This is another indication of His gentleness and His mercy with His
creatures. He is able to punish them because some of them disbelieve in Him and
worship others besides Him, yet He is forbearing, He pardons, and He gives
respite for an appointed time without hastening. This is as He says,
[وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ
اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ
وَلَـكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيراً ]
(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not
leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth; but He gives them respite
to an appointed term: and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever
All-Seer of His servants.) [35:45] Here Allah says,
[أَءَمِنتُمْ مَّن
فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ ]
(Do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not cause the earth
to sink with you, and then it should quake) meaning, that it would move back and
forth, and be disrupted.
[أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ مِّن
فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَـصِباً]
(Or do you feel secure that He, Who is over the heaven, will not send against
you a Hasib) meaning, a wind containing gravel that will strike you, as Allah
says in another Ayah,
[أَفَأَمِنتُمْ أَن
يَخْسِفَ بِكُمْ جَانِبَ الْبَرِّ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَاصِبًا ثُمَّ لاَ
تَجِدُواْ لَكُمْ وَكِيلاً ]
(Do you then feel secure that He will not cause a side of the land to swallow
you up, or that He will not send against you a violent sandstorm Then, you shall
find no trustee.) [17:68] And similarly, here Allah threatens them with His
statement,
[فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ
كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ]
(Then you shall know how has been My warning.) meaning, `how is My admonition
and what will happen to those who disregard and reject it.' Then Allah says,
[وَلَقَدْ كَذَّبَ
الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ]
(And indeed those before them rejected,) meaning, from the previous nations
and the old generations that have passed. Then Allah says,
[فَكَيْفَ كَانَ
نَكِيرِ]
(then how terrible was My reproach) meaning, `how was My rebuke of them and
my punishment of them.' Meaning, it was great, severe and painful.
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