Appearance
Verses 46–56
These verses inform us of an ongoing divine order of things, namely that God has issued a definitive decree that cannot be repelled or altered to send a messenger to every nation to convey His message. Then He will judge between the messenger and the people with a decisive judgment by sending down punishment upon them, saving the believers and destroying the deniers.
The Prophet is then commanded to inform his people that the same divine order of things that befell previous nations will also befall in their nation, without any exceptions. However, in response to their question about when the punishment would befall them, God did not instruct him to say anything beyond the fact that the decree is inevitable and the nation has a lifespan and an appointed term, just like an individual whose life comes to an end. As for the exact timing of the punishment, it is left ambiguous.
As we have already discussed in relation to the verse, but Allah will not punish them while you are in their midst, nor will Allah punish them while they plead for forgiveness (), that the verse implies that the nation will be deprived of the opportunity to plead for forgiveness after the time of the Prophet and that the punishment will then descend upon them. We have also said that the evidence indicates that the verse in Sūrah al-Anfāl is Medinan, so it comes after the Meccan verses we are discussing here as a clarification after ambiguity, and it is one of the Qurʾan’s prophecies of future events (malāḥim).
Some commentators have interpreted the punishment mentioned in these verses as a reference to the punishment of the Hereafter. However, the context of these verses precludes such a reading.
وَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَىٰ مَا يَفْعَلُونَ ٤٦
(10:46) Whether We show you a part of what We promise them, or take you away, their return will be to Us. Then Allah will be witness to what they do.
The equivocation between showing the Prophet or taking him away is to signify the equivalence between the two circumstances and to include in all possibilities. Therefore, the meaning is: ‘They will return to us no matter what happens.’ The use of the particle ‘then’ is to signify the logical arrangement of the verse, rather than the temporal arrangement of events (as God is always a witness to what they do). The verse, then, is intended to console the Prophet and to serve as a prelude to a discussion of the decree of divine punishment, which the following verses will elaborate upon.
Therefore, the full meaning of the verse is: ‘Take comfort, for we will deliver what we have promised them, whether we show you some of it or we take you away before that, for their affair is to us, and we are witnesses to the deeds of theirs that call down punishment; there are neither hidden from us, nor will we forget them.’
Note the shift in address from direct speech, ‘We show you’ to the third person, ‘Then Allah will be witness…’—this is to call attention to the reason for the proposition contained in the verse, namely that God is a witness to all that they do, as befits His utter divinity.
وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولٌ ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ رَسُولُهُمْ قُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ٤٧
(10:47) There is a messenger for every nation; so when their messenger comes, judgment is made between them with justice, and they are not wronged.
The divine decree consists of two decrees: First, that every single nation has a messenger that brings them God’s message and conveys it to them; second, that when this messenger comes to them and conveys this message, they split into those who believe in the message and those who deny it, then God judges between them with justice and fairness without wronging them. This is the meaning yielded by the verse’s context.
From this, it becomes clear that the phrase, so when their messenger comes, is a succinct expression that leaves much of its meaning implicit: ‘So, when their messenger comes to them and conveys God’s message to them, his people differ between those who deny his message and those who believe in it.’ This is the meaning indicated by the phrase, judgment is made between them with justice, and they are not wronged, because judgment can only be rendered on issues where there is some disagreement. Thus, the question of fairness and the absence of injustice in judgment regarding punishment and harm is what first comes to mind from this verse.
We have already discussed the distinction between a messenger (rasūl) and a prophet (nabī) in our discussions on prophethood. Therefore, the judgment mentioned in the verse is specific to divine messengership rather than prophecy.
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَٰذَا الْوَعْدُ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ ٤٨
(10:48) They say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?’
They are asking about the time of this promised judgment, which is the judgment between them in this world. The ones asking this question are some of the idolaters from the time of the Prophet. The evidence for this is that God commands him to respond to them by saying, ‘I have no control over any benefit for myself nor any harm except what Allah may wish. There is a time for every nation …’ (). Some scholars have said that this question is about the punishment due on the Day of Resurrection and that those asking this question are idolaters from previous nations. However, this reading is to be discounted.
قُلْ لَا أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِي ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ۗ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ ۚ إِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ ٤٩
(10:49) Say, ‘I have no control over any benefit for myself nor any harm except what Allah may wish. There is a time for every nation: when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it.’
