Surah Fatir: (2) What Allah Opens...

Then the Almighty said: {What Allah opens for the people of mercy, none can withhold it, and what He withholds, none can send forth after Him.}

After establishing the perfection of His Power, He mentioned the execution of His Will and the enforcement of His Command. He said, {What Allah opens for the people of mercy...} meaning, if He extends mercy, there is no preventer for it, and if He does not extend mercy, there is no initiator for it.

In this verse, there is evidence suggesting that His Mercy precedes His Wrath, from several aspects:

1. The Precedence in Mention: The explanation of opening the doors of mercy was mentioned first in the discourse. Although this point is considered weak, it is still one aspect of preference.
2. The Pronoun Usage: He used the feminine pronoun in the first part: {What Allah opens for the people of mercy, none can withhold it (falā mumsika lahā)}. Grammatically, it would have been permissible to use the masculine pronoun referring back to mā (what). However, the Almighty said {lahā (for her)} to indicate that what is opened are the doors of mercy, and none can withhold His Mercy; thus, it connects to His Mercy. When mentioning the withholding, He said, {And what He withholds (wa mā yumsiku)}, none can send forth after Him (falā mursila lahu)} using the masculine pronoun. He did not say "none can send forth it (the withheld thing)" (lahā). This phrasing suggests that what cannot be sent forth is the Mercy itself, as His statement {And what He withholds} is general and unspecified, unlike His statement {What Allah opens for the people of mercy}, which is specific and clear.
3. The Phrase {after Him}: He said {min ba'dihi (after Him)}, meaning after Allah. Thus, an exception is made here: "None can send forth except Allah." When mentioning the withholding, He said, {none can withhold it (falā mumsika lahā)}, and did not say "none except Allah," because once the Mercy comes, it is not removed. Whoever Allah has shown mercy to in the Hereafter will not be punished afterward, neither by Him nor by anyone else. As for one whom Allah punishes, Allah might show him mercy after the punishment, such as the sinful believers.

Then the Almighty said: {And He is the All-Mighty (Al-'Azīz)}, meaning perfect in Power, {the All-Wise (Al-Hakīm)}, meaning perfect in Knowledge.

**7 < { O mankind, remember the favor of Allah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allah who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? There is no deity except Him. So how are you deluded? } > 7

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