(178) “And let not those who disbelieve suppose that the respite We grant them is good for them. We grant them respite only so that they may increase in sin, and they will have a humiliating punishment.”

That is, those who disbelieve in their Lord, oppose His religion, and wage war against His Messenger must not suppose that Our leaving them in this world, not annihilating them, and granting them respite is good for them or evidence that We love them.

By no means! The matter is not as they claim. Rather, this is because of an evil Allah wills for them, so that further torment and punishment may be added to their torment. Hence He said: “We grant them respite only so that they may increase in sin, and they will have a humiliating punishment.” Allah the Exalted grants the wrongdoer respite until his transgression increases and his disbelief mounts, one act after another. Then, when He seizes him, He seizes him(1) with the seizure of One Almighty, All-Powerful. Let the wrongdoers therefore beware of being granted respite, and let them not suppose that they can escape the All-Great, the Most Exalted.