Appearance
Verses 11–14
In the previous section, God mentioned two of the fundamental teachings of the true religion—namely monotheism (tawḥīd) and resurrection (maʿād)—and proved their correctness through arguments founded on the human being’s innate reason. After this, He foretold what would be the outcome of believing or disbelieving in these two teachings. In this section, he addresses the question of why God gives human beings respite rather than hastening to send down punishment upon them. This, in spite of their obstinacy and persistence in error and misguidance, and their bewilderment in rebellion. It also addresses the question of why this is the case and explains that the matter is clear and unambiguous; God’s messengers have made it plain to them with manifest proofs, but Satan has made their deeds seem decorous to them and, in doing so, caused them to neglect the remembrance of the Hereafter. Therefore, after being reminded, they ignored it and forgot again. However, God still did not hasten to punish them, but rather granted them respite in this world for a time in order to try them and test them, for this world is an abode of trial and tribulation.
وَلَوْ يُعَجِّلُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ الشَّرَّ اسْتِعْجَالَهُمْ بِالْخَيْرِ لَقُضِيَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَنَذَرُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ ١١
(10:11) Were Allah to hasten (yuʿajjil) ill for mankind with their haste (istiʿjāl) for good, their term would have been over. But We leave those who do not expect to encounter Us bewildered in their rebellion (fī ṭughyānihim yaʿmahūn).
The verb taʿjīl (‘to hasten’, from whence is derived yuʿajjil) means to bring something about quickly, while ʿajala and istiʿjāl (‘haste’) mean to demand something be done with speed. Yaʿmahūn (‘bewildered’) signifies intense confusion.
The meaning of the verse is: ‘Were God to hasten to do harm to people—by punishing them—with the same alacrity with which they pursue good for themselves, such as blessings, He would have surely sent down His punishment and brought them to an end. But God does not hasten to do harm to these deniers of the resurrection who reject the mantle of faith and stray, utterly bewildered in their rebellion.’
In addressing this issue, we can say that humans, by nature, are often impatient beings who tend to rush through tasks or situations that involve their benefit or welfare. In other words, they seek the most expeditious means to achieve the results they desire. Since the ultimate cause of everything lies in the hands of the Almighty God, humans, in reality, demand this haste from Him. Consequently, this human desire is a baseless habit that is rooted in their own selfish inclinations. It is crucial to understand that the factors at work in this world do not cater to the whims and desires of humans; rather, it is humans who are subject to the prevailing system that governs the cosmos. They are compelled and obliged to adhere to that system, whether they like it or not, and regardless of their feelings towards it.
If the divine process in the creation of things and the emergence of causes went in accordance with human habits, with ignorance as their foundation and hastily pursuing effects and causes, then the devastation of annihilation through divine punishment would befall humans swiftly. The root of this catastrophe and destruction lies within humanity itself, in their disbelief, their denial of the afterlife and the encounter with God, and their rebellion in their earthly existence. However, the Almighty God does not hasten to inflict calamity on humans in the same way as humans rush to obtain benefit, because His process is grounded in wisdom, unlike human habits, which are based on ignorance. As a result, the Almighty God leaves the defiant disbelievers to wallow in their own confusion.
From this, the following is evident:
First, when God says their term would have been over (la-quḍiya ilayhim ajaluhum), this contains a kind of guarantee. This is because the word la-quḍiya means something akin to ‘sending down’ or ‘conveying’, which is why it takes the preposition ilā. This means that God would have specified a point at which they would meet their end, or He would have sent down their end upon them. This is an allusion to the sending down of divine punishment. Therefore, this is a compound allusion.
Second, when God says, But We leave those who do not expect to encounter Us …, this contains a shift from God speaking about Himself in the third person to God speaking directly in the first person to another. Perhaps this shift is intended to highlight the intermediary role of cause and effect in this, as the actions of God described in this verse and subsequent ones, such as leaving them in their bewilderment, removing their distress, or annihilating them all take place through the mediation of causes and effects. And when kings wish to indicate that their subordinates or servants were involved in some of their affairs, they say that ‘we did this’ or ‘we did that.’
وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنْسَانَ الضُّرُّ دَعَانَا لِجَنْبِهِ أَوْ قَاعِدًا أَوْ قَائِمًا فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُ ضُرَّهُ مَرَّ كَأَنْ لَمْ يَدْعُنَا إِلَىٰ ضُرٍّ مَسَّهُ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ١٢
(10:12) When distress befalls man (idhā massa al-insān al-ḍurr), he supplicates Us on his side, sitting, or standing; but when We remove his distress, he passes on as if he had never supplicated Us concerning the distress that had befallen him. To the profligate is thus presented as decorous what they have been doing.
The word ḍurr (‘distress’) refers to harm that comes to a human being’s person; he supplicates Us on his side, sitting, or standing means that he supplicates God while lying down. It appears that these three states are mentioned to signify generality, meaning ‘he supplicates us in whatever condition you can imagine him being in, whether lying down, sitting, or standing, and he continues to supplicate Us in all states, never forgetting for an instance.’
It is also possible that on his side, sitting, or standing denote the three conditions of ‘man’ (from the phrase when distress befalls man), rather than the person invoking God in His supplications. This would render the meaning: ‘When distress befalls man, while he is on his side, sitting, or standing, He supplicates us in that condition.’ This is the meaning found in some traditions with incomplete chains of narration that say: He supplicates Us on his side means someone who is either ill or injured and unable to sit, sitting denotes someone who cannot stand, or standing denotes someone who is healthy.
… he passes on as if he had never supplicated Us concerning the distress that had befallen him: This alludes to their neglecting and forgetting that which cannot be forgotten.
The meaning of the verse can be understood as follows: ‘When a calamity or distressing hardship befalls a person, an individual consistently and unceasingly calls upon Us for relief from their suffering and persists in their supplications. However, as soon as we alleviate their affliction, they completely forget Us, and their hearts return to the same pursuits they had indulged in previously. Indeed, the deeds of those who extravagantly and excessively enjoy worldly adornments seem so alluring to them that they entirely overlook the aspect of divine lordship.
This verse explains why those who deny the resurrection persist in their misguidance and ignorance, along with the traits that contribute to this. It is as though these individuals resemble someone who, when faced with a severe hardship, remembers his Lord and repeatedly calls on Him to alleviate their affliction. They persist in this until God alleviates the affliction for which they were beseeching Him only to return to pursuing the same transgressions they had before, forgetting the reason they fervently called upon God.
Furthermore, the reason these immoderate people deny the Resurrection is that Satan has made their sinful deeds seem alluring to them. As a result, their hearts are captivated by these deeds, leaving no space for the remembrance of God. Consequently, they forget God in their heedlessness, and even though God Almighty has sent previous messengers with clear miracles to remind them of His sovereignty and to draw their attention to the fact that earlier communities were destroyed due to their disbelief and oppression, they still refuse to believe. This is the divine custom in which God punishes wrongdoers in this manner.
This shows that the following verse, Certainly We destroyed generations before you () is an addendum to the exposition contained in this verse.
وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا ۙ وَجَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْقَوْمَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ١٣
(10:13) Certainly We destroyed generations before you when they perpetrated wrongs: their messengers brought them manifest proofs, but they would not have faith. Thus do We requite the guilty lot.
The meaning of this verse is clear based on what has come before. Note the shift in address in this verse, when God says ‘before you’, from speaking in the third person (‘them’) to speaking in the second-person (‘you’). This shift emphasizes the warning it contains, as a warning is most powerful and effective when it is conveyed directly to the person being warned.
Thus do We requite the guilty lot: This is yet another shift in address, which is now directed to the Prophet. The point here is that God is explaining the divine custom with regards to punishing the guilty, and the Prophet is the person best placed to understand this and to convince others of its truth, and if he manages to convince them of its truth, they will believe in it and not deny it. This is in contrast to the previous verse, which is an account of the past and, therefore, it is irrelevant whether or not they believe it.
ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ لِنَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ١٤
(10:14) Then We made you successors on the earth after them that We may observe how you will act.
The meaning of this verse should be clear to the reader. It shows that the divine custom of putting people through trials and tests is continuous and ubiquitous throughout history.