The Quran says to the Atheists: Travel in the land, take admonition from the nature of the sequel for the unbelievers; and read the History to realize how the end of the Atheists was!
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The meanings of the verses 27:66-69:
Has the Atheists’ knowledge come to comprise and attained the Hereafter?
Such that they have reason to ask about the time of its coming.
Their knowledge is in consensus that there is no Hereafter
Nay, for they are in doubt of it.
Rather they are heart-blind to it
Linguistically, this Quranic statement is more powerful than the preceding one
The Atheists say, also in rejecting the idea of resurrection:
What! When our fathers and we are dust shall we indeed be brought forth again to life from the graves?
Shall we verily be brought forth (again)) given life again and brought out of the graves?
Our fathers and we have been already promised this before. Nevertheless these are just the legendary fables of the ancients; these are but lies.
We were promised this, which you are promising us, before us.
All this, which you are promising us, O Muhammad, is naught but fables tales (of the men of old.
Could it be true that after life has departed from us, and our bodies have decomposed and been reduced to dust and ashes, we will be brought back to life? Is it true that we and our forefathers, who died long before us, will be raised up from the earth when we have become part of its dust?
This physical image acts as a barrier preventing them from accepting the possibility of future life. They forget that they have been brought into this life from nothing.
Say: ‘Travel in the land and see how the sequel was for the criminals’, because of their denials — and this [sequel] is that they were destroyed with punishment.
Allah commanded,
Say O Muhammad, to the Atheists:
Travel in the land and see.
Travel in the land take admonition from the nature of the sequel for the guilty
Travel in the land and see how the end of the Atheists was!
In other word, read the History to realize how the end of the Atheists was!
At this point, the Quran directs the Atheists to turn their minds to the end met by earlier communities, which, like them, denied the warnings given by Allah’s messengers
The Atheists are described here as the guilty ones
What happened to those who were guilty in the past may happen to the guilty in later generations, because the divine laws admit no favoritism. Travelling about the land was certain to inform them of experiences, and these would contain a lesson for them. It would open their minds and hearts to light. The Quran directs people to learn of the operation of the divine laws to broaden their vision and give wider dimension to their lives.
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The verses 27:66-69 in different translations:
QARIB:
66- No, their knowledge fails them as to the everlasting life; no, they are in doubt about it, no, they are blind to it.
67- The unbelievers say: ‘when we and our fathers are turned to dust, shall we be brought forth?
68- We were promised this before, and so were our fathers. it is but the fictitious story of the ancients. ‘
69-Say: ‘journey in the land and see what was the end of the sinners. SHAKIR:
66- Nay, their knowledge respecting the hereafter is slight and hasty; nay, they are in doubt about it; nay, they are quite blind to it
67- And those who disbelieve say: what! when we have become dust and our fathers (too), shall we certainly be brought forth?
68-We have certainly been promised this, we and our fathers before; these are naught but stories of the ancients
69-Say: travel in the earth, then see how was the end of the guilty
PICKTHAL:
66- Nay, but doth their knowledge reach to the hereafter? nay, for they are in doubt concerning it. Nay, for they cannot see it.
67- Yet those who disbelieve say: when we have become dust like our fathers, shall we verily be brought forth (again)?
68-We were promised this, forsooth, we and our fathers. (all) this is naught but fables of the men of old.
69-Say (unto them, o Muhammad): travel in the land and see the nature of the sequel for the guilty!
YUSUFALI:
66- Still less can their knowledge comprehend the hereafter: nay, they are in doubt and uncertainty thereanent; nay, they are blind thereunto!
67- The unbelievers say: “what! When we become dust, – we and our fathers, – shall we really be raised (from the dead)?
68-“it is true we were promised this, – we and our fathers before (us): these are nothing but tales of the ancients.”
69-Say: “go ye through the earth and see what has been the end of those guilty (of sin).”
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