But in reply to the challenge...

But in reply to the challenge, Allah has pointed out in the adjacent verse: if my beloved were not among you, your arrogance and false pride would have been quashed like that of the earlier nations. This goes against the grain of My mercy, that on the one hand, My Beloved is present among you, and, on the other hand, I should wreak punishment on you. Thus the presence of the Prophet*(Peac Be Up Him and His Household)* and the infliction of divine punishment are mutually exclusive.

The presence of the Holy Prophet*(Peac Be Up Him and His Household)* is a divine guarantee against the materialization of punishment because Allah has sent him as a means of mercy for all the worlds. The Qur’ān declares: And (O great Messenger,) We have sent you but…