Tafsir of Al-Ghashiyah 88:24

His, the Exalted’s, saying: “But [as for] him who turns away and disbelieves, Allah will punish him with the greatest punishment,” contains a predicate for an implied subject. The fa (in fayu‘adhdhibuhu) is present because the implied subject contains the meaning of a conditional statement, similar to the saying: "Whoever comes to me, to him belongs a dirham." To consider man (in man tawalla) as a conditional particle is rendered unlikely by the presence of the fa in a context that would otherwise allow it to function as a response without the fa. Proposing the estimate "so he will punish him" is an unnecessary affectation.

Regardless of this, it is among the examples of "disjunctive exception" (al-istithna’ al-munqati‘) which occurs after "except" (illa), containing a full sentence. That is to say: "But whoever turns away and persists in disbelief among them, Allah, the Exalted, will punish him with the greatest punishment." This is the punishment of the Hereafter in the Fire, for it is the "greatest," whereas the punishment of this world is "lesser" in comparison to it.

Al-Zamakhshari considered this disconnection based on the meaning: "You are not an overseer over them, but whoever turns away and disbelieves among them, then Allah, the Exalted, has sovereignty and subjugation over him, so He will punish him in the Fire of Hell." He did not consider it "conjunctive exception" (muttasil), as it has been said, because that would necessitate that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, be an "overseer" over those who turn away, whereas sovereignty has been restricted solely to Allah, the Exalted.

Others have permitted its connection, considering it to be from the pronoun in ‘alayhim (over them); thus man (whoever) would be in the genitive case, following it. In this view, the dominance of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, over the one who turns away is based on his striving (jihad) against them and the killing of them, as he was promised, peace and blessings be upon him. This does not contradict the restriction of sovereignty to Allah, for it is by His command, the Mighty and Majestic. It is as if it were said: "You are not an overseer over them, except for the one who turns away and persists in disbelief, for you are empowered over him through what you are permitted regarding striving against him, killing him, enslaving him, and capturing him; and after that, Allah, the Exalted, will punish him in Hell." Thus, the verse contains a threat of jihad in this world and the punishment of the Fire in the Hereafter.

It has also been permitted that it is a threat of jihad only, with the intended meaning of "the greatest punishment" being killing, the enslavement of women and children, and all other calamities that result from jihad. This would contain an indication that the greatest punishment for this nation in this world is that, rather than the forms of destruction (such as being swallowed by the earth) that occurred to previous nations. The phrase fayu‘adhdhibuhu (He will punish him) is placed in the position of fatakun (then you will be) [empowered over him], signaling that this is from Him, the Exalted, such that it is as if the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had no role in it.

‘Isam al-Din stated that there is a difficulty in the exception being disjunctive, because a disjunctive exception is that which is mentioned afterward and is not extracted from a plurality that preceded it—due to it not being included in it—and is contrary to it in its ruling. Yet, "whoever turns away and disbelieves" is not outside the scope of His, the Exalted’s, saying "over them," nor is their ruling contrary to theirs. He then answered that a disjunctive exception may sometimes serve to dispel a false assumption arising from what preceded, without the exception differing from the excepted-from in its ruling; the answer clarifies its ruling so that it is known that its ruling is not contrary to the ruling of the excepted-from. It is as if it is here to dispel the assumption of [the Prophet having the power of] punishment. Reflect on this.

It has also been permitted that the exception is conjunctive, referring to His, the Exalted’s, saying: “So remind.” In this view, man (whoever) is a relative pronoun, and the intended meaning of "punishment" is the entitlement to punishment. That is: "So remind, except for the one whose faith you have despaired of, and who turns away—he has become entitled to the greatest punishment." His saying: “You are not over them [as an overseer]” is a parenthetical statement. The disjunctive view is bolstered by the fact that Ibn Abbas, Zayd ibn Ali, Qatadah, and Zayd ibn Aslam read ala as a particle of notification and opening.