Five things have passed, i.e. the smoke, the defeat of the Romans, the splitting of the moon, Al-Batsha (the defeat of the infidels in the battle of Badr) and Al-Lizam (the punishment)'.  

مَضَى خَمْسٌ الدُّخَانُ وَالرُّومُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالْبَطْشَةُ وَاللِّزَامُ  

It (i.e., the imagined smoke) was because, when the Quraish refused to obey the Prophet, he asked Allah to afflict them with years of famine similar to those of (Prophet) Joseph. So they were stricken with famine and fatigue, so much so that they ate even bones. A man would look towards the sky and imagine seeing something like smoke between him and the sky because of extreme fatigue. So Allah revealed:-- 'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible, covering the people; this is a painfull of torment.' (44.10-11) Then someone (Abu Sufyan) came to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! Invoke Allah to send rain for the tribes of Mudar for they are on the verge of destruction." On that the Prophet ﷺ said (astonishingly) "Shall I invoke Allah) for the tribes of Mudar? Verily, you are a brave man!" But the Prophet prayed for rain and it rained for them. Then the Verse was revealed. 'But truly you will return (to disbelief).' (44.15) (When the famine was over and) they restored prosperity and welfare, they reverted to their ways (of heathenism) whereupon Allah revealed: 'On the Day when We shall seize you with a Mighty Grasp. We will indeed (then) exact retribution.' (44.16) The narrator said, "That was the day of the Battle of Badr."  

لأَنَّ قُرَيْشًا لَمَّا اسْتَعْصَوْا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ دَعَا عَلَيْهِمْ بِسِنِينَ كَسِنِي يُوسُفَ فَأَصَابَهُمْ قَحْطٌ وَجَهْدٌ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْعِظَامَ فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَيَرَى مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهَا كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ مِنَ الْجَهْدِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ * يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} قَالَ فَأُتِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اسْتَسْقِ اللَّهَ لِمُضَرَ فَإِنَّهَا قَدْ هَلَكَتْ قَالَ لِمُضَرَ إِنَّكَ لَجَرِيءٌ فَاسْتَسْقَى فَسُقُوا فَنَزَلَتْ {إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ} فَلَمَّا أَصَابَتْهُمُ الرَّفَاهِيَةُ عَادُوا إِلَى حَالِهِمْ حِينَ أَصَابَتْهُمُ الرَّفَاهِيَةُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷻ {يَوْمَ نَبْطِشُ الْبَطْشَةَ الْكُبْرَى إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ} قَالَ يَعْنِي يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ  

It is a sign of having knowledge that, when you do not know something, you say: 'Allah knows better.' Allah said to his Prophet: 'Say: No wage do I ask of you for this (Qur'an), nor am I one of the pretenders (a person who pretends things which do not exist)' (38.86) When the Quraish troubled and stood against the Prophet ﷺ he said, "O Allah! Help me against them by afflicting them with seven years of famine like the seven years of Joseph." So they were stricken with a year of famine during which they ate bones and dead animals because of too much suffering, and one of them would see something like smoke between him and the sky because of hunger. Then they said: Our Lord! Remove the torment from us, really we are believers. (44.12) And then it was said to the Prophet (by Allah), "If we remove it from them. they will revert to their ways (of heathenism)." So the Prophet ﷺ invoked his Lord, who removed the punishment from them, but later they reverted (to heathenism), whereupon Allah punished them on the day of the Battle of Badr, and that is what Allah's Statement indicates: 'Then watch for the day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible...we will indeed (then) exact retribution.' (44.10).  

أَنْ تَقُولَ لِمَا لاَ تَعْلَمُ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ لِنَبِيِّهِ ﷺ {قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ} إِنَّ قُرَيْشًا لَمَّا غَلَبُوا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَاسْتَعْصَوْا عَلَيْهِ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَبْعٍ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُفَ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ سَنَةٌ أَكَلُوا فِيهَا الْعِظَامَ وَالْمَيْتَةَ مِنْ الْجَهْدِ حَتَّى جَعَلَ أَحَدُهُمْ يَرَى مَا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ مِنْ الْجُوعِ قَالُوا  رَبَّنَا اكْشِفْ عَنَّا الْعَذَابَ إِنَّا مُؤْمِنُونَ  فَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنْ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَادُوا فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ فَكَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ فَعَادُوا فَانْتَقَمَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمْ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى  فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ جَلَّ ذِكْرُهُ إِنَّا مُنْتَقِمُونَ  

