Al-Ahzab (The Confederates): 57 - Indeed, those who annoy the Messenger of Allah...

Section on Annoying the Prophet (PBUH)

The verse establishes the status of those who annoy the Prophet (PBUH) by contrasting it with the virtue of the one who is respected. Cursing (اللعن) is the most severe form of prohibition because distance from Allah (البعد من الله) implies no hope for good, unlike physical torment (like fire).

Consider a king displeased with a subject: if the annoyance is minor, he merely rebukes him and does not banish him. If the transgressor is given the choice between being struck or banished while the king is at the height of majesty and generosity, he would choose the striking over banishment—especially if the subject has no master in this world other than the king.

The phrase "in this world and the Hereafter" (فى الدنيا والاخرة) indicates a distance from which return is impossible. One who is distanced in this world might hope for closeness in the Hereafter. But if one is distanced in the Hereafter, they are truly lost and ruined, for if Allah distances and expels them, who will bring them near on the Day of Resurrection?

Furthermore, Allah did not limit the recompense to mere banishment but also threatened them with punishment, saying: "and We have prepared for them a humiliating punishment" (وأعد لهم عذابا مهينا). This leads to several points:

The verse mentions annoying Allah and annoying the Messenger, followed by two consequences: cursing (اللعن) and torment (التعذيب).

1. Cursing is the recompense for annoying Allah: When someone annoys a king, the king distances him from his door if he does not order his torment.
2. Torment is the recompense for annoying the Messenger: When a king is annoyed by one of his great servants, he exacts retribution.

It cannot be argued that someone who annoys Allah but not the Messenger receives no torment. We say that the separation of these two acts (annoying Allah vs. annoying the Messenger) in this manner is impossible, as whoever annoys Allah has necessarily annoyed the Messenger.

However, if the situation is reversed—someone annoys the Prophet (PBUH) but does not annoy Allah (like a sinner who commits transgression without apostasy, such as a disobedient person who has not disbelieved)—then Allah, being Patient, Forgiving, and Merciful, may punish them with torment but not curse them by distancing them from His door.

The punishment is emphasized by being described as "humiliating" (مهينا).

If a master is annoyed by his servant and orders him to be imprisoned and beaten, ordering the beating to be done in a distinguished place or ordering a great man to be beaten suggests the matter is minor. But if he orders the beating to be done publicly and imprisonment among the corrupt, it indicates the severity of the matter.

Therefore, those who annoy Allah and His Messenger, if they are among the eternally damned in the Fire, will be subjected to a humiliating punishment.

The phrase "We have prepared for them" (أعد لهم) serves as emphasis. If a master punishes his servant out of anger without prior preparation, the punishment is less severe than if he had prepared chains and shackles for him. The former might be attributed to the passing effect of anger, which might cease when the anger subsides. The latter (preparation) indicates a deeper, more established intent.

7 < { And those who annoy the believing men and believing women without [committing] a fault they have [deservedly] acquired have certainly borne upon themselves a slander and a manifest sin. } > 7 !