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wa-ʾaṣḥābu madyana wa-kudhdhiba mūsā fa-ʾamlaytu li-l-kāfirīna thumma ʾakhadhtuhum fa-kayfa kāna nakīri
and the inhabitants of Midian, and Moses was also impugned. But I gave the faithless a respite, then I seized them and how was My rebuttal!
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-Hajj – Verses 42 - 44
42. “And if they belie you (O’ Prophet) then already before them did the people of Noah and ‘Ad and Thamud belie (prophets),”
43. “And the people of Abraham and the people of Lot,”
44. “And the dwellers of Midian; and Moses was (also) belied, but I gave respite to the disbelievers, then I did seize them, so how (severe) will be My punishment (of them).”
The rejection of the enemies should not be taken as a barrier for the continuation of the right way. The history of the nations must be used for admonition and discipline. The verse under discussion, from one side, consoles the holy Prophet (S) and the believers, and, on the other side, makes the bad end of the disbelievers clear. At first, in order to tell the Prophet (S) not to be sad, it says:
Then, the Holy Qur’an continues saying:
As these oppositions and rejections did not cause the great prophets to become weakened in their call unto Monotheism, right, and justice, they will certainly not affect your steadfast, pure soul, either. In the meanwhile, these blind hearted disbelievers should not imagine that they can continue their shameful programs for ever. As the Qur’an implies, Allah did respite the rejecters in order that they would have enough time to be examined, and the argument be completed to them, while they were enjoying blessings of Allah abundantly.
Then they were seized by the Divine punishment when they were in negligence. The verse continues implying that: you saw how severely Allah rejected their evil deeds and showed them the ugliness of their actions. He took those blessings from them and gave them misery and wretchedness. He (s.w.t.) seized their life and gave them death instead; so how will be the punishment which is unknown and ambiguous to them and they cannot understand its depth?
The verse says:
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