Surah Ash Shu'ara Tafseer

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ

It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself,

means, destroy yourself -- because of your keenness that they should be guided and your grief for them.

أَلاَّ يَكُونُوا مُوْمِنِينَ

that they do not become believers.

Here Allah is consoling His Messenger for the lack of faith of those among the disbelievers who do not believe in him.

This is like the Ayat:

فَلَ تَذْهَبْ نَفْسُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسَرَتٍ

So destroy not yourself in sorrow for them. (35:8)

فَلَعَلَّكَ بَـخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِمْ إِن لَّمْ يُوْمِنُواْ بِهَـذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفاً

Perhaps, you would Bakhi` yourself, over their footsteps, because they believe not in this narration. (18:6)

Mujahid, Ikrimah, Qatadah, Atiyyah, Ad-Dahhak, Al-Hasan and others said that:

لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَّفْسَكَ

(It may be that you are going Bakhi` yourself),

means, `kill yourself.'

Then Allah says:

إِن نَّشَأْ نُنَزِّلْ عَلَيْهِم مِّن السَّمَاء ايَةً فَظَلَّتْ أَعْنَاقُهُمْ لَهَا خَاضِعِينَ