Qur'an Verse of the Day

This and the next verse lay down the guiding principle that it has not been left in the hands of the Holy Prophet to bring down punishment on disbelievers as demanded by them. If this had been the case, they would have since long met their deserved end, and then perhaps many erstwhile enemies of Islam like ‘Umar and Khalid who later on were destined to play a leading role in extending and consolidating the power of Islam, would have died in disbelief. But God being All-Powerful is slow to punish and, being fully conversant with the inner working of the human heart, knows when and whom to punish. He alone knows how far hardships or ease can influence the actions of a man and whether or not good works done by a man are rendered null and void through the operation of other causes. He alone has knowledge of the grains of virtue that lie embedded in the heart of man and knows whether or not these grains will sprout forth and grow and thrive and bring forth fruit. He alone can tell whether a person who, to all appearances, is “dry” and “devoid of all spiritual life,” will turn “green” when supplied with heavenly water or whether he is “dead” and beyond revival. In short, God alone has full knowledge of all things and of all conditions and all possibilities and potentialities and therefore He alone can say who is to be punished and who not.