قُل أَرَأَيتُم إِن أَهلَكَنِيَ اللَّهُ وَمَن مَعِيَ أَو رَحِمَنا فَمَن يُجيرُ الكافِرينَ مِن عَذابٍ أَليمٍ

قُل هُوَ الرَّحمٰنُ آمَنّا بِهِ وَعَلَيهِ تَوَكَّلنا ۖ فَسَتَعلَمونَ مَن هُوَ في ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ

Say: ‘Tell me, whether Allah destroys me and those with me, or He has mercy on us, who will shelter the faithless from a painful punishment?’

Say: ‘He is the all-beneficent; we have faith in Him, and in Him do we trust. Soon you will know who is in manifest error.’

EXPOSITION

These verses further direct the attention of the audience to their need of God, and that the only source of hope for anyone in this world and the hereafter is God. The Prophet is told to say: regardless of how God deals with us believers, and regardless of our end, you have your own account with Him, and you cannot be needless of His mercy.

It has been said that the faithless were awaiting and longing for the death of the Prophet and his companions (52:30). Thus, this verse is an answer to them: whether God kills us or extends our lives, that has no impact on the painful punishment that awaits you.^{‎[1]Tibyan, 10/71.} Say: ‘Who can guard you, day and night, from [the punishment of] the All-Beneficent?’ Rather, they are disregardful of their Lord’s remembrance. Do they have gods besides Us to defend them? Neither can they help themselves, nor can they provide them with an escort against Us (21:42-43).

A painful punishment may refer to a worldly punishment that ends the life of the faithless, like the punishments that befell their counterparts in the previous generations, as mentioned in many other verses (40:77, 43:41-42, 13:40). However, it is more likely and apparent that a painful punishment here refers to the eternal damnation in hell, as that is more compatible with the theme of the whole chapter, which is a warning against the hereafter and its difficulties. Hence, this verse orders the Prophet to say: even if God takes the life of me and those with me, and even if you get to have a long and comfortable life in this world, will that avail you against God’s punishment in the hereafter? Then you will be let to enjoy only for a little while (33:16); Say: ‘The fire of hell is severer in heat,’ should they understand. So let them laugh a little; much will they weep as a requital for what they used to earn (9:81-82). But it is not even likely for them to have a long and prosperous life in this world: then they would not have stayed after you but a little (17:76).

Therefore, the message of the verse is that you should be concerned about your destiny; you should feel a pain and need from within; you should stop looking outside yourselves; instead, you should start pondering about your own condition. Whether We show you a part of what We promise them, or take you away [before that], [in any case] their return will be to Us. Then Allah will be witness to what they do (10:46).

It may also be that the verse identifies the presence of the Prophet and his companions as a source of security for the faithless, and their call to Islam as the only source of hope for the infidels. That is: the only means of being saved from God’s painful punishment is to follow me and my message, so why is it that you so eagerly press for my death and termination? Indeed the Prophet’s presence among the people was a source of security for them against God’s exterminating punishment in this world (8:33).^{‎[2]Furqan.}

Another interpretation for verse 28 is as verse 29 says we have faith in Him, and in Him do we trust, yet we are fearful lest He may punish us instead of having mercy upon us. If that is the case with us – the believers – then what makes you so certain and secure? Fearing God’s painful punishment is indeed more befitting for arrogant disbelievers. This interpretation has been offered by Ibn Abbas and Ibn Kaysān.^{‎[3]Tibyan, 10/71.}

Referring to God as the all-beneficent may be a reference to why God does not send His punishment upon the disbelievers – because He is the all-beneficent.^{‎[4]Tabrisi, 10/494-495.} Our only source of hope and help is our all-beneficent Lord, and this beautiful name of His calls for two things: 1. To have faith in Him. 2. To trust in Him. The former is a matter of belief, while the latter is a matter of practice. Or perhaps the former means to submit to Him, accept what He says, and act upon it; while the latter means to cut our hopes and attention from anything other than Him. In other words, we have faith in Him concerns the aspect of one’s duty to God: our duty is to believe in Him and act according to this belief. In Him do we trust concerns the aspect of one’s planning for the results: we have entrusted the results of our actions and the condition of our life both in this world and the hereafter to Him (1:5, 11:123).

It may also be that we have faith in Him, and in Him do we trust is a means to not qualify for God’s painful punishment mentioned in the last verse. The only way that one may be saved is to have faith and trust in Him. That is, one should make himself sincere for God and return to Him penitently, so that he may be sheltered against the painful punishment discussed in verse 28.^{‎[5]Kashif, 7/383.} The verse also involves a blaming allusion to the disbelievers’ lack of faith and trust in God.^{‎[6]Razi, 30/597.}

It is quite interesting how this verse appears right after the last verse; the message of the last verse was that everyone should take account of himself and think about his own condition. That may raise a question: what about you, O Muhammad, and the people with you – are you acting upon that yourselves? In other words, by revealing this verse, God is approving of their right to question the commitment of the Prophet and the believers to what they preach. This verse is an answer to that: yes, the same also applies to us, that we have our own accounts with God and do not feel guaranteed against His punishment. But unlike you, we have believed in Him, entrusted our affairs and end to Him, and thus we have hope in our all-beneficent Lord. How about you?^{‎[7]Mizan, 19/365.}

Soon you will know who is in manifest error is of course a threat to the faithless. It is also an answer to the allegations of error and misguidance that the faithless have ever made throughout the history against their prophets and the believers (7:60, 36:47). They will confess their manifest error on the Day of Judgement: They will say, as they wrangle in it [together]: ‘By Allah, we had indeed been in manifest error, when we equated you with the Lord of all the worlds’ (26:96-98). Based on the verses of the Quran, there are a few causes that make one to be in manifest error: 1. Associating partners with God (26:97-98, 36:23-24). 2. Being hard-hearted (39:22). 3. Refusing to answer the callers of God, i.e. His messengers (46:32). 4. Wrongdoing and oppression (19:38, 31:11).

Soon you will know who is in manifest error is in line with the idea of test and trial, as mentioned in verse 2. In other words, this world is a realm of test and trial, and that is why the true reality of things is concealed here. According to the term Soon – which defers the realisation of the disbelievers’ error to the hereafter – one should not expect to see the results of his faith and trust in God in such a conclusive and manifest way that would leave no more room for test and trial. Such a conclusive and manifest realisation is only to occur in the hereafter. Indeed, the affairs are assessed by their ends.^{‎[8]Qaraati, 10/166.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

The following passages from the Old Testament talk about the need to trust in the all-beneficent God and take refuge with Him, as well as the support that He sends for His faithful servants against the faithless:

1. The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.^{‎[9]Deuteronomy 33:27.}
2. And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.^{‎[10]2 Samuel 22:1-4.}
3. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.^{‎[11]Psalms 33:20-22.}
4. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.^{‎[12]Psalms 57:1-3.}
5. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.^{‎[13]Psalms, 91:2.}
6. But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge. And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.^{‎[14]Psalms 94:22-23.}

[1] Tibyan, 10/71.
[2] Furqan.
[3] Tibyan, 10/71.
[4] Tabrisi, 10/494-495.
[5] Kashif, 7/383.
[6] Razi, 30/597.
[7] Mizan, 19/365.
[8] Qaraati, 10/166.
[9] Deuteronomy 33:27.
[10] 2 Samuel 22:1-4.
[11] Psalms 33:20-22.
[12] Psalms 57:1-3.
[13] Psalms, 91:2.
[14] Psalms 94:22-23.