⦗70–72⦘ “Do not grieve over them, nor be distressed by what they plot. They say, ‘When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?’ Say, ‘Perhaps some of what you seek to hasten is already close upon you.’”

That is: O Muhammad, do not grieve over these deniers or over their failure to believe. Had you known the evil within them and that they were unfit for good, you would neither sorrow nor grieve. Do not let your heart be distressed or yourself troubled by their plotting, for the consequences of their plots will recoil upon them: “They plan, and Allah plans; and Allah is the best of planners.” The deniers of the resurrection and of the truth brought by the messenger demand that the punishment be hastened, saying: “When will this promise come to pass, if you are truthful?”

This stems from their foolish judgment and ignorance. Allah has appointed a fixed term for its occurrence and timing and has determined it according to a precise measure. The fact that it has not been hastened does not support any part of what they seek to establish.

Nevertheless, Allah Most High warned them that what they sought to hasten might befall them, saying: “Say, ‘Perhaps it is already close upon you’”—that is, it has drawn near to you and is on the verge of befalling you—“some of the punishment that you seek to hasten.”