| Hud: (8) And if We delay the punishment for them...
Know that the Almighty recounted how the disbelievers used to deny the Prophet (PBUH) by saying: {This is nothing but clear magic.} In this verse, He recounts another type of their falsehoods: whenever the punishment they were warned of by the Prophet (PBUH) is delayed, they begin to mock, saying, "What is the reason holding it back from us?"
Allah the Almighty answered that when the appointed time for that punishment—which they were mocking—arrives, that punishment will not be averted from them; rather, it will encompass them.
Several questions arise here:
The First Question: Is this punishment the punishment of this world or the Hereafter?
The Answer: There are different views among the exegetes:
- Al-Hasan said: The meaning of Allah's decree in this verse is that He will not inflict upon any of them the punishment of complete annihilation, postponing that until the Day of Resurrection. When Allah delayed that punishment from them, they said, mockingly, "What is holding it back from us?"
- Another view is that it refers to the command for Jihad and what afflicted them on the Day of Badr. Based on this interpretation, they explained the phrase {and it befalls them} (wa-ḥāqa bihim) to mean this punishment befell them on the Day of Badr.
The Second Question: What is meant by {to a numbered community} (ilā ummatin ma‘dūdah)?
The Answer: This can be understood in two ways:
- The root of Ummah (community) generally refers to people or a group. When one says, "A group of people came to me," it means an assembled party, as in Allah's saying: {He found upon them a group of people watering} (Al-Qasas: 23) and {and remember after a time} (Yusuf: 45), meaning after the passing away and annihilation of a community. Similarly here, {And if We delay the punishment for them until a numbered community} means until a community of people passes away—those who were promised this warning—they would say, "What is holding it back from us?" when those who were promised the warning have already perished from among the people. Naming a time by what occurs within it is like saying, "I was with so-and-so at the time of the Asr prayer," meaning during that specific time frame.
- The derivation of Ummah is from Al-Umm (the aim/intention), implying the intended time set for the execution of this promised event.
The Third Question: Why is the word {and it befalls} (wa-ḥāqa) used in the past tense when it has not yet occurred?
The Answer: Many verses of this nature have been discussed previously in this book. The general rule for such instances is that Allah the Almighty reports matters of the Resurrection using the past tense as an intensification for emphasis and confirmation.
| {And if We let man taste mercy from Us, then We withdraw it from him, indeed he is despairing, ungrateful. * And if We let him taste ease after hardship has touched him, he says, "The evils have gone from me"; indeed, he is exultant, boastful. * Except for those who are patient and do righteous deeds; for them is forgiveness and a great reward.}
