Tafsir of Al-Fajr 89:14

"Indeed, your Lord is ever in wait" is a justification for what precedes it, and a notification that the disbelievers of the people of the Prophet—may Allah exalt him and grant him peace—will be afflicted by the same punishment that befell their counterparts who were mentioned. This is indicated by the reference to the title of Lordship (Rububiyah) paired with the possessive pronoun referring to him, peace and blessings be upon him.

"Al-Mirsad" (the place of waiting) is the location where one stands to watch and wait, on the pattern of mif'al from rasada, similar to miqat from waqata. In the statement, there is a metaphorical representation (isti'arah tamthiliyyah): Allah’s state—being the Preserver of the deeds of the disobedient, watching over them, and recompensing them for every speck and shell, such that none of them can escape Him in any way—is likened to one who sits on a path, watching for those who traverse it, in order to seize them and inflict upon them what he intends. Then, the term for one was applied to the other.

According to this view, the verse is a warning to the disobedient in general. It is also said that it is a warning specifically to the disbelievers. Others say it is a warning to the disobedient and a promise to others; this is the apparent meaning of the statement of al-Hasan, implying that He, the Exalted, watches over the deeds of the children of Adam.

Ibn Atiyyah permitted the possibility that al-Mirsad is an intensive form (hyperbole), similar to mit'am (one who feeds much) or mit'an (one who stabs much). Abu Hayyan critiqued this, arguing that if it were as he claimed, the letter ba would not have been included, for its placement there is not that of an additive (za'idah) particle, nor is it otherwise appropriate. It was answered that, according to that interpretation, it is a matter of tajrid (abstraction). Indeed, it would necessitate applying the term al-Mirsad to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and there is some reservation regarding that.