with dangers, distasteful things, and hardships—this as retribution for his turning away from the Book of Allah, for he abandoned guidance and thus fell into misguidance and distress.

The second punishment is that Allah, majestic and exalted, will raise him on the Day of Resurrection blind, because he was blind to the Book of Allah in this worldly life; therefore Allah will repay him with blindness in the Hereafter: “He will say, ‘My Lord, why have You raised me blind while I once could see?’ He will say, ‘Thus it is: Our revelations came to you, but you disregarded them; and in the same way today you yourself will be disregarded’” (Tāhā 20:125–126). So when a person is blind to the Book of Allah in this world—paying it no attention, neither looking into it nor acting upon it—he will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment in this hideous state; we seek refuge in Allah. The same idea occurs in His words: “Whoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Merciful, We assign to him a devil who becomes his companion. They certainly divert them from the path while they think they are rightly guided. But when he comes before Us, he will say, ‘If only there were between me and you the distance of the two Easts—what an evil companion!’ It will be said, ‘That will not benefit you today, for you wronged yourselves; indeed, you will share in the punishment.’ Can you, then, make the deaf hear, or guide the blind, or those who are in manifest error?” (al-Zukhruf 43:36–40).

In sum, Allah—glorified and exalted—has threatened anyone who turns away from His Book and fails to act upon it with an immediate punishment in this life, and a deferred punishment consisting of the torment of the grave—Allāh’s refuge is sought—as well as the punishment in the Gathering. Allah knows best.

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Exegesis of Sura al-Anbiyāʾ

Question: We ask that you explain for us the meaning of Allah’s words in Sura al-Anbiyāʾ: “And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field when the sheep of a certain people strayed therein by night, and We were witnesses to their judgment. Then We enabled Solomon to understand it; to each of them We gave judgment and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains, together with David, to glorify Us—as well as the birds—and We are the Ones who did so” (al-Anbiyāʾ 21:78–79).