When they say, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?’, what they mean is, ‘When will your Lord fulfil what He promised you …’ or ‘… bring about what He promised us, that He will judge between us and you, destroy us and save you and the believers with you, clear the atmosphere for you, give you the land, and free you from our evil? Why doesn’t He hasten that?’ This question is driven by their impatience, as they seek to challenge and ridicule the Muslims, as the following verses indicate, similar to their saying, quoted elsewhere: Why do you not bring us the angels should you be truthful? ().
In this verse, God bids His Prophet to begin his answer to the idolaters’ questions by making clear that he does not have the power to repel harm or bring benefit even for his own self, let alone the power to hasten what has been promised to them, save whatever power God has granted him. Therefore, the matter is entirely in the hands of God, and their impertinent demand to hasten this judgment and punishment only reveals the depths of their ignorance.
Then, He answers their question about when this promise will take place by avoiding setting a specific time for it and, instead, focusing on its inevitability. This is because the former is a part of the Unseen that is known only to God, and part of His command that only He has control over. This is something He has already called attention to previously in this chapter in the verse, They say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ Say, ‘The Unseen belongs only to Allah. So wait. I too am waiting along with you’ ()
As for the second aspect, which concerns the inevitability of the punishment’s occurrence, it is explained through invoking a fundamental principle that is among the general norms prevailing in the universe, by which intricacies are clarified and doubts are dispelled. This principle is that every nation has an appointed time that they cannot exceed or evade, and it will inevitably come to them. When their time comes, their end will neither be delayed nor hastened. This is indicated in the present verse, when God says, there is a time for every nation: when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it. That is to say, ‘You are also a nation among the nations, so you too will inevitably have an appointed time like theirs, and when it comes, you cannot delay it nor hasten it.’
If they understand this statement and reflect upon it, they will realize that for each nation there is a collective life beyond the individual lives of its members, and for their collective life, there is an existence and duration that God Almighty has ordained for them. For each nation, there is their share of happiness, misery, obligations, guidance, misguidance, reward, and punishment. And the divine governance of the created realm looks after the affairs of nations just as it does those of individuals.
History attests to this fact, as do the traces of their ruined dwellings and abandoned homes that are scattered across the landscape. The Qurʾan recounts the stories of some of these nations, such as the people of Noah, the people of Hūd from ʿAḍ, the people of Ṣāliḥ from Thamūd, the people of Abraham from Babylon, the people of Sodom and other cities destroyed with them (who were the people of Lot), the people of Pharaoh from Egypt, and others.
These perished nations have ceased to exist, and their lives have ended. They perished only as a result of divine punishment and destruction, and they were not punished until their messengers had come to them with clear proofs. No messenger came to any of these people without them being divided over the truth that was brought to them, some of them believing in it, and others, who were the majority, denying it.
This shows the Prophet’s audience in this nation, having differed over the truth when it came to them, will likewise have God judge between their messenger and themselves. He will seize them with the same fate as the past nations before them, and that God is ever watchful.
A thoughtful reader will note that, although God began by threatening the polytheists with this punishment, He also warned the wrongdoers of it in the course of His speech, making the threat applicable to them as well. This means that there are wrongdoers amongst the Muslims, just as there are amongst other communities, so they too should expect a painful punishment by which God will separate them from His Prophet. They should forget the notion instilled by Satan that their nation is an especially blessed one, and that God has lifted the punishment of this world from them as a special honor to their Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy. They believe they are safe from God’s punishment even if they indulge in every sin and transgression and violate every boundary while, in reality, there is no honor attained with God except through piety. God addresses the believers of this nation similarly when He says: It will be neither after your hopes nor the hopes of the People of the Book: whoever commits evil shall be requited for it, and he will not find for himself any guardian or helper besides Allah ().
Sometimes, a person might transgress and assume that the punishment of the Hereafter is included within this honor, and they imagine that their good deeds and sins will be forgiven in their nation. Consequently, they believe they have the permission to do as they please in this world, as if God had draped a veil of security over them, and that in the Hereafter, they will only have divine forgiveness and the reward of Paradise.
However, if this were the case, the religion and the divine law would be nothing but a set of arbitrary obligations and rules, a game played by the Lord of the Worlds, who is not questioned about what He does, while those who claim this will be questioned about what they say, for they are ascribing a great falsehood to Him.
