The Holy Quran 17:54 — Surah Al-Isra

Arabic text

رَّبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ ۖ إِن يَشَأْ يَرْحَمْكُمْ أَوْ إِن يَشَأْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ ۚ وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلًا

Translation

Your Rabb knows you best. (Because He knows you best) He may show mercy towards you if He wills (if you deserve His mercy) and if He wills He may punish you (if you deserve punishment). We have not sent you (O Muhammad ﷺ) as a warder (a guard) over them. (Since even Rasulullaah ﷺ was no warder to force people to do anything, we common people are certainly no better. We should therefore always speak kindly to others and not be harsh with them even though they do wrong.)

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

that is, He will show mercy by granting the ability to believe, or will punish by causing death in a state of disbelief. Shah [Abd al-Qadir] ﵀ writes: “In discussion the one who is in the right begins to grow irritated because the other does not accept the plain truth. So [Allah] said that you are not responsible for their guidance.

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