Tafseer of The Spoils of War · Al-Anfaal · 8:33
But Allah would not punish them while you, [O Muhammad], are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they seek forgiveness.
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 statement concerning the interpretation of His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (33)
(And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The exegetes differed concerning the interpretation of this.
Some of them said: its interpretation is: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), that is: while you reside among them. He said: And this was sent down upon the Prophet ﷺ while he resided at Mecca. He said: Then the Prophet ﷺ departed from their midst, and the Muslims who were there asked for forgiveness; thereupon, after his departure, when those people there were asking for forgiveness, was sent down upon him: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness). He said: Then that remainder of the Muslims departed from their midst, and then the disbelievers were punished.
* Mention of those who said that:
15990 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Abī al-Mughīra, on the authority of Ibn Abzā, who said: The Prophet ﷺ was at Mecca, and Allah sent down upon him: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them). He said: Then the Prophet ﷺ departed to Medina, and Allah sent down: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness). He said: That remainder of the Muslims who stayed behind there asked for forgiveness — that is, at Mecca. So when they departed, Allah sent down upon him: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوا أَوْلِيَاءَهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque and they were not its protectors). He said: Then Allah permitted him the conquest of Mecca, and that is the punishment which He had promised them.
15991 — Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of Abū Mālik, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he means the Prophet ﷺ; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he means: the Muslims who were there; وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them), he means Mecca, while the disbelievers are within it.
15992 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: Hushaym informed us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Abū Mālik, concerning the word of Allah: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ (And Allah would not punish them), he means: the people of Mecca; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ (And Allah would not punish them), while the believers are in their midst and ask for forgiveness — forgiveness is granted to the Muslims who are in their midst.
15993 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Isḥāq ibn Ismāʿīl al-Rāzī and Abū Dāwūd al-Ḥafarī related to us, on the authority of Yaʿqūb, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Ibn Abzā: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: the remainder of the Muslims who stayed behind among them. So when they departed, He said: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them).
15994 — ... he said: ʿImrān ibn ʿUyayna related to us, on the authority of Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Abū Mālik: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he said: the people of Mecca.
15995 — ... and my father informed us, on the authority of Salama ibn Nubayṭ, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: the believers among the people of Mecca; وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque), he said: the polytheists among the people of Mecca.
15996 — ... he said: Abū Khālid related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: the believers ask for forgiveness in their midst.
15997 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he says: those who believed with you ask for forgiveness at Mecca, until He caused you and those who believed with you to depart.
15998 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: He did not punish any town until the Prophet departed from it, together with those who believed with him, and He caused him to go to the place that was commanded him; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he means the believers. Then He turned back to the polytheists and said: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them).
15999 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he said: by this are meant the people of Mecca.
* * *
And others said: rather, its meaning is: Allah would not punish these polytheists of Quraysh at Mecca while you are among them, O Muḥammad, until He caused you to depart from their midst; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ (And Allah would not punish them), while these polytheists say: "O Lord, Your forgiveness!" and what resembles that in meanings of asking for forgiveness with words. They said: And His word: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them) pertains to the Hereafter.
* Mention of those who said that:
16000 — Aḥmad ibn Manṣūr al-Rumādī related to us, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: ʿIkrima related to us, on the authority of Abū Zumayl, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: The polytheists used to walk around the House (the Kaʿba), saying: "Labbayk, labbayk, You have no partner," whereupon the Prophet ﷺ would say: "Enough, enough!", and they would then say: "except a partner who belongs to You, You possess him and what he possesses," and they would say: "Your forgiveness, Your forgiveness!" Thereupon Allah sent down: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness). Ibn ʿAbbās said: There were among them two safeguards of security: the Prophet of Allah, and the asking for forgiveness. He said: Then the Prophet ﷺ went away, and the asking for forgiveness remained; وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوا أَوْلِيَاءَهُ إِنْ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُ إِلا الْمُتَّقُونَ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque and they were not its protectors; its protectors are only the God-fearing). He said: so this is the punishment of the Hereafter, and that was the punishment of this world.
16001 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Maʿshar related to us, on the authority of Yazīd ibn Rūmān and Muḥammad ibn Qays, who both said: Quraysh said to one another: Muḥammad — Allah has raised him up among us: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا (O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down upon us) — the entire verses. When evening came, they regretted what they had said, and they said: "Your forgiveness, O Allah!" Thereupon Allah sent down: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness) up to His word لا يَعْلَمُونَ (they do not know).
16002 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to me, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: They — that is, the polytheists — used to say: By Allah, indeed Allah will not punish us while we ask for forgiveness, and He does not punish a community while its prophet is among it, until He causes him to depart from it! And that was among their sayings while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ resided in their midst. Then Allah said to His Prophet ﷺ, reminding him of their ignorance and their self-deception and their invoking of punishment upon themselves, when they said: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ (O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from heaven), as You rained them down upon the people of Lūṭ. And He said, reproaching them for the evil of their deeds: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), that is: because of their saying: ["We ask for forgiveness while Muḥammad is among us"; وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them), even though you were among them], and even though they asked for forgiveness as they say; وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (while they bar from the Sacred Mosque), that is: whoever believes in Allah and worships Him, that is: you and whoever followed you.
16003 — Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ al-Bazzār related to us ... he said: Abū Burda related to us, on the authority of Abū Mūsā, who said: Indeed, there were formerly two safeguards of security, namely His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness). He said: As for the Prophet ﷺ, he has already passed on, and as for the asking for forgiveness, it remains circulating among you until the Day of Resurrection.
16004 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Yūnus ibn Abī Isḥāq related to us, on the authority of ʿĀmir Abū al-Khaṭṭāb al-Thawrī, who said: I heard Abū al-ʿAlāʾ say: The community of Muḥammad ﷺ had two safeguards of security; one of them has passed away and the other has remained: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), the entire verses.
