، أَوْ يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ؛ يَعْنِي: النَّفْخَةَ الأُولَى الَّتِي يَهْلِكُ بِهَا آخِرَ كُفَّارِ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ الدَّائِنِينَ بِدِينِ أَبِي جَهْلٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ قَبْلَ عَذَابِ الآخِرَةِ. قَالَ: ﴿كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قبلهم﴾ أَيْ: كَذَلِكَ كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِ مُشْرِكِي الْعَرَبِ ﴿أَوْ يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ﴾ يَعْنِي: النَّفْخَةَ الأُولَى؛ كَمَا كَذَّبَ مُشْرِكُو الْعَرَبِ، فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمُ بِالْعَذَابِ … الْآيَة.