Al-An'am (The Cattle): (16) Whoever is turned away...

There are several issues in this verse:

Issue 1: The Reading of "يصرف" (Yusraf)

Know that Abu Bakr, reading from 'Asim, Hamzah, and Al-Kisai, recited: {يُصْرَفُ} (yusrafu) with a fatḥah on the Yā’ and a kasrah on the Rā’.

• Interpretation based on this reading: The agent performing the turning away is the pronoun referring back to "my Lord" (رَبِّي) from the preceding verse: {I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a great Day} (6:15).
• The meaning is: Whoever He (Allah) turns the punishment away from on that Day.
• Justification: This reading is supported by the subsequent phrase: {فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُ} (then He has had mercy on him). Since this latter verb (رحمه) is attributed to the pronoun referring to Allah, the preceding verb (صرف) must also be attributed to Him for consistency. Thus, the turning away of the punishment is attributed to Allah, and the mercy is subsequently attributed to Allah.

• The Reading of the Others: The rest of the reciters read {مَّن يُصْرَفُ عَنْهُ} (man yuṣrafu 'anhu) as a passive verb (where the agent is not named).
• Interpretation based on this reading: The meaning is: Whoever the punishment is turned away from on that Day.
• Justification: This passive construction is appropriate because Allah has already attributed the punishment to the Day in the verse {the punishment of a great Day} (6:15). Therefore, it is fitting to attribute the turning away of that punishment to the Day itself (implicitly). The meaning is: Whoever the punishment of that Day is turned away from.

Issue 2: The Object of Turning Away

The apparent meaning of the verse suggests that the Day itself is what is turned away, which is impossible. Rather, the intended meaning is the punishment of that Day. This omission (of the word 'punishment') is permissible because it is understood from context.

Issue 3: Divine Mercy and Obligation

This verse indicates that obedience does not necessitate reward, and disobedience does not necessitate punishment.

• Allah says: {وَمَن يَصْرِفْ عَنْهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ فَقَدْ رَحِمَهُ} (And whoever is turned away from it on that Day, then He has had mercy on him). This implies that whoever Allah turns the punishment away from on that Day, He has shown him mercy.
• This phrasing is appropriate only if the turning away occurs as an act of sheer favor (tafaḍḍul). If the avoidance of punishment were obligatory or deserved, it would not be appropriate to say Allah "had mercy" on him.
• Analogy: If it is ugly for a master to strike his slave, and he refrains from striking him, one would not say the master "had mercy" on him. However, if the master could justly strike him but refrains, then it is said he showed mercy.
• Conclusion: This verse proves that every punishment averted and every reward attained is fundamentally an initial grace and favor (faḍl and iḥsān) from Allah. This aligns with the narration that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, none of you will enter Paradise by his deeds." They asked, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Not even me, unless Allah encompasses me with His Mercy," and he raised his hand above his head and raised his voice.

Issue 4: The Relationship Between Averting Punishment and Receiving Reward

Al-Qadi [Al-Baqillani] stated that the verse implies that whoever is spared punishment in the Hereafter (i.e., whoever the punishment is turned away from), they must necessarily be rewarded. This refutes the view of those who say that among those whose punishment is averted, some are not rewarded but are merely favored by being spared.

• Objection Raised: Is it not true that whoever Allah does not punish and favors has already attained manifest success (al-fawz al-mubīn)? If so, this contradicts the verse's implication that mercy equals reward.
• Response (Refutation of the Objection): This assertion is refuted in several ways:
  1. Favor (tafaḍḍul) is like an initial act from Allah, not something demanded by an action. Success (fawz) is attaining what is sought; therefore, it must imply something sought after (i.e., reward).
  2. Manifest success cannot be interpreted merely as favor; it must be interpreted as implying an extreme magnitude of blessing, which can only be reward.
  3. The verse is connected to the preceding statement: {I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the punishment of a great Day} (6:15). The counterpart to punishment is reward; therefore, this mercy must be interpreted as reward.

• Translator's Note: Know that this line of reasoning is very weak, and its weakness is apparent, requiring no further detailed examination. And Allah knows best.

7: {And if Allah touches you with harm, none can remove it except He; and if He intends good for you, then none can repel His bounty. Indeed, He is over all things competent.}