* * *
And others said: its meaning is: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), O Muḥammad, and Allah would not punish the polytheists while they ask for forgiveness — that is: if they were to ask for forgiveness. They said: and they did not ask for forgiveness, and therefore He said, exalted is His praise, when they did not ask for forgiveness: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque).
* Mention of those who said that:
16005 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: indeed, that people did not ask for forgiveness, and had they asked for forgiveness, they would not have been punished. And some of the scholars said: they are two safeguards of security which Allah sent down: one of them has passed away, namely the Prophet of Allah; and the other Allah has caused to remain among you as a mercy, namely the asking for forgiveness and repentance.
16006 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: Allah said to His Messenger: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), He says: I would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness, and if they were to ask for forgiveness and acknowledge their sins, then they would be believers; but how would I not punish them while they do not ask for forgiveness? And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from Muḥammad and from the Sacred Mosque?
16007 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: He says: had they asked for forgiveness, I would not have punished them.
And others said: its meaning is: and Allah would not punish them while they submit to Islam. They said: and their "asking for forgiveness" meant in this place their submission to Islam.
* Mention of those who said that:
16008 — Sawwār ibn ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Malik ibn al-Ṣabbāḥ related to us, saying: ʿImrān ibn Ḥudayr related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: they asked for the punishment, whereupon He said: He would not punish them while you are among them, and He would not punish them while they enter into Islam.
16009 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (while you are among them), he said: in their midst; and His word: وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (while they ask for forgiveness), he said: they submit to Islam.
16010 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), in their midst; مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (punishing them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: while they submit to Islam; وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar), namely Quraysh, عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (from the Sacred Mosque).
16011 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd Allāh related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he said: in their midst; وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: their entering into Islam.
* * *
And others said: rather, its meaning is: and among them are those for whom entering into Islam had already been decreed by Allah.
* Mention of those who said that:
16012 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he says: Allah, sanctified is He, would not punish a people while their prophets are among them, until He causes them to depart. Then He said: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he says: and among them are those for whom entering into faith had already been decreed by Allah, and that is the asking for forgiveness. Then He said: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them), and He then punished them on the day of Badr with the sword.
* * *
And others said: rather, its meaning is: and Allah would not punish them while they perform the ritual prayer (ṣalāh).
* Mention of those who said that:
16013 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he means: they perform the prayer; by this he means the people of Mecca.
16014 — Mūsā ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Masrūqī related to me, saying: Ḥusayn al-Juʿfī related to us, on the authority of Zāʾida, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: they perform the prayer.
16015 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say, he said: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim say concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), he means: the people of Mecca. He says: I would not punish you while Muḥammad is among you. Then He said: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he means: they believe and perform the prayer.
16016 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), he said: while they perform the prayer.
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And others said: rather, its meaning is: and Allah would not punish the polytheists while they ask for forgiveness. They said: then that was abrogated (nasakha) by His word: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque).
* Mention of those who said that:
16017 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn Wāqid, on the authority of Yazīd al-Naḥwī, on the authority of ʿIkrima and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, who both said: He said in sūrat al-Anfāl: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them, and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness), whereupon it was abrogated by the verse that follows it: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them) up to His word: فَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ (So taste the punishment for your disbelief). They were thus fought at Mecca, and there befell them hunger and the siege.
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Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct of these statements concerning it, in my view, is the statement of him who said that its interpretation is: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنْتَ فِيهِمْ (And Allah would not punish them while you are among them), O Muḥammad, and you reside among them, until I cause you to depart from their midst, because I do not destroy a town while its prophet is within it; "and Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness" for their sins and their disbelief — but they do not ask for forgiveness for that, rather they persist in it, and so they are deserving of the punishment — as one says: "I would not do you good while you do me evil," by which is meant: I do not do you good when you do me evil, and if you were to do me evil, I would not do you good; but I do you good because you do me no evil. And so it is here. Then it was said: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque), with the meaning: and what is the matter with them, and what prevents Allah from punishing them, while they do not ask Allah for forgiveness for their disbelief and thus do not believe in Him, and while they bar those who believe in Allah and His Messenger from the Sacred Mosque?
And we have only said "This statement is the correct of the statements concerning it," because the people — I mean the polytheists of Mecca — had asked for the punishment and had said: O Allah, if that which Muḥammad has brought is the truth, "then rain down upon us stones from heaven, or bring us a painful punishment." Then Allah said to His Prophet: "I would not punish them while you are among them, and I would not punish them if they were to ask for forgiveness; but how would I not punish them after your departure from their midst, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque?" Thus He informed him, exalted is His praise, that that which they had hastened the punishment for would befall them and would descend upon them, and He informed them of the state of its descending upon them, and that after his departure from their midst. And there is no ground to announce to them the punishment in the Hereafter, while they were hastening it in this near life, and there is no doubt that in the Hereafter they will go to the punishment. Rather, in Allah's hastening of it for them on the day of Badr lies the clear proof that the statement concerning it is as we have said. And likewise there is no ground for the statement of him who interprets His word وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness) as though by it the believers were meant, while it stands in the context of the report about them (the polytheists) and about what Allah would do with them. And there is no indication that the report about them had already been concluded, and that on that basis this pronoun would [refer] to them, and that there would be no disagreement concerning its interpretation among the exegetes.
And likewise there is no ground for the statement of him who said: that is abrogated by His word: وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ (And what would exempt them from Allah punishing them, while they bar from the Sacred Mosque), the entire verses, because His word, exalted is His praise: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ (And Allah would not punish them while they ask for forgiveness) is a report (statement of fact), and in a report no abrogation (naskh) can take place; abrogation applies only to command and prohibition.
