al-Zajjāj.”

I say: A number of others, including al-Baghawī, said likewise. His exact words are: “Allah Most High says, ‘Rather, they have denied what they do not fully comprehend’ [Yūnus 39], meaning the Quran: they denied it without fully comprehending it. ‘And whose fulfillment has not yet come to them’ means the punishment which Allah Most High had promised would be the ultimate outcome of their affairs. He means that they did not know what their ultimate fate would be.”

I say: The correct view is the first: its actual fulfillment had not yet come to them. That is, the fulfillment foretold in it had not yet occurred. He did not mean that they did not know its interpretation, for their lack of knowledge was already conveyed by “what they do not fully comprehend.” This is indicated by His saying, “And whose fulfillment has not yet come to them,” whereas in the other clause He said, “They do not fully comprehend.” The particle lammā (“not yet”) negates something whose occurrence is expected and imminent. This indicates that its fulfillment will come to them, as in His statement, Most High:

“Allah’s command has come, so do not seek to hasten it.” [al-Nahl 1]

For this reason, He said:

“So see what was the end of the wrongdoers.” (39) [Yūnus 39]

For when its fulfillment comes to these people, their end will be like the end of those before them. Another example is His statement, Most High:

“We will show them Our signs on the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth.”