The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 305
PT. 13 AR-RA'D CH. 13 أَفَمَنْ هُوَ قَابِمُ عَلَى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا Will then He, Who stands. 34 E كَسَبَتْ وَجَعَلُوْا لِلَّهِ شُرَكَاءَ قُلْ ?earns, let them go unpunished over every soul to <mark>not</mark>e what it Yet, they ascribe partners to سَمُّوهُمْ أَمْ تُنَبِّئُونَهُ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي <mark>Allah</mark>. Say, “Name them. ' Would you inform Him of what He الْأَرْضِ أَمْ بِظَاهِرٍ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بَلْ زُيْنَ does <mark>not</mark> know in the earth? Or لِلَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوا مَكْرُهُمْ وَصُدُّوا عَن is it a mere empty saying? Nay but the design of the dis- السَّبِيْلِ وَ مَنْ يُضْلِلِ الله فَمَا لَهُ believers has been made to مِنْ هَادٍ appear beautiful in their eyes, and they have been kept back from the right way. And he whom <mark>Allah</mark> lets go astray shall have no guide. 164 "6:101; 10:67; 13:17. 17:98; 39:24, 37. why punishment was <mark>not</mark> sent down upon them immediately, they are told that, as the sending down of punishment is postponed in order that disbelievers may have time to think and accept truth, the respite granted to them was no novel thing. The opponents of all the Prophets were given such respite with the same object in view, and former Prophets were also mocked at because of the delay in punishment, but that in no way injured their cause. The objection would have been justified if disbelievers had escaped punishment altogether; or if, when at last it came, it was <mark>not</mark> exemplary; or if its delay, during the intervening period, in any way, proved detrimental to the cause of truth. The postponement only served to fulfil its noble object for it afforded those, who were good at heart and were destined to believe, an opport<mark>unity</mark> to ponder over the truth and accept it. 1645. Commentary: The words, Who stands over every soul to <mark>not</mark>e what it earns, contain a<mark>not</mark>her reason why <mark>God</mark> delays punishment. The argument is that as <mark>God</mark> is keeping close watch over every soul and <mark>not</mark>hing, however remote and secret, is hidden from His knowledge and He is also All- Powerful, He needs no hurry to punish the disbelievers; for if only punishment were the object, He could bring the offenders to book whenever He liked. The postponement of punishment is <mark>not</mark> therefore a thing to be scoffed or wondered at. The wonder rather is that disbelievers do <mark>not</mark> ponder over the fact that they are offenders against <mark>God</mark>'s Kingdom and 1513