I came upon ʿAbdullah and he said, "When Messenger of Allah ﷺ invited Quraish (to Islam), they disbelieved him and stood against him. So he (the Prophet) said, "O Allah! Help me against them by afflicting them with seven years of famine similar to the seven years of Joseph.' So they were stricken with a year of drought that destroyed everything, and they started eating dead animals, and if one of them got up he would see something like smoke between him and the sky from the severe fatigue and hunger." ʿAbdullah then recited:-- 'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible, covering the people. This is a painful torment... (till he reached) ........ We shall indeed remove the punishment for a while, but truly you will revert (to heathenism): (44.10-15) ʿAbdullah added: "Will the punishment be removed from them on the Day of Resurrection?" He added," The severe grasp" was the Day of the Battle of Badr."  

إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمَّا دَعَا قُرَيْشًا كَذَّبُوهُ وَاسْتَعْصَوْا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَبْعٍ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُفَ فَأَصَابَتْهُمْ سَنَةٌ حَصَّتْ يَعْنِي كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى كَانُوا يَأْكُلُونَ الْمَيْتَةَ فَكَانَ يَقُومُ أَحَدُهُمْ فَكَانَ يَرَى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ مِثْلَ الدُّخَانِ مِنَ الْجَهْدِ وَالْجُوعِ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ {فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ * يَغْشَى النَّاسَ هَذَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} حَتَّى بَلَغَ {إِنَّا كَاشِفُو الْعَذَابِ قَلِيلاً إِنَّكُمْ عَائِدُونَ} قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَفَيُكْشَفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَالَ وَالْبَطْشَةُ الْكُبْرَى يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ  

Allah sent (the Prophet) Muhammad and said:-- 'Say, No wage do I ask of you for this (Qur'an) nor am I one of the pretenders (i.e. a person who pretends things which do not exist). (38.68) When Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw Quraish standing against him, he said, "O Allah! Help me against them by afflicting them with seven years of famine similar to the seven years (of famine) of Joseph. So they were afflicted with a year of drought that destroyed everything, and they ate bones and hides. (One of them said), "And they ate hides and dead animals, and (it seemed to them that) something like smoke was coming out of the earth. So Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Muhammad! Your people are on the verge of destruction! Please invoke Allah to relieve them." So the Prophet ﷺ invoked Allah for them (and the famine disappeared). He said to them. "You will revert (to heathenism) after that." ʿAbdullah then recited: 'Then watch you for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke plainly visible.......but truly you will revert (to disbelief).' He added, "Will the punishment be removed from them in the Hereafter? The smoke and the grasp and the Al-Lizam have all passed." One of the sub-narrater said, "The splitting of the moon." And another said, "The defeat of the Romans (has passed).  

عَبْدُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ وَقَالَ {قُلْ مَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّفِينَ} فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمَّا رَأَى قُرَيْشًا اسْتَعْصَوْا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِمْ بِسَبْعٍ كَسَبْعِ يُوسُفَ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ السَّنَةُ حَتَّى حَصَّتْ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْعِظَامَ وَالْجُلُودَ فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْجُلُودَ وَالْمَيْتَةَ وَجَعَلَ يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الأَرْضِ كَهَيْئَةِ الدُّخَانِ فَأَتَاهُ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ فَقَالَ أَىْ مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّ قَوْمَكَ قَدْ هَلَكُوا فَادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَكْشِفَ عَنْهُمْ فَدَعَا ثُمَّ قَالَ تَعُودُوا بَعْدَ هَذَا فِي حَدِيثِ مَنْصُورٍ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ {فَارْتَقِبْ يَوْمَ تَأْتِي السَّمَاءُ بِدُخَانٍ مُبِينٍ} إِلَى {عَائِدُونَ} أَيُكْشَفُ عَذَابُ الآخِرَةِ فَقَدْ مَضَى الدُّخَانُ وَالْبَطْشَةُ وَاللِّزَامُ وَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمُ الْقَمَرُ وَقَالَ الآخَرُ الرُّومُ  

Five things have passed: Al-Lizam, the defeat of the Romans, the mighty grasp, the splitting of the moon, and the smoke.  

خَمْسٌ قَدْ مَضَيْنَ اللِّزَامُ وَالرُّومُ وَالْبَطْشَةُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالدُّخَانُ