the punishment, "close by." "The faces of those who disbelieved will be distressed," meaning the punishment will disfigure their faces. "And it will be said" to them at that moment, "This is that which you were calling for," because of their statement: "Bring upon us the punishment of Allah," as a form of mockery and denial.

Muhammad said: Abu Ubayd mentioned that some of the reciters read "alladhi kuntum bihi tadʿuna" (which you were calling for) with a lightened [un-doubled] letter, because they used to call for the punishment in His statement: "O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones," [from the verse]. He said: And most of them read "taddaʿuna" with the doubled letter. He said: It is the reading we prefer, and the doubled form is derived from the lightened form: "tadʿuna" is [the measure of] tafʿulun, and "taddaʿuna" is [the measure of] taftaʿulun, derived from it.