Transliteration:( Wa maa kaanal laahu liyu'az zibahum wa anta feehim; wa maa kaanal laahu mu'az zibahum wa hum yastaghfiroon )
66. From this we learn that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم is with every believer at all times. It is for this reason that we are not being punished for our sins because the reason for the withholding of punishment is the presence of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم.
Says Allah Almighty: "Surely the Mercy of Allah is near to the believers" S7:V56 It is further stated: "And We sent you not but as a mercy for all the worlds." (S21 V107) The Holy Prophet, is the mercy of allah Almighty and is nearest to everybody We further learn that there is no punishment in the graves of Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) because the is near them Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه واله وسلم and they are sleeping in his blessed lap. If anyone still thinks that these two beloveds of Allah Almighty are being punished are denymg this verse.
who are engaged in offering prayers of forgiveness, or there are Muslim children in the
67. By this is meant in their neighbourhood and place there are poor Muslims progeny of these infidels who would be born in the future and would be reciting words of Istighfaar or forgiveness. If these people are destroyed then how are these children going to be born, or it means some from them would accept faith and would be reciting the words of forgiveness.
From this we learn that through the blessings of Istighfaar Divine punishment is removed. Hazrat Alli Murtaza (May Allah be pleased with him) states that in this world there are two sources of Protection; one is the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم and the other is Istighfaar - seeking forgiveness is .The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم physically no longer with us, but Istighfaar would remain with us until the Day of Judgement
The tafsir of Surah Al-Anfal verse 33 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Anfal ayat 31 which provides the complete commentary from verse 31 through 33.
27. This is a rejoinder to the challenge implicit in the above-mentioned remark of the unbelievers. In response it was explained why people were spared heavenly scourge during the Makkan period of the Prophet’s life. The first reason being that God does not punish a people as long as the Prophet is in their midst, busy inviting them to the truth. Such people are rather granted respite and are not deprived of the opportunity to reform themselves by sending a scourge all too quickly. Second, if there are a good number of people in a land who recognize that they have been negligent and heedless and have been guilty of iniquity, who seek God’s forgiveness and strive to reform themselves, there remains no legitimate ground for subjecting them to a heavenly scourge. The time for such a scourge comes when a Prophet who has spared no efforts to reform his people feels that he has exhausted all his efforts, and concludes that his people have no justification to persist in their iniquity, and departs from that land or is banished from it by its people or is murdered by them. A scourge from on high then becomes imminent since the people of that land have proven by their deeds their inability to tolerate any righteous element in their midst.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics