The Holy Quran 16:61 — Surah An-Nahl

Arabic text

وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِم مَّا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ وَلَـٰكِن يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَـْٔخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

Translation

If Allaah were to take people to task for their injustice (Shirk, sin), He would not have left a single creature (alive) on earth (because the punishment affecting the people would have also killed everything else), but He grants them (people) respite (time to mend their ways) until an appointed term. (However,) When their term expires, they will not be able to delay it for a moment, nor bring it forward.

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

Allah's respite lasts until an appointed time: that is, if Almighty Allah were to begin seizing and punishing people in this world immediately for their insolence and injustice, this population of the earth would not survive even a few hours, because the greater part of the world consists of wrongdoers and evildoers.

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