In the Book...
In the Book, God Says: وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِظُلْمِهِمْ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَيْهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ وَلَٰكِنْ يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ۖ فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ 61 And if Allah were to Seize people due to their injustices, He would not Leave upon it from a single creature, but He Respites them to a Specified term .
So, when their term comes, they will neither be delaying it nor will they be preceding it [16:61] The respite is for all, the believers as well as for the non-believers, but once it’s over, the Retribution is severe for those who did not repent and asked for forgiveness and its intensity is based on the levels of crimes. A hadith below, quite comprehensively explains the importance of observing patience during the time of respite and that respite is from the most severe punishments.
كش، رجال الكشي خَلَفُ بْنُ حَمَّارٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَسْبَاطٍ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع إِنِّي تَرَكْتُ ابْنَ قِيَامَا مِنْ أَعْدَى خَلْقِ اللَّهِ لَكَ قَالَ ذَلِكَ شَرٌّ لَهُ قُلْتُ مَا أَعْجَبَ مَا أَسْمَعُ مِنْكَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ Khalaf Bin Hamar, from Sahl Bin Ziyad, from Ali Bin Asbat, from Al Husayn Ibn Al Hassan who said, ‘I said to Abu Al-Hassan Al-Reza -asws (8 th successor of the Prophet) ‘I left Ibn Qayama as one of the most inimical of the creatures of Allah -azwj to you -asws ’.
He (Al-Reza -asws ) said: ‘That is evil for him?’ I said, ‘How strange what I hear from you -asws (without any defence strategy) may I be sacrificed for you -asws ?’ قَالَ أَعْجَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ إِبْلِيسُ كَانَ فِي جِوَارِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي الْقُرْبِ مِنْهُ فَأَمَرَهُ فَأَبَى وَ تَعَزَّزَ وَ كَانَ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ فَأَمْلَى اللَّهُ لَهُ وَ اللَّهِ مَا عَذَّبَ اللَّهُ بِشَيْءٍ أَشَدَّ مِنَ الْإِمْلَاءِ وَ اللَّهِ يَا حُسَيْنُ مَا عَذَّبَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِشَيْءٍ أَشَدَّ مِنَ الْإِمْلَاءِ He -asws said: ‘Stranger than that is Iblees -la ( Satan ) He -la was in the vicinity of Allah -azwj Might and Majestic, in the nearness from Him -azwj , so He -azwj Commanded him -la , but he -la refused and was arrogant, and he -la was from the Kafir s, and Allah -azwj Respited for him -la .
By Allah -azwj ! Allah -azwj does not Punish with something severer than the respite . By Allah -azwj , O Husayn! Allah -azwj does not Punish them with anything severer than the respite ’’.
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