Ibrahim: (42-43) And do not think that Allah...

Know that after He clarified the proofs of Monotheism (Tawhid), and then recounted how Abraham (peace be upon him) asked Allah to protect him from Polytheism (Shirk), and asked for success in righteous deeds, and requested His special Mercy and Forgiveness on the Day of Resurrection, He then mentioned what indicates the existence of the Day of Resurrection, and what indicates its description.

What indicates the existence of the Resurrection is His saying: {And do not think that Allah is heedless of what the wrongdoers do}.

The purpose of this is to alert [people] that if Allah did not take vengeance for the oppressed against the oppressor, it would necessitate that He is either heedless of that oppressor, or incapable of vengeance, or pleased with that injustice. Since heedlessness, inability, and pleasure in injustice are impossible for Allah, it is impossible that He would not take vengeance for the oppressed against the oppressor.

If it is asked: How is it appropriate for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to think that Allah is described with heedlessness?

The answer is in several aspects:

1. The meaning is to affirm him in what he already believed—that he does not think Allah is heedless—similar to His saying: {And do not be among the polytheists} (Al-An'am: 14), and {And do not invoke with Allah another god} (Al-Qasas: 88), and His saying: {That is because those who disbelieve...}.
2. The purpose is to clarify that if there were no vengeance, the reason for the lack of vengeance would be His heedlessness of that wrongdoing. Since the impossibility of this heedlessness is known to everyone, the absence of vengeance becomes impossible.
3. The meaning is: Do not think He deals with them as one heedless of their actions, but rather as one who is watching them, holding them accountable for the smallest deed (the speck on a date stone).
4. It is possible that this address, although outwardly directed to the Prophet (PBUH), is in reality an address to the Ummah. Sufyan ibn Uyaynah said that it is a consolation for the oppressed and a threat to the oppressor.

Then, the Exalted clarified that He only postpones the punishment of these wrongdoers until a Day described with certain attributes.

The First Attribute: {In which the eyes will be fixed} (Shakhisat). The eye of a person is said to be shakhis when his eye remains open without blinking. The fixing of the gaze indicates bewilderment, astonishment, and the loss of strength.

The Second Attribute: {Stretching forth their necks} (Muhți'īn). There are four sayings regarding the interpretation of Ihtia' (stretching forth the neck):

1. Abu 'Ubaydah said: It means rushing/speeding. A camel is said to be ahṭa'a in its gait when it speeds up. According to this view, the meaning is that the usual state of one whose gaze is fixed due to intense fear is to remain standing still. Allah the Exalted clarified that their state is contrary to this norm: while their eyes are fixed, they will be muhṭi'īn, meaning rushing towards that affliction.
2. Ahmad ibn Yahya said: Al-muhṭi' is one who looks with humiliation and submission.
3. The Third Opinion: Al-muhṭi' is the silent one.
4. Al-Layth said: A man is called ahṭa' when he is humbled and subdued.

The Third Attribute: {With their heads raised up} (Muqni'ū ru'ūsihim). Iqnā' (raising the head) means raising the head and looking with humiliation and submission. So, {With their heads raised up} means they are raising their heads. The usual behavior of one witnessing affliction is to lower his head to avoid seeing it. Allah the Exalted clarified that their state is contrary to this norm, as they will raise their heads.

The Fourth Attribute: {Their gaze will not return to them} (Lā yartaddu ilayhim ṭarfuhum). The meaning of this attribute is the permanence of that fixed gaze. His saying {In which the eyes will be fixed} does not imply that this fixing is permanent, but His saying {Their gaze will not return to them} implies the permanence of this fixing, which indicates the permanence of that bewilderment and astonishment in their hearts.

The Fifth Attribute: {And their hearts will be void} (Wa af'idatuhum hawā'). Al-Hawā' is the empty space not occupied by bodies. It is then used as a description, so it is said: "So-and-so's heart is hawā'," meaning it is empty, devoid of strength. The meaning here is to clarify that the hearts of the disbelievers on that Day will be empty of all thoughts and reflections due to the magnitude of the bewilderment they experience, empty of all hope and expectation because they have realized the punishment, and empty of all joy due to the abundance of sorrow.

Once these five attributes are known, there is a difference of opinion regarding the time when they will occur:

• It is said that they occur at the time of reckoning, based on the fact that Allah mentioned these attributes immediately after describing that Day as the Day of Reckoning.
• It is said that they occur when the groups are distinguished—the fortunate ones going to Paradise and the wretched ones to Hellfire.
• It is said that they occur upon the response to the Caller and rising from the graves.

The first opinion is stronger due to the evidence we mentioned. And Allah knows best.

**{And warn the people of the Day when the punishment will come to them, and those who wronged will say, "Our Lord, postpone us to a near term. We will answer Your call and follow the Messengers." Did you not swear before that you would not perish? And you resided in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it became clear to you how We dealt with them, and We set forth examples for you.}*