Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:126

"And if you punish, then punish..."

The first verb is named by the second for the sake of muzāwajah (pairing). The meaning is: If an evil deed is done to you—such as killing or the like—then requite it with the like thereof, and do not exceed it. It is also recited: wa-in ‘uqibtum fa-‘aqibū (And if you are retaliated against, then retaliate), meaning: if you are followed by a victory [of the enemy], then follow [them] with the like of what was done to you.

It is narrated that the polytheists mutilated the Muslims on the day of Uḥud; they slit their bellies and cut off their private parts. They left no one un-mutilated except Ḥanẓalah ibn al-Rāhib. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood over Ḥamzah, who had been mutilated—it is narrated he saw him with his belly slit—and said: "By the One I swear by, if Allah grants me victory over them, I will surely mutilate seventy in your place." Then this verse was revealed, so he made expiation for his oath and refrained from what he had intended. There is no disagreement regarding the prohibition of mutilation (muthlah). Reports have come down forbidding it, even in the case of a rabid dog.

"And if you are patient, it is surely better for the patient."

The pronoun in lahu (it is) either refers to their ṣabr (patience), which is the verbal noun of ṣabartum (you were patient). The "patient" refers to those addressed; meaning: "If you are patient, your patience is better for you." The term "the patient" is placed in the position of the pronoun as a praise from Allah for them, as they are patient in the face of hardships. Or, it describes them with the quality they attain if they refrain from retaliation.

Alternatively, it may refer to the genus of patience, indicated by ṣabartum, and "the patient" refers to their kind. It is as if it were said: "Patience is better, and for the patient [it is better]." Similar to this is His saying: "But whoever pardons and makes reconciliation, his reward is [due] from Allah" (Ash-Shūrā: 40), and "And to pardon is closer to righteousness" (Al-Baqarah: 237).

Then He said to His Messenger (ﷺ): "And be patient"—you—commanding him to be patient. "And your patience is not but through Allah"—meaning, through His granting of success, His strengthening, and His binding of your heart. "And do not grieve over them"—meaning, over the disbelievers, like His saying: "So do not grieve over the disbelieving people" (Al-Mā’idah: 68)—or over the believers and what the disbelievers did to them.

"And do not be in distress"—it is also recited: wa-lā taku fī ḍīqin—meaning: do not let your chest be constricted by their plotting. Al-ḍīq is the lightened form of al-ḍayq, meaning in a state of distress. It is permissible for al-ḍīq and al-ḍayq to be verbal nouns, like al-qīl and al-qawl.

"Indeed, Allah is with those who feared [Him]"—meaning, He is the Protector of those who avoided sins—"and those who are doers of good" in their deeds.

It is narrated from Haram ibn Ḥayyān that when he was dying, it was said to him: "Give a testament." He replied: "Testament is only for wealth, and I have no wealth. But I enjoin upon you the final verses of Sūrat an-Naḥl."

From the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): "Whoever recites Sūrat an-Naḥl, Allah will not hold him to account for what He has bestowed upon him in the worldly abode, and if he dies on the day or night he recited it, he shall have a reward like one who died having made a good testament."