Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:21
He punishes whom He wills and has mercy upon whom He wills, and to Him you will be returned.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: يُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَرْحَمُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَإِلَيْهِ تُقْلَبُونَ (21) ("He punishes whom He wills and has mercy upon whom He wills, and to Him you will be turned back." (29:21))
He, exalted is His mention, says: ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنْشِئُ النَّشْأَةَ الآخِرَةَ ("Then Allah will bring forth the latter creation") — His creatures, after they have perished — and then يُعَذِّبُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ("He punishes whom He wills") of them, on account of the crime he sent ahead during the days of his life, وَيَرْحَمُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ("and He has mercy upon whom He wills") of them, namely upon the one who repented, believed, and performed good deeds. وَإِلَيْهِ تُقْلَبُونَ ("and to Him you will be turned back") says: and to Him you return and are brought back.
