| Ya-Sin: (45) And when it is said to them...

The connection of this verse to the preceding ones is that after Allah (Exalted is He) enumerated the signs:

"And a sign for them is the earth: We cause the night to emerge from the day..." (Ya-Sin: 33, 37, 41)

These signs necessitate certainty regarding what Allah has stated. Since these signs did not bring them certainty, He said: At the very least, they should guard themselves against punishment. If someone informs you of an impending punishment, you avoid it, even if you are not certain of the truthfulness of the informant, as a precaution.

Therefore, when the decisive proof is mentioned to them, they do not recognize it, and when they are told, "Fear [God]," they do not fear. They are at the height of ignorance and the extreme of heedlessness—not like the scholars who follow proof, nor like the common people who base matters on the most cautious approach.

This is indicated by His saying: {لعلكم ترحمون} (that you may receive mercy) using the particle of wishing (la'alla), meaning "in your estimation." For one whose path to proof is obscured will not abandon the path of caution and precaution.

The response to {إذا قيل لهم * اتقوا} (And when it is said to them: 'Fear [God]') is omitted. Its meaning is: And when it is said to them, they do not fear, or they turn away. It is omitted because what follows indicates it, which is His saying: {وما تأتيهم من ءاية من ءايات ربهم} (And no sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord...).

Regarding His saying: {ما بين أيديكم وما خلفكم} (what is before you and what is behind you), there are several interpretations:

1. {ما بين أيديكم} refers to the Hereafter, as they are facing it. {وما خلفكم} refers to this worldly life, which they will leave behind.
2. {ما بين أيديكم} refers to the types of punishment coming upon them, such as drowning and burning, indicated by His saying: {وإن نشأ نغرقهم فلا صريخ لهم ولا هم ينقذون} (And if We willed, We could drown them, and there would be no helper for them, nor would they be saved) (Ya-Sin: 43). {وما خلفكم} refers to death, which pursues you. If you escape these things, you will not escape death, indicated by His saying: {ومتاعا إلى حين} (and enjoy [life] for a while) (Ya-Sin: 44).
3. {ما بين أيديكم} refers to the matter of Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is present before you. {وما خلفكم} refers to the matter of the Resurrection. If you guard against denying Muhammad (peace be upon him) and denying the Resurrection, Allah will have mercy on you.

Regarding His saying: {لعلكم ترحمون} (that you may receive mercy), even though mercy is obligatory [from God], there are interpretations we have mentioned repeatedly. We add another interpretation here: Since Allah said {اتقوا} (Fear [God]), meaning: If you do not base your actions on certainty derived from proofs, then fear [as a precaution]. He then said: {لعلكم ترحمون} (that you may receive mercy). This means: The masters of certainty receive mercy definitively, while the masters of precaution have hope of receiving mercy.

The truth lies in the two interpretations we mentioned previously:

1. Fear [God] while hoping for mercy, as nothing is obligatory upon Allah.
2. Caution, when viewed, is an act that yields the probability of mercy. If someone is certain of it due to an external factor, this does not preclude hope. For instance, if a king intends in his heart to give his servant rewards many times his wages, but the service itself does not necessitate that, it is still valid for him to say, "Do this," and it is not unlikely that you will receive more than you deserve.

Then Allah said:

! 7 < { وما تأتيهم من ءاية من ءايات ربهم إلا كانوا عنها معرضين } > 7

And no sign comes to them from the signs of their Lord except that they turn away from it.