All of this stems from turning away from the remembrance of God and neglecting His Book, as the Messenger said, And the Messenger will say, ‘O my Lord! Indeed my people consigned this Qurʾan to oblivion.’ ()
قُلْ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُهُ بَيَاتًا أَوْ نَهَارًا مَاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ٥٠ أَثُمَّ إِذَا مَا وَقَعَ آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ ۚ آلْآنَ وَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ بِهِ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ٥١
(10:50–51) Say, ‘Tell me, should His punishment overtake you by night (bayātan) or day; so what part of it do the guilty seek to hasten?’ ‘What! Do you believe it when it has befallen? Now? While you would seek to hasten it?!’
The term bayātan means ‘by night’ (like laylan), but it is most commonly used in the context of some harm coming to someone, such as coming under attack by one’s enemies.
When they said, ‘When will this promise be fulfilled, should you be truthful?’ (), this showed that they were seeking to hasten the divine punishment that would force them to believe. Therefore, after expounding the inevitability of this punishment, God reproaches and condemns them from two angles. First, He reprimands them for seeking to hasten the punishment, which is a sudden, unexpected event that humans should be afraid of, rather than hastening it. God instructs His Prophet to say, ‘Tell me, should His punishment overtake you by night or day; so what part of it do the guilty seek to hasten?’ In other words, why are you hastening this punishment when you are wrongdoers who cannot escape it when it arrives?
In the phrase, ‘… so what part of it do the guilty seek to hasten?’, there is a shift from addressing them directly to speaking about them in the third person. This shift reflects their state of not explicitly uttering something evil and also alludes to the reason that the punishment will be brought upon them, which is their guilt and wrongdoing. Secondly, God reprimands them for delaying their belief until a time when it would no longer benefit them, which is when the punishment comes. The divine punishment would undoubtedly force them to believe, as it is a known fact that humans tend to believe when faced with destruction. On the other hand, belief is a form of repentance, and repentance is not accepted when the signs of divine punishment becomes manifest and death is imminent.
God says, Do you believe it when it has befallen?, meaning when the punishment comes, would you only then believe in the Qurʾan, the religion, or God? Now?—meaning, would you believe in it at that moment and time when you used to hasten it? The implication of their hastening the punishment is their lack of concern for its consequences and mocking it.
ثُمَّ قِيلَ لِلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ذُوقُوا عَذَابَ الْخُلْدِ هَلْ تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْسِبُونَ ٥٢
(10:52) Then it will be said to those who were wrongdoers, ‘Taste the everlasting punishment. Shall you be requited except for what you used to earn?’
This verse appears to be connected to the previous one, There is a time for every nation (). In this case, the first verse clarifies the certainty of the punishment befalling them and their destruction, while the second verse clarifies that after the punishment and destruction, it will be said to them, Taste the everlasting punishment, which is the punishment of the Hereafter, and that they will only be recompensed for the deeds they had earned and the sins they had committed. The statement is a figurative expression of the punishment encompassing them and reaching them. In this context, the two verses, Say, ‘Tell me, should His punishment overtake you by night or day… While you would seek to hasten it?!’ (), are an interjection.
وَيَسْتَنْبِئُونَكَ أَحَقٌّ هُوَ ۖ قُلْ إِي وَرَبِّي إِنَّهُ لَحَقٌّ ۖ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ ٥٣
(10:53) They inquire of you, ‘Is it true?’ Say, ‘Yes! By my Lord, it is indeed true, and you cannot thwart.’
Based on the context, the pronoun, ‘it’ in their question, ‘Is it true?’ refers to God’s judgment or to divine punishment, but the significance is one and the same. Here, God tells His Prophet to affirm it from all angles. In other words, respond to them by telling them that it will inevitably occur and that there is no obstacle to it.
So, when God says, Say, ‘Yes! By my Lord, it is indeed true (innahu la-ḥaqun)…’, this is affirming that it will indeed come to pass, and this is emphasized by the use of an oath (‘By my Lord…’), the use of the particles of emphasis, inna and lām in ‘it is indeed true.’
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ ظَلَمَتْ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ لَافْتَدَتْ بِهِ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ ۖ وَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ ٥٤
(10:54) Were any soul that has done wrong to possess whatever there is on the earth, it would surely offer it for ransom. They will hide their remorse when they sight the punishment; and judgment will be made between them with justice and they will not be wronged.
This verse highlights the severity of the punishment and the importance of escaping it for those who have committed wrong. It is also that the wrongdoers will feel regret, which they conceal out of fear of ridicule or similar reasons. The apparent meaning is that the decree and punishment mentioned in the verse refer to the worldly decree and punishment, not anything else, such as punishment of the Hereafter.
