Surah An-Nur (The Light): (20) And were it not for the grace of Allah...

There are several interpretations regarding the implied answer to this conditional sentence:

1. The Answer is Omitted: It is as if the meaning is: "You would have perished, or Allah would have destroyed you." Ibn Abbas stated that this address was directed towards Hassan, Mistah, and Hamnah.
2. The Answer is in the Following Verse: The answer is found in the subsequent verse: {Never would Allah purify any one of you} (An-Nur: 21).
3. The Consequence is Implied: If this were not the case (i.e., if there were no grace), immorality would have spread, and the harm would have become immense. This is the view of Abu Muslim.

The most probable view is that the answer is omitted. This is because the following statement, {And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, never would any of you have been purified} (An-Nur: 21), appears to be separate from the first conditional clause, especially since other words intervene between them.

The intended meaning is that were it not for His favor—by letting them remain, granting respite, and enabling them to rectify the situation—they would have perished. However, due to His compassion, He does not abandon what is best for the servant, even if the servant has wronged himself.

The Ninth Type (Section)

{O you who have believed, do not follow the footsteps of Satan. And whoever follows the footsteps of Satan - indeed, he commands immorality and wrongdoing. And were it not for the grace of Allah upon you and His mercy, never would any of you have been purified, ever. But Allah purifies whom He wills. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.} (An-Nur: 21)