﴿ أَفَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِن نَّشَأْ نَخْسِفْ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ نُسْقِطْ عَلَيْهِمْ كِسَفًۭا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَةًۭ لِّكُلِّ عَبْدٍۢ مُّنِيبٍۢ ﴾

“Are they, then, not aware of how little of the sky and the earth lies open before them, and how much is hidden from them? [or that,] if We so willed, We could cause the earth to swallow them, or cause fragments of the sky to fall down upon them? In all this, behold, there is a message indeed for every servant [of God] who is wont to turn unto Him [in repentance].”

Have they not observed what is before them and what is behind them in other words what is above them and what is beneath them of heaven and earth? If We will it We can make the earth swallow them or let fall on them fragments read kisfan or kisafan ‘large pieces’ from the heaven a variant reading has the third person singular for all three verbs sc. yashā’ ‘He will’ yakhsif ‘He makes to swallow’ yusqit ‘He lets fall’. Surely in that which is observed there is a sign for every penitent servant turning back to his Lord signs indicating God’s power to resurrect and to do what He will.