16:61

وَلَوۡ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلۡمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيۡهَا مِن دَآبَّةٖ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمۡ لَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ سَاعَةٗ وَلَا يَسۡتَقۡدِمُونَ

Walaw yuakhithu Allahu alnnasa bithulmihim ma taraka AAalayha min dabbatin walakin yuakhkhiruhum ila ajalin musamman faitha jaa ajaluhum la yastakhiroona saAAatan wala yastaqdimoona

And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for their wrongdoing, He would not have left upon the earth any creature, but He defers them for a specified term. And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it].

Word by word
  1. وَلَوۡAnd if
  2. يُؤَاخِذُAllah were to seize
  3. ٱللَّهُAllah were to seize
  4. ٱلنَّاسَthe mankind
  5. بِظُلۡمِهِمfor their wrongdoing
  6. مَّاnot
  7. تَرَكَHe (would) have left
  8. عَلَيۡهَاupon it
  9. مِنany
  10. دَآبَّةٖmoving creature
  11. وَلَٰكِنbut
  12. يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡHe defers them
  13. إِلَىٰٓfor
  14. أَجَلٖa term
  15. مُّسَمّٗىۖappointed
  16. فَإِذَاThen when
  17. جَآءَcomes
  18. أَجَلُهُمۡtheir terms
  19. لَاnot
  20. يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَthey (will) remain behind
  21. سَاعَةٗan hour
  22. وَلَاand not
  23. يَسۡتَقۡدِمُونَthey can advance (it)
An-Nahl · 16:61Makkah

If He punished at once, nothing would be left walking.

His patience holds the world until its term


Why the world still stands
people's wrongdoingenough to end it all
but He
defersforbearing, covers faults
until
a fixed termnot an hour off
Whose harm it is
my sin hurts only meprivate wrong
sin spreadseven the birds feel it

Ibn Kathir says if Allah punished people for what they did, there would be no living creature left on earth. He is forbearing and covers people's faults, waiting until the appointed time. He reports Abu Hurayrah hearing a man say the wrongdoer harms only himself, and replying: even the buzzard dies in its nest because of the sins of the wrongdoer.

You tell yourself your bad habit is your business and hurts no one. Then you notice the mood at home, the kids copying you, the trust that thinned. Wrong leaks out. The world keeps going because He is patient.

My wrongs only affect me.

My wrongs ripple outward, and the world stands only by Allah's patience.

Try this

Think of one habit of yours that affects others and cut it back today.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And if Allah were to punish (all) mankind for their wrongdoing, He would not leave on it (the earth) a single moving creature, but He defers them to an appointed term; and when their term comes, they can neither delay nor advance it an hour (or a moment)(61)They assign to Allah that which they dislike (for themselves), and their tongues assert the lie that the better things will be theirs. No doubt the Fire is for them, and they will be forsaken (62)

Allah does not immediately punish for Disobedience

Allah tells us about His patience with His creatures, even though they do wrong. If He were to punish them for what they have done, there would be no living creature left on the face of the earth, i.e., He would have destroyed every animal on earth after destroying the sons of Adam. But the Lord - magnificent is His glory - is forbearing and He covers people's faults. He waits until the appointed time, i.e., He does not rush to punish them. If He did, then there would be no one left. Ibn Jarir reported that Abu Salamah said: "Abu Hurayrah heard a man saying, 'The wrongdoer harms no one but himself.' He turned to him and said, 'That is not true, by Allah! Even the buzzard dies in its nest because of the sins of the wrongdoer.'"

They attribute to Allah what They Themselves dislike

وَيَجْعَلُونَ لِلَّهِ مَا يَكْرَهُونَ

(They assign to Allah that which they dislike (for themselves),) meaning, daughters, and partners, who are merely His servants, yet none of them would like to have someone sharing in his wealth.

وَتَصِفُ أَلْسِنَتُهُمُ الْكَذِبَ أَنَّ لَهُمُ الْحُسْنَىٰ

(and their tongues assert the lie that the better things will be theirs.) This is a denunciation of their claims that better things will be theirs in this world, and in the Hereafter. Allah tells us about what some of them said, as in the Ayat:

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ - وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَاءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي ۚ إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ

(And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us, and then take it from him, verily! He is hopelessly, ungrateful. But if We let him taste of goodness after harm has touched him, he is sure to say: "Ills have departed from me." Surely, he is cheerful, and boastful (ungrateful to Allah).)(11:9-10)

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا مِن بَعْدِ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَٰذَا لِي وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّجِعْتُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي إِنَّ لِي عِندَهُ لَلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

(And if We give him a taste of mercy from Us, after some adversity has touched him, he is sure to say: "This is due to me; I do not think that the Hour will occur. But if I am brought back to my Lord, then , with Him, there will surely be the best for me." Then, We will certainly show the disbelievers what they have done, and We shall make them taste severe torment.)(41:50)

أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا

(Have you seen the one who disbelieved in Our Ayat and said: "I shall certainly be given wealth and children (if I came back to life).")(19:77) Allah tells us about one of the two men:

دَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَن تَبِيدَ هَٰذِهِ أَبَدًا - وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِن رُّدِدتُّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِّنْهَا مُنقَلَبًا

(He went into his garden while wronging himself. He said: "I do not think that this will ever perish. And I do not think that the Hour will ever come, and if indeed I am brought back to my Lord, (on the Day of Resurrection), then surely, I shall find better than this when I return to Him.")(18:35-36)

These people combined bad deeds with the false hopes of being rewarded with good for those bad deeds, which is impossible. Thus Allah refuted their false hopes, when He said:

لَا جَرَمَ

(No doubt), meaning, truly it is inevitable that

أَنَّ لَهُمُ النَّارَ

(for them is the Fire), meaning, on the Day of Resurrection.

وَأَنَّهُم مُّفْرَطُونَ

(and they will be forsaken). Mujahid, Sa'id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and others said: "This means they will be forgotten and neglected there." This is like the Ayah:

فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَاهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا لِقَاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَٰذَا

(So today We forget them just as they forgot meeting on this day of theirs.)(7:51). It was also reported from Qatadah that,

مُّفْرَطُونَ

(they will be forsaken) means 'they are hastened into the Fire.' There is no contradiction between the two, because they will be hastened into the Fire on the Day of Resurrection, then they will be forgotten there, i.e., left to dwell there for eternity.