Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider): Verse 23

[23] And those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and [in] meeting Him - those are the ones who have despaired of My mercy. And those will have a painful punishment.

When the preceding verses established the principles of Tawhid (Oneness of God) and Re-establishment (Resurrection) and confirmed them with proofs, the text now warns those who oppose these truths in detail:

{And those who disbelieve in the signs of Allah and [in] meeting Him}

This refers to the disbelievers:

1. Disbelief in the signs of Allah: Since everything in existence is a sign pointing to His Unity, associating partners (Shirk) constitutes disbelief in Allah's signs.
2. Disbelief in meeting Him: This refers to denying the Resurrection (Hashr). Whoever denies the Resurrection disbelieves in meeting Allah.

{those are the ones who have despaired of My mercy}

Because they committed Shirk, they have expelled themselves from the state deserving of mercy.

• If a person relies on only one source to fulfill their needs, they are worthy of mercy.
• However, when they establish multiple deities, they deny the necessity of relying on a single, defined path (Allah), thus they despair of Allah's mercy.

Furthermore, since they denied the Resurrection and claimed there would be no punishment, it is fitting to inflict punishment upon them to affirm the reality they denied. This is analogous to a king who declares, "I will punish anyone who opposes me," and the opponent denies this, saying, "That will never reach me." When that person is brought before the king, it is appropriate for the king to punish him and ask, "Did you have power? Did you inflict punishment or not?"

Thus, the absence of mercy is appropriate for the polytheist (Shirk), and the painful punishment is appropriate for the denier of the Resurrection.

First Benefit: The use of the demonstrative pronoun {أولئك} (those) twice:

1. {أولئك يئسوا} (Those have despaired)
2. {أولئك لهم عذاب أليم} (And those will have a painful punishment)

This structure serves to restrict and encompass both consequences (despair and punishment) exclusively within this group. If the verse had been phrased: "Those who disbelieve... have despaired of My mercy, and they will have a painful punishment," the implication would be that this combination (despair + punishment) is exclusive to them, but each element individually might exist in others. By repeating {أولئك}, it affirms that each consequence belongs solely to them.

Second Benefit: When mentioning mercy, Allah attributes it to Himself: {رحمتي} (My mercy). When mentioning punishment, He does not attribute it to Himself. This is because His mercy precedes everything, and it serves to inform His servants of its comprehensiveness and its necessary connection to Him.

Third Benefit: Despair is attributed directly to them: {أولئك يئسوا} (Those have despaired), thereby depriving them of it. If they had hoped (for mercy), He would have permitted it for them.

Addressing a Potential Objection:

One might ask: Since the verse pairs two consequences (despair and punishment) with two types of disbelief (disbelief in signs and disbelief in meeting), does this imply that:

1. Punishment should not apply to someone who believes in Allah but denies the Resurrection?
2. Despair should not apply to someone who denies the Resurrection but believes in Allah?

The Answer: The meaning of the verse is that they despair, and they will have a painful punishment added due to their disbelief in the Resurrection.

1. The painful punishment due to denying the Resurrection certainly applies only to the denier of the Resurrection.
2. As for the other case: A denier of the Resurrection cannot be a true believer in Allah, because true belief in Allah is not valid unless one also affirms what He has stated, and the Resurrection is part of what He has stated.

[24] So, the response of his people was not except that they said, "Kill him or burn him." But Allah saved him from the fire. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe.