Qāf (50): Verse 28

{ He said, "Do not dispute before Me..." }

Then the Almighty said: { He said, "Do not dispute before Me..." } (Qāf: 28).

We have already mentioned that this indicates there was speech prior to His saying: { His companion will say, "Our Lord, I did not make him transgress..." } (Qāf: 27), which is the statement of the one being cast into the Fire: "Our Lord, he misled me."

The phrase { Do not dispute before Me } implies that the dispute should have occurred before the arrival and standing before Him.

{ ...and I have already warned you with the threat. }

This confirms the prohibition of disputing and clarifies its futility. It is as if He is saying: I already told you that if you follow Satan, you will enter the Fire, and indeed you have followed him.

If one asks about the function of the preposition bā' (ب) in His Almighty saying { ...with the threat } (bil-waʿīd), we offer several possibilities:

1. It is superfluous (Zā'idah): Similar to the view held by some regarding the bā' in { ...that grows with oil } (Al-Mu'minūn: 20), and in { ...and Allāh is sufficient as a Witness } (An-Nisā': 6).
2. It is transitive (Muʿaddiyah): Meaning qaddamt (I presented) is taken transitively, similar to { O you who have believed, do not advance before Allāh... } (Al-Ḥujurāt: 1). Thus, it means: I presented the threat to you.
3. There is an implied word (Iḍmār): The meaning is: "And I have already presented to you something that is accompanied by the threat," meaning the statement { The Word is not changed with Me } (Qāf: 29) is what was presented along with the warning.
4. It denotes accompaniment (Muṣāḥabah): Just as one says, "I bought the horse with its bridle and saddle," meaning along with them. Thus, it is as if the Almighty said: I presented to you what must accompany the threat regarding abandoning the warning.

{ The Word is not changed with Me, nor am I unjust to My servants. }