أَرَأَيْتَ  (Have you seen): Meaning that there is a strange matter after it which seems to be certain result of oppression.

This verse was descended because of Abu-Jahl, who forbad the Messenger of Allah (saws), from prayer and threatened him that he would do so and so if he (saws) went and prayed in the Al-Ka’ba. He did not forbid an ordinary person, but he forbad a Messenger of Allah (saws). It is narrated by Abu Horayra (may Allah be pleased with him) that Abo Jahl said: Does Muhammad put his face on the ground among you? They said: Yes, he said: By Al-Lat and Al-Ozza if I see him I will stomp on his head of I will dump his face in soil.

Abu-Jahl went to execute his threat but he fled back to where he came. He was asked: What happened to you? He said: I found a trench of fire things that have wings between him and me. The messenger Muhammad (saws) said:

” If he had come near me, the angels would have snatched him.”[1]

So the verses (6-10) of this Surah was revealed accordingly.

This incident has really taken place and the Holy Qur’an narrated it after it happened. Yet Allah (swt) did not say, “the one who has forbidden,” but said: “the one who forbids.”, using the present tense makes the image as if it is in front of you.

After that, Allah (swt) tells us about the forbidden and says:

[1] Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2797.