Quran Universe
24:57

لَا تَحۡسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مُعۡجِزِينَ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَمَأۡوَىٰهُمُ ٱلنَّارُۖ وَلَبِئۡسَ ٱلۡمَصِيرُ

La tahsabanna allatheena kafaroo muAAjizeena fee alardi wamawahumu alnnaru walabisa almaseeru

Never think that the disbelievers are causing failure [to Allah] upon the earth. Their refuge will be the Fire - and how wretched the destination.

Word by word
  1. لَا(Do) not
  2. تَحۡسَبَنَّthink
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. كَفَرُواْdisbelieve
  5. مُعۡجِزِينَ(can) escape
  6. فِيin
  7. ٱلۡأَرۡضِۚthe earth
  8. وَمَأۡوَىٰهُمُAnd their abode
  9. ٱلنَّارُۖ(will be) the Fire
  10. وَلَبِئۡسَand wretched is
  11. ٱلۡمَصِيرُthe destination
An-Nur · 24:57Madinah

No one outruns Allah anywhere on earth.

A word of comfort to the Prophet ﷺ

What the verse settles
those who opposedand denied him
think they
escapein the land
but
Allah is ableno one gets away
Who is in control
they are winningout of reach
Allah is ablethe return is to Him

Ibn Kathir explains this is addressed to the Prophet ﷺ: do not think those who opposed and denied you can flee from Allah. He is able to deal with them, and their end in the Hereafter is a wretched destination.

Sometimes it looks like people who do wrong just keep going. No consequences. Bigger house every year. This verse is not for gloating. It is for steadying your own heart: no one is outside Allah's reach. So you can stop measuring and keep your own path straight.

Wrongdoers seem to get away with everything.

No one escapes Allah, so I can let go and keep my own path straight.

Try this

When you feel bitter about someone getting away with wrong, say hasbiyAllah and turn to your own task.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 24:56)

And perform the Salah, and give the Zakah and obey the Messenger that you may receive mercy (56)Consider not that the disbelievers can escape in the land. Their abode shall be the Fire – and worst indeed is that destination (57)

The Command to Pray, Give the Zakah and Obey the Messenger (ﷺ); The Inability of the Disbelievers to Escape,and the Ultimate Destiny

Allah commands His believing servants to establish prayer, which means worshipping Allah Alone with no partner or associate; to pay the Zakah, which is an act of kindness towards His poor and weak creatures; and by doing so to obey the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, i.e., to do as he commands them and to avoid what he forbids them, so that Allah will have mercy on them for that. No doubt, whoever does that, Allah will have mercy on him, as Allah says in another Ayah:

أُولَٰئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ

(Allah will have His mercy on them)(9:71)

لَا تَحْسَبَنَّ

(Consider not) means, 'do not think, O Muhammad,' that:

الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

(the disbelievers) meaning, those who opposed and denied you,

مُعْجِزِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ

(can escape in the land.) means, that they can flee from Allah. No, Allah is able to deal with them and He will punish them most severely for that. Allah says:

وَمَأْوَاهُمُ 

(Their abode) meaning, in the Hereafter,

النَّارُ ۖ وَلَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

(shall be the Fire – and worst indeed is that destination.) means, how terrible the consequences will be for the disbelievers, how evil a place to stay in and how awful a place to rest!