فَكَیْفَ
اِذَا
جِئْنَا
مِنْ
كُلِّ
اُمَّةٍ
بِشَهِیْدٍ
وَّجِئْنَا
بِكَ
عَلٰی
هٰۤؤُلَآءِ
شَهِیْدًا
۟ؕؔ

In the verse (41) beginning with: فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ , there is an invitation to visualize, in range and depth, the gravity of what will happen on the site of the Last Day. Also intended is an admonition to the disbelievers from the tribe of Quraysh. Their anxiety would know no bounds when every prophet of every community would appear as a witness to the good or bad deeds of his respective community on the Last Day - and Muhammad ﷺ too, the last of the prophets, will appear as a witness over his community - and he would give witness in the Divine Court particularly about such disbelievers and polytheists declaring that these people saw open signs and miracles, yet they belied and rejected them and ultimately refused to believe in 'The Divinity and my Prophethood'.

According to a narration in al-Bukhari, the Holy Prophet ﷺ asked

Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ to recite the Qur'an to him. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ؓ said : 'You want to hear it from me, although the Qur'an was revealed to you?' He ﷺ said: 'Yes. Recite.' Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn Masud ؓ says: 'I started reciting Suratun-Nisa' and when I reached the verse: فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ (41), he said: "Enough for now;" and when I raised my eyes to look at him, I saw tears trickling from his blessed eyes.'

` Allama al-Qastalani (رح) writes: This verse caused a full view of the Akhirah to be present before his eyes and he thought about the people of his community who were short on or lacking in good deeds and that was why tears started flowing from his eyes.

Special Note:

Some commentators, have said that the word, هَـٰؤُلَاءِ (them), in this verse (41) points to the disbelievers and hypocrites present during the age of prophethood. Some others say that it refers to the entire community right through the Day of Doom. This is so because, as indicated in some hadith narrations, the deeds of his community are being continuously presented before him. Nevertheless, from here we know that the prophets of past communities will appear as witnesses over their respective communities and that the Holy Prophet ﷺ too will testify to the deeds of his community. This textual style of the noble Qur'an tells us that there is to be no prophet after him who could appear as a witness over a possible community of his - otherwise, the Qur'an would have mentioned him and his community and the testimony he would give. Seen from this angle, this verse is a proof of the finality of prophethood as well.