Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:17

"Say, who is it that can protect you from Allah if He intends for you an ill or intends for you a mercy?"

This is an interrogative in the sense of negation; meaning: no one can prevent you from Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—and His decree, whether it be for good or evil. Mercy is linked with evil in the context of protection (‘isma), even though there is no protection except from evil, because "protection" contains the meaning of prevention (man‘).

It is permissible that there is an ellipsis in the speech. The original structure would be: "Say, who is it that can protect you from Allah if He intends for you an ill, or [who can withhold] from you an ill if He intends for you mercy?" It was abbreviated, similar to the line of poetry: "And I saw your husband in the fray, girded with a sword and a spear," for he meant "carrying" [in the case of the sword] or "holding" a spear. The same line of reasoning applies to the previous interpretation of the verse.

Al-Tayyibi suggested that the meaning is: "Who is it that can protect you from Allah if He intends for you an ill, or who is it that can prevent Allah's mercy from you if He intends for you mercy?" The link for this ellipsis is the meaning of "prevention" contained within "protect you." The first [interpretation] is preferred because it is free from the necessity of deleting a clause without a compelling reason.

"And they will not find for themselves besides Allah any protector"—who benefits them—"or helper"—who repels harm from them. The intended meaning is "the first," so they would find it, etc.; it is like the saying: “And you will not see a dabb (lizard) dwelling therein.”

This is conjoined to what precedes it in terms of meaning, as if it were said: "They have no protector, no guardian, and no helper." Or, the clause is in the state of a circumstantial qualifier (hal).