Tafsir of Ibraheem 14:42

If you ask: Allah is exalted above forgetfulness and heedlessness, so how could the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)—who is the most knowledgeable of people regarding Him—think Him heedless, such that it is said to him, "And do not think that Allah is heedless"?

I say: If the address is directed to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), there are two interpretations:

1. Confirmation: It is a confirmation of his existing state—that he does not think Allah is heedless—similar to the verses: "And do not ever be of the polytheists" (6:106) and "And do not invoke with Allah another deity" (28:88). It is like the command: "O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger" (4:136).
2. Warning and Threat: The prohibition against thinking Him heedless is intended to signal that He is aware of what the wrongdoers do, that nothing is hidden from Him, and that He will punish them for both their minor and major deeds. It is a form of threat, like the verse: "And Allah is Knowing of what you do" (2:283), which intends a warning. It may also mean: "Do not think that He treats them as one who is heedless of their actions, but rather as a Watcher over them, holding them to account for every speck and date-stone."

If the address is directed to others—those who might potentially think Him heedless due to their ignorance of His attributes—then there is no question to be raised.

Ibn ‘Uyaynah said: "It is a consolation for the oppressed and a threat to the oppressor." When asked who said this, he became angry and replied: "Only one who knows Him could have said this."

"He delays them" (yū’akhkhiruhum): Read with both nūn and yā’.

"In which eyes will stare" (tashkhasu fīhi al-abṣār): Meaning their eyes will not remain still in their sockets due to the terror of what they see.

"Hastening" (muhṭi‘īn): Rushing toward the caller. It is also said that ihṭā‘ means to fix your gaze upon what you see, staring continuously without blinking.

"Raising their heads" (muqni‘ī ru’ūsihim): Lifting them up.

"Their gaze does not return to them" (lā yartaddu ilayhim ṭarfuhum): They cannot blink; their eyes remain open and fixed without the eyelids moving. Or, it means their sight does not return to them so that they might look at themselves.

"Air" (hawā’): The void not occupied by physical bodies. It is used to describe a person, saying "So-and-so’s heart is hawā’" if he is a coward with no strength or boldness in his heart. It is also said of a fool that his heart is hawā’. Zuhayr said:

Of the ostrich, its chest is hollow (hawā’); Because the ostrich is proverbial for cowardice and stupidity. Hassan said: For you are hollow, cowardly, and empty (hawā’);

Ibn Jurayj said regarding "Their hearts are hawā’": They are empty of goodness. Abu ‘Ubaydah said: They are hollow, having no intellects.

"And warn the people of the Day when the punishment will come to them, and those who did wrong will say, 'Our Lord, delay us for a short term; we will answer Your call and follow the messengers.' [But it will be said], 'Had you not sworn before that for you there would be no cessation? And you lived in the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it had become clear to you how We dealt with them, and We presented for you [many] examples.' And they had planned their plan, but with Allah is [recorded] their plan, even if their plan had been such that the mountains could be moved by it. So do not think that Allah will fail in His promise to His messengers. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution."