فَمَهِّلِ الكافِرينَ أَمهِلهُم رُوَيدًا

So respite the faithless; give them a gentle respite.

EXEGESIS

Mahhil (respite) is in the imperative and comes from mahl, which has the meaning of careful consideration (tuʾdah) and calm (sukūn). Therefore, to say to someone mahlan means urging them to be gentle and calm (rifqan).^{‎[1]Raghib, pp. 780-781; Razi, 31/124.}

As to why the first mention of giving respite uses the form mahhil and the second one amhil, it is for emphasis, whilst avoiding the heaviness of repeating the exact same form of the word.^{‎[2]Tabrisi, 10/716.} Rāzī argues that this is to increase the Prophet in his tranquility and to remind him of the great patience required.^{‎[3]Razi, 31/124.}

Ruwaydan (gentle) comes from the word rawd, meaning to take care when seeking something (or an objective) and to do that in a calm and gentle manner (rifqan).^{‎[4]Raghib, p. 371.} According to Qatādah, it is used here to mean ‘a little’ (qalīl),^{‎[5]Tusi, 10/327.} and according to Ibn Abbas a ‘nearby (time)’ (qarīb).^{‎[6]Tabari, 30/96.} The respite is described as being only ‘a little’ and ‘nearby’, since according to the Arab proverb ‘all that is coming is close’ (kullu ātin qarīb).^{‎[7]Tabrisi, 10/716; Razi, 31/125.}

EXPOSITION

Considering the context of revelation (as the surah is a Meccan one) it seems that it is the powerful Meccan disbelievers who should be giving or withholding respite. Yet God wishes to throw doubt into their plans by revealing the utter confidence he has in His own plan by telling the Prophet to grant them respite.

By examining the life of the Prophet, we find that he was the most patient and forbearing of all people when it came to the insults and injuries that were hurled against him, and never ceased trying to guide the people he had been sent to lead to God. Giving respite here, then, means that the Prophet should not give up hope that his people may yet repent and change their ways, and should not pray for their destruction (a last resort only after all other options had been exhausted), but rather should have patience with the plan of God.^{‎[8]Tusi, 10/327.} Be patient just as the resolute among the apostles were patient, and do not seek to hasten [the punishment] for them. The day when they see what they are promised, [it will be] as though they had remained only an hour of a day (46:35). Hence, God is informing His Prophet that he is in a position of power; if he so willed he could destroy his opponents by praying for that and God would grant the prayer of His Messenger. Yet he is advised to be patient, for he is the guide sent to that nation and all others. He is like the brilliant star mentioned in the beginning of the surah that came to light the darkness of Arabia and the world and guide its lost people.

This ties in back to the theme of accountability as well. The Prophet has the responsibility to deliver the message of God to its completion and should not waver or grow impatient in this mission. He is not accountable for their disbelief, rather he is only responsible for his burden and you are responsible for your burden, and if you obey him, you shall be guided, and the Apostle’s duty is only to communicate in clear terms (24:54).

One may ask why God allows the enemies of His Prophet to continue with their belligerence and why should they be granted respite. He answers this Himself in 3:178: Let the faithless not suppose that the respite that We grant them is good for their souls: We give them respite only that they may increase in sin, and there is a humiliating punishment for them.

We may also note that at the end of this surah God once again turns to address the Prophet, which not only acts to show His disdain for the hard-hearted disbelievers from whom He is turning away, but beautifully brings the circuit and cycle of the surah to a close, as the surah began by addressing the Prophet, what will show you (verse 2). This symbolic act of returning to the beginning leaves the reader with the powerful reminder of the cycles of water, life, and resurrection that have been prevalent throughout the surah.

Finally, even though the address is to the Prophet, the advice is a universal one as well. When faced by powerful foes, the believers should trust in God and perform their duty towards Him, relying on the fact that God will help them overcome them: O you who have faith! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet steady (47:7). Additionally, anyone calling others to the way of God should never be hasty to dismiss people and to think that there is no hope for their guidance.^{‎[9]Nemuneh, 26/377-378.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Abū Baṣīr narrates from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘They plotted against the Prophet (s), and they plotted against Ali (a), and they plotted against Fatimah (a), and God said: “O Muhammad, Indeed they are devising a stratagem and I [too] am devising a plan. So respite the faithless [verses 15-17], O Muhammad, give them a gentle respite [verse 17] until the time the Qāʾim [Imam al-Mahdī (a)] arises and takes retribution on My behalf from the tyrants and rebels of Quraysh and Banī Umayyah and the rest of the people.”’^{‎[10] Qummi, 2/416.}

Note: This hadith is mentioning later applications of the verse. As has been mentioned before, such applications which are regarded as flow (jary) of the meaning in later generations abound in the words of the Ahl al-Bayt.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Suddī has suggested that the verses that talk about granting the disbelievers respite were abrogated by later verses that commanded to fight them, such as 9:5.^{‎[11] Suyuti, 3/149.} However, abrogation cannot occur between two verses that speak of completely different contexts and situations.

Ṭabrisī mentions two different options regarding the point up to which the enemies be granted respite, or in other words, when God’s retribution will befall them. First, it may mean they will be respited until the Day of Judgement; second, it may mean until the day of Badr.^{‎[12] Tabrisi, 10/716.} Ṭabarī adopts a more general interpretation that it is simply ‘until the time that retribution will manifest itself’.^{‎[13] Tabari, 30/96.} Makārim Shīrāzī points out that it was not long before the Muslims defeated their enemies in Badr and other battles and overcame them, and it was within the lifetime of the Prophet that all of Arabia had submitted to Islam.^{‎[14] Nemuneh, 26/378.}

Mullā Ṣadrā argues that one of the reasons the Prophet is ordered to give respite is because he should not busy or pollute himself with the wicked plans of the plotters, but rather he should focus on calling people to God and trust that God will protect him and undo the plans of the enemies.^{‎[15] Sadra, 7/358-359.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.^{‎[16] Psalms 37:7.}
2. The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.^{‎[17] Lamentations 3:25-26.}

[1] Raghib, pp. 780-781; Razi, 31/124.
[2] Tabrisi, 10/716.
[3] Razi, 31/124.
[4] Raghib, p. 371.
[5] Tusi, 10/327.
[6] Tabari, 30/96.
[7] Tabrisi, 10/716; Razi, 31/125.
[8] Tusi, 10/327.
[9] Nemuneh, 26/377-378.
[10] Qummi, 2/416.
[11] Suyuti, 3/149.
[12] Tabrisi, 10/716.
[13] Tabari, 30/96.
[14] Nemuneh, 26/378.
[15] Sadra, 7/358-359.
[16] Psalms 37:7.
[17] Lamentations 3:25-26.