Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-Hajj -> The Recompense of the Righteous and the Unrighteous

Allah said to His Prophet , when the disbelievers asked him to hasten on the punishment for them:

﴿قُلْ يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ ﴾

(Say: "O mankind! I am (sent) to you only as a plain warner.'') meaning, `Allah has sent me to you to warn you ahead of the terrible punishment, but I have nothing to do with your reckoning. Your case rests with Allah: if He wills, He will hasten on the punishment for you; and if He wills, He will delay it for you. If He wills he will accept the repentance of those who repent to Him; and if He wills, He will send astray those who are decreed to be doomed. He is the One Who does whatsoever He wills and wants and chooses.

﴿لاَ مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ﴾

(There is none to put back His judgement and He is swift at reckoning.) ﴿13:41﴾

﴿إِنَّمَآ أَنَاْ لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌفَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ﴾

(I am (sent) to you only as a plain warner. So those who believe and do righteous good deeds,) means, whose hearts believe and whose actions confirm their faith.

﴿لَّهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾

(for them is forgiveness and Rizq Karim. ) means, forgiveness for their previous bad deeds, and a great reward in return for a few good deeds. Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi said, "When you hear Allah's saying:

﴿وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾

(Rizq Karim) this means Paradise.''

﴿وَالَّذِينَ سَعَوْاْ فِى ءَايَـتِنَا مُعَـجِزِينَ﴾

(But those who strive against Our Ayat to frustrate them,) Mujahid said, "To discourage people from following the Prophet .'' This was also the view of `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr, "to discourage.'' Ibn `Abbas said, "To frustrate them means to resist the believers stubbornly.''

﴿أُوْلَـئِكَ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَحِيمِ﴾

(they will be dwellers of the Hellfire.) This refers to the agonizingly hot Fire with its severe punish- ment, may Allah save us from it. Allah says:

﴿الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يُفْسِدُونَ ﴾

(Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment because they used to spread corruption) ﴿16:88﴾

﴿وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ وَلاَ نَبِىّ إِلاَّ إِذَا تَمَنَّى أَلْقَى الشَّيْطَـنُ فِى أُمْنِيَّتِهِ فَيَنسَخُ اللَّهُ مَا يُلْقِى الشَّيْطَـنُ ثُمَّ يُحْكِمُ اللَّهُ ءايَـتِهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ لّيَجْعَلَ مَا يُلْقِى الشَّيْطَـنُ فِتْنَةً لّلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ وَالْقَاسِيَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ الظَّـلِمِينَ لَفِى شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ وَلِيَعْلَمَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْعِلْمَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبّكَ فَيُؤْمِنُواْ بِهِ فَتُخْبِتَ لَهُ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَهَادِ الَّذِينَ ءامَنُواْ إِلَى صِرطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ﴾

(52. Never did We send a Messenger or a Prophet before you but when he did recite (the revelation or narrated or spoke), Shaytan threw (some falsehood) in his recitation (of the revelation). But Yansakh Allah that which Shaytan throws in. Then Allah establishes His revelations. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise:) (53. That He (Allah) may make what is thrown in by Shaytan a trial for those in whose hearts is a disease and whose hearts are hardened. And certainly, the wrongdoers are in an opposition far-off (from the truth).) (54. And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it (this Qur'an) is the truth from your Lord, so that they may believe therein, and their hearts may submit to it with humility. And verily, Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the straight path.)