Quran Universe
35:45

وَلَوۡ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهۡرِهَا مِن دَآبَّةٖ وَلَٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمّٗىۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمۡ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِۦ بَصِيرَۢا

Walaw yuakhithu Allahu alnnasa bima kasaboo ma taraka AAala thahriha min dabbatin walakin yuakhkhiruhum ila ajalin musamman faitha jaa ajaluhum fainna Allaha kana biAAibadihi baseeran

And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon the earth any creature. But He defers them for a specified term. And when their time comes, then indeed Allah has ever been, of His servants, Seeing.

Word by word
  1. وَلَوۡAnd if
  2. يُؤَاخِذُAllah (were to) punish
  3. ٱللَّهُAllah (were to) punish
  4. ٱلنَّاسَthe people
  5. بِمَاfor what
  6. كَسَبُواْthey have earned
  7. مَاnot
  8. تَرَكَHe would leave
  9. عَلَىٰon
  10. ظَهۡرِهَاits back
  11. مِنany
  12. دَآبَّةٖcreature
  13. وَلَٰكِنBut
  14. يُؤَخِّرُهُمۡHe gives them respite
  15. إِلَىٰٓtill
  16. أَجَلٖa term
  17. مُّسَمّٗىۖappointed
  18. فَإِذَاAnd when
  19. جَآءَcomes
  20. أَجَلُهُمۡtheir term
  21. فَإِنَّthen indeed
  22. ٱللَّهَAllah
  23. كَانَis
  24. بِعِبَادِهِۦof His slaves
  25. بَصِيرَۢاAll-Seer
Fatir · 35:45Makkah

If He punished at once, nothing would be left.

The respite until an appointed term

Why the world goes on
if seized for all sinsno creature left
but
respiteuntil a set term
All-Seeingof His servants
What the delay means
nobody is watching
time to returnHe sees everything

Fatir closes here. If Allah punished people for all they earned at once, He would leave no creature on the earth; Sa'id bin Jubayr said He would hold back the rain. But He delays until an appointed term, and He sees His servants fully.

Your mistakes from this week did not bring the sky down. The rain still came, the shop still opened, your heart still beats. That is not because no one saw. It is respite. Use it.

Since nothing bad happened, maybe it did not matter.

The delay is mercy and time to return, not a sign that Allah did not see.

Try this

Use today's respite well: make tawbah for one thing and do one good deed in its place.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 35:44)

Have they not traveled in the land, and seen what was the end of those before them – though they were superior to them in power? Allah is not such that anything in the heavens or in the earth escapes Him. Verily, He is All-Knowing, All-Able (44)And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth; but He gives them respite to an appointed term, and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His servants (45)

Remember the Bad Consequences of disbelieving in the Prophets

Allah says: 'say, O Muhammad, to these people who disbelieve the Message you have brought: travel in the land and see what was the punishment of those who disbelieved the Messengers, how Allah destroyed them completely, and a similar (end awaits) the disbelievers. See how their homes were emptied of them and how they lost everything after living in luxury and being so numerous and so well equipped, and having so much wealth and so many children. All of that was of no avail to them and could not protect them in the slightest from the punishment of Allah when the command of the Lord came. Nothing is impossible for Him when He wants it to happen in the heavens or on earth.'

إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَلِيمًا قَدِيرًا 

(Verily, He is All-Knowing, All-Able.) means, He knows all that exists and is able to do all things.

The Wisdom behind delaying the Punishment

Then Allah says:

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ

(And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth;) meaning, if He were to punish them for all of their sins, He would destroy all the people of the earth and all that they own of livestock and crops.

Sa'id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi commented on the Ayah:

مَا تَرَكَ عَلَىٰ ظَهْرِهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ

(He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth;) "This means, He would have stopped sending rain to them, and all the animals would have died as a result."

وَلَٰكِنْ يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى

(but He gives them respite to an appointed term,) means, but He is delaying until the Day of Resurrection, when He will bring them to account and will reward or punish each one according to his deeds: He will reward those who obeyed Him and will punish those who disobeyed Him. He says:

فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيرًا

(and when their term comes, then verily, Allah is Ever All-Seer of His servants.)

This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Fatir. All praise and gratitude is due to Allah.