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wa-man ʾaẓlamu mimman dhukkira bi-ʾāyāti rabbihī thumma ʾaʿraḍa ʿanhā ʾinnā mina l-mujrimīna muntaqimūna
Who is a greater wrongdoer than him who is reminded of his Lord’s signs, whereat he disregards them? Indeed, We shall take vengeance upon the guilty.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah As-Sajdah – Verse 22
22. “And who is more unjust than he who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then he turns away from them? We shall take vengeance upon the guilty.”
Turning away from the revelations of Allah is a crime, and the guilty will be involved in the Divine vengeance. This verse implies that if none of the awakening means, even the punishment of Allah, is of no avail, there will be no way but the Divine vengeance upon this group of people who are the most unjust ones. Therefore, the verse says:
These people, in fact, are those ones on whom the Divine merits and blessings have not affected, nor do His punishment and affliction give them as a warning. Therefore there is not any one more unjust than them, and if they are not taken vengeance of, then of whom vengeance must be taken? It is clear that, regarding the former verses, the purpose of ‘the guilty’ here is the deniers of Origin or Resurrection and the faithless sinners. The verses of the Qur’an have repeatedly introduced a group of people as the most unjust ones, though the form of the sentences is different, but, in fact the root of them all returns to infidelity, polytheism and disbelief. Therefore, the usage of ‘the most unjust’, which is a superlative form, is not improper.
The application of the Arabic word /θumma/ in the above verse, which is usually used for distance, may point to this fact that such persons will be given enough respite here in order to search, and their first oppositions will not bring the vengeance of Allah (s.w.t.). But after the end of sufficient respite, they will deserve the Divine vengeance. By the way, it must be noted that the application of ‘vengeance’ from the point of Arabic lexicon means ‘to punish’, though in daily usages the concept of ‘healing the heart’ is understood from it but this meaning is not found in its main lexicographical concept.
This meaning has numerously been applied in the Holy Qur’an in respect of Allah, the Mighty, while He is above these concepts and He acts only according to His Wisdom.