Tafsir of Ar-Ra'd 13:6

"They ask you to hasten the evil" — meaning the punishment they were threatened with for persisting in disbelief, by way of mockery and denial — "before the good" — meaning well-being and safety from it. The meaning of it being "before" it is that their request for it precedes the request for the latter, or that their request for it occurs before the time ordained for the latter has elapsed.

Ibn Jarir and others narrated from Qatadah regarding this verse that he said: "These are the polytheists of the Arabs; they hastened the evil before the good, saying: 'O Allah, if this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky or bring us a painful punishment.'"

"And there have already passed before them the Mathulat" — the plural of muthlah (like samurah and samurat), which is an ignominious punishment. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) interpreted it as an exterminating punishment that destroys a limb, such as the severing of an ear or the like. It was named as such because of the likeness (mumathalah) between the punishment and that for which one is punished, like His saying, "The recompense for a bad deed is a bad deed the like thereof." Or, it is derived from al-mithal in the sense of retribution (qisas); it is said, "I have retaliated for the man against his counterpart," and "I have exacted the qisas," both carrying the same meaning. Or, it is taken from the mathal (proverb/example) set forth due to its magnitude.

The sentence is in the position of a state (hal) to clarify the frailty of their opinion in hastening [the punishment] by way of mockery—meaning: they hasten you with that, mocking your warning and denying the occurrence of what you warned them of, while the ignominious punishments that befell those like them—the deniers and mockers—have already passed. Mujahid and al-A’mash read it as al-mathulat (with the mim and tha opened); Isa ibn ‘Amr, in one narration from al-A’mash, and Abu Bakr read it with both [the mim and tha] dammah—this is a primary linguistic form, and it is possible that the tha was made to follow the mim in vowel. Ibn Wathab read it with a dammah on the mim and a sukun on the tha, which is the dialect of Tamim; Ibn Musayyib read it with an opening on the mim and a sukun on the tha, which is the dialect of the Hijazis.

"And indeed, your Lord is full of forgiveness" — great [forgiveness] — "for the people, despite their wrongdoing" — against themselves through sins and acts of disobedience. The prepositional phrase is in the position of a state from "the people," and the operative factor therein is the same operative factor for its possessor, which is "forgiveness"—meaning: He, the Almighty, is Forgiving to the people despite their being wrongdoers. It is said: This verse is manifest in favor of the doctrine of the People of the Sunnah, which is the permissibility of forgiving major and minor sins without repentance, because He, the Glorified, mentioned forgiveness alongside wrongdoing—i.e., sin—and that does not exist except before repentance, for the one who repents from sin is as one who has no sin.

The Mu’tazilah interpreted this by saying that it refers to the forgiveness of minor sins for one who avoids major sins, or their forgiveness for one who has repented, or that the intended meaning of "forgiveness" is its linguistic meaning, which is "covering" through respite and delaying the punishment until the Hereafter. It is as if it were said: Indeed, He, the Almighty, does not hasten the punishment for the people even if they are wrongdoers; rather, He covers them by delaying it. This interpretation was objected to as being a specification of a general term without evidence. It was replied that "disbelief" has been excluded by consensus, and therefore the specification extends to that [as well]. The latter was rebutted by saying it is extremely far-fetched because, as the Imam stated, such a thing is not called "forgiveness," otherwise it would be correct to say that the disbelievers are "forgiven." This was countered by saying that the reality of forgiveness in language is "covering," and their being "forgiven" in the sense that their punishment is deferred to the Hereafter contains no impropriety, which is what is suitable for their hastening of the punishment. It was also answered that the intended meaning is that this contradicts the apparent meaning and the usage of the Quran.

The scholar al-Tayyibi mentioned that the verse must be interpreted in one of these three ways, because in its literal sense, it is like an incitement to wrongdoing, for He, the Glorified, promised abundant forgiveness while wrongdoing exists. This was addressed in al-Kashf, stating: There is a consideration here, because the style indicates that He, the Almighty, is abundant in forgiveness toward them despite their deserving the opposite, because they are engrossed in that for which punishment is more appropriate in His estimation.

The apparent meaning is that the interpretation is based on the doctrine of the Mu’tazilah. As for the doctrine of the People of the Sunnah, it is only interpreted if "wrongdoing" includes disbelief. Then he said: Interpretation through "covering" and "respite" is better. Thus, His saying, "And your Lord is severe in punishment" is to affirm the threat against them, even if they are under His covering and respite; it is a sign that this is respite, not negligence.

"The people" refers either to the specific ones mentioned—those who were mentioned previously as hastening the punishment—or to the genus, indicating the multitude of those who perish because it encompasses them and their like. This holds true under both doctrines. Likewise, al-Tayyibi chose this interpretation and said it is the [correct] approach. The verse is in the vein of His saying, "Say, 'It has been revealed by He who knows the secret within the heavens and the earth. Indeed, He is Ever-Forgiving, Merciful,'" as mentioned by al-Zamakhshari in his tafsir. You have heard what is for it and what is against it, so reflect.

Many have chosen the [interpretation of the] genus for "the people," and it is also intended in "severe in punishment." Specifying it to the disbelievers is not preferred. This is supported by what Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh narrated from Sa’id ibn al-Musayyib, who said: When this verse, "And indeed your Lord..." was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: "Were it not for the pardon and forbearance of Allah, no one would enjoy life, and were it not for His threat and punishment, everyone would rely [on it and sin]."