أَلَا إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ٥٥
(10:55) Look! To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Look! Allah’s promise is indeed true; but most of them do not know.
This verse and what follows are a rational argument for the aforementioned punishment as being both true and inevitable, with nothing able to prevent it. Since everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to God alone, with no partner, all control over them is solely attributed to God. No one else has any control over anything except with His permission. When He exercises control over something, it is based solely on His will, without being bound to any external requirement or restriction. Thus, God does what He wills without being tied to external conditions or impeded by any obstacles. When He wills something, He does it without any hindrance or obstruction, and when He makes a promise, it is true and cannot be averted. His promise will not change due to any external factor.
Deep reflection on God’s absolute and true sovereignty over all things leads one to realize that His promise is necessarily true and unadulterated by falsehood. However, most people, who are the majority of humankind, do not know this due to their inability to deeply engage in these metaphysical investigations or their fascination with simplistic understanding and following the path of the majority.
Thus, they compare God’s sovereignty to the sovereignty of the great and powerful human rulers. They see that one of their great leaders has been granted authority and power, without anyone to compete with him, and seeing absolute power in him to do as he pleases and rule as he desires. Then, they may find that he harbors ambitions and strives for them, yet what he aims to do or promises does not materialise, either because it is not in his personal interest or the interest of others, or due to an external impediment. Then, they compare God’s command to human commands, and His promise to the human promises, believing that a promise, according to them, can either be realized in external reality or not come about at all.
Although the essential meaning of this ruler’s dominion, authority, the vastness of his power, and the influence of his will is that people believe in it and perceive him as great among them, even if the vicissitudes of time will one day wear him down, destroy him, or people’s beliefs might change due to reasons that deprive him of his power and authority. The meaning of achieving what he wants or desires is that the external causes have helped him in achieving this and in realizing his desires. If these external causes did not help him or assist him in his aims, he would not be able to force these forces to submit to the power he has arrogated to himself, just as they do not submit to his desires on matters such as death, life, youth, old age, health, illness, and many other matters. Therefore, he has no control over anything.
By contrast, God has dominion over His creation in the sense that the existence of everything depends on Him, is created and disposed by His command, and is subject to His will. Whatever control is exercised over anything, it is done by Him alone, not due to any external condition or the absence of an obstacle hindering His action. Nothing is attributed to Him or anyone else except by His leave, to the extent that He allows. So how can anything deviate from His will and devolve to someone else, when there is no one else for it to devolve to or be attributed to?
God’s actions necessarily indicate His intent, so how can falsehood, which is external to His nature, be attributed to Him, when there is no falsehood in the external reality? Falsehood and error are related to mental concepts in terms of their applicability to the external world. How can his promise be false when His promise to us is His future action, unseen to us, and he has directed all the causes towards it, and there is no turning back?
Deep reflection on these truths will enlighten the inquisitive and contemplative person about the meaning of God’s dominion over whatever is in the heavens and the earth and that it necessarily implies that God’s promise is true. Doubt about this fact can arise only out of ignorance of His exalted position. Therefore, God says, Look! To Allah indeed belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth (), then follows it with a statement that functions as a conclusion, Look! Allah’s promise is indeed true. Then he adds, … but most of them do not know. After this, He expounds the meaning of His dominion with the statement in the following verse, It is He who gives life and brings death ().
هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ٥٦
(10:56) It is He who gives life and brings death, and to Him you shall be brought back.
This argument builds upon what was mentioned in the previous verse about God’s dominion with respect to humankind. It is as though He is saying: ‘All your affairs, including life, death, and return, are under His control. So how can you not be under His dominion?’
Examining Narrations
- In Tafsīr al-Qummī, it is narrated from Ibn Abī al-Jārūd from Imām al-Bāqir, concerning the verse, Say, ‘Tell me, should His punishment overtake you by night or day; so what part of it do the guilty seek to hasten?’ (): ‘This punishment will descend during the End Times upon the sinners amongst the People of the Qibla, and they deny that the punishment will descend upon them.’
Author’s comment: This narration is supported by the previous verses and our exposition of them.
- It is narrated from al-Ḥasan b. Mūsa al-Kashshāb, from a man, from Ḥammād b. ʿĪsā, from his narrator, from Imām al-Ṣādiq, that he was asked about the verse, they will hide their remorse when they sight the punishment (): ‘How will concealing their remorse benefit them when they are being punished?’ He said: ‘They do not wish to be ridiculed by their enemies.’ (ibid.)