۞ وَلَوْ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسْتِعْجَالَهُم بِٱلْخَيْرِ لَقُضِىَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ 11
Translations
And if Allāh was to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke] as He hastens for them the good, their term would have been ended for them. But We leave the ones who do not expect the meeting with Us, in their transgression, wandering blindly.
Transliteration
Wa law yu'ajjilu-Allahu li-n-nasi ash-sharra istiʿjālahum bi-l-khayri la-qudiya ilayhim ajaluhum, fa-nadharu-Allādhīna lā yarjūna liqāʾanā fī ṭughyānihim yaʿmahūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explains that if Allah hastened evil for mankind in the same manner they hasten to request good, He would have ended their appointed lifespans. Instead, Allah leaves those who reject the meeting with Him to continue in their transgression and blindness. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this demonstrates Allah's mercy in delaying punishment and His wisdom in managing human affairs according to the unseen knowledge of what serves the ultimate good.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Yunus, which addresses the Meccan polytheists' rejection of the Prophet Muhammad's message. The broader context (verses 1-20) deals with themes of divine signs, human heedlessness, and the consequences of rejecting faith. This specific verse responds to the mindset of those who demand immediate gratification and punishment while remaining heedless of spiritual reality.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever is given wealth by Allah but does not pay its Zakat, his wealth will be made into a bald-headed poisonous snake' (Sahih Bukhari 1405). This relates thematically to the ayah's discussion of how Allah manages granting and withholding according to wisdom. Also relevant is the hadith about patient endurance in trials (Sahih Muslim 2999).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's apparent delays in responding to our requests or punishing wrongdoing are manifestations of His mercy and perfect wisdom, not indifference. Believers should cultivate trust in Allah's timing and recognize that those who persist in rejecting faith despite clear signs remain in spiritual blindness.
Related Ayahs
لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۚ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words [i.e., decrees] of Allāh. That is what is the great attainment.
قُلْ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ أَتَىٰكُمْ عَذَابُهُۥ بَيَـٰتًا أَوْ نَهَارًا مَّاذَا يَسْتَعْجِلُ مِنْهُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
Say, "Have you considered: if His punishment should come to you by night or by day - for which [aspect] of it would the criminals be impatient?"
هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ
He gives life and causes death, and to Him you will be returned.
إِنَّمَا مَثَلُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِمَّا يَأْكُلُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَخَذَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ زُخْرُفَهَا وَٱزَّيَّنَتْ وَظَنَّ أَهْلُهَآ أَنَّهُمْ قَـٰدِرُونَ عَلَيْهَآ أَتَىٰهَآ أَمْرُنَا لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهَارًا فَجَعَلْنَـٰهَا حَصِيدًا كَأَن لَّمْ تَغْنَ بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest, as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.