Surah Muhammad (47) — Ayah 4

(Ayah 4) ➊ The connection of the "fa" in { فَاِذَا لَقِيْتُمُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ: ’’ فَاِذَا ‘‘} is with the previous statement: since the disbelievers are followers of falsehood and the believers are followers of truth, it necessitates that the followers of truth should not give the followers of falsehood the opportunity to spread corruption in the land. Therefore, when you meet those who have disbelieved (on the battlefield), then strike their necks forcefully.

➋ The literal meaning of {’’ فَاِذَا لَقِيْتُمْ‘‘} is "when you meet," but what is meant is when you confront them. It does not mean that whenever a disbeliever appears before you, you should kill him, because in the Qur'an and in Arabic speech, "meeting the enemy" refers to confronting the enemy, as He said: « يٰۤاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْۤا اِذَا لَقِيْتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوْا وَ اذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ كَثِيْرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُوْنَ » [ الأنفال : ۴۵ ] "O you who have believed! When you meet a group (in battle), stand firm and remember Allah much, so that you may succeed."

➌ {’’ فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ ‘‘} is originally {’’فَاضْرِبُوا الرِّقَابَ ضَرْبًا‘‘}; the imperative verb {’’فَاضْرِبُوْا‘‘} has been omitted and the absolute object {’’ضَرْبًا‘‘} has been made its substitute, and it has been annexed to the object {’’ الرِّقَابِ ‘‘}. Besides brevity, this also adds awe and force to the speech, that in the case of confrontation with the disbelievers, there is only one task: to strike necks. The word "daraba" in Arabic is used for the strike of a sword, "ta'n" for a spear, and "ramy" for an arrow. Of these, the greatest display of strength, bravery, and awe is in face-to-face sword fighting, especially when the sword strikes the neck; that is why {’’ فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ ‘‘} is mentioned, because the force of expression in this word is not found in any other. Otherwise, what is meant is to kill by any means, whether by sword, arrow, spear, or any modern weapon, and whether the blow of the weapon falls on the neck or any other part of the body. Or even without a weapon, the enemy is killed, whether by strangling, punching, or striking a sensitive part of the body; in short, the objective is to kill the enemy by any means.

➍ {حَتّٰۤى اِذَاۤ اَثْخَنْتُمُوْهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ: ’’ أَثْخَنَ يُثْخِنُ إِثْخَانًا‘‘} (af'al) means to be excessive in killing and bloodshed. {’’شَدَّ يَشُدُّ شَدًّا‘‘ (ن) ’’اَلشَّيْءَ‘‘ } means to bind something. {’’شَدَّ الْعُقْدَةَ أَوِ الْوَثَاقَ‘‘} means to tie a knot or rope firmly. {’’ الْوَثَاقَ ‘‘} means the rope or such with which something is tied. That is, the main objective of war is to break the enemy's military strength, so at the very beginning of the battle, one should not be busy capturing the enemy's men, but after as much bloodshed and killing as possible, when they are thoroughly routed and the battle has ended, then the remaining people should be taken as prisoners, so that they have no strength left to fight again. In the Battle of Badr, the Muslims took prisoners before thoroughly defeating the enemy, so Allah expressed displeasure at this, saying: « مَا كَانَ لِنَبِيٍّ اَنْ يَّكُوْنَ لَهٗۤ اَسْرٰى حَتّٰى يُثْخِنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ تُرِيْدُوْنَ عَرَضَ الدُّنْيَا وَ اللّٰهُ يُرِيْدُ الْاٰخِرَةَ وَ اللّٰهُ عَزِيْزٌ حَكِيْمٌ » [ الأنفال:۶۷] "It is not for a prophet to have captives until he has thoroughly slaughtered in the land. You desire the commodities of this world, but Allah desires the Hereafter, and Allah is Exalted in Might, Wise."

➎ {فَاِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَ اِمَّا فِدَآءً: ’’ مَنًّا ‘‘} and {’’ فِدَآءً ‘‘} are absolute objects whose verbs have been omitted, and the tanween is for indefiniteness: {’’ أَيْ إِمَّا تَمُنُّوْنَ عَلَيْهِمْ مَنًّا بَعْدَ ذٰلِكَ وَ إِمَّا تُفَادُوْنَهُمْ فِدَاءً ‘‘} "That is, after that, either show favor to them in some way, or take ransom from them in some way."

One way of showing favor is not to kill them, but to spare their lives and make them slaves and hand them over to Muslim individuals. In reality, compared to permanent imprisonment or killing, making them slaves is no small favor, especially since Islam has emphasized good treatment of slaves and bondwomen; with this, compared to permanent imprisonment or killing, this is a great blessing, because there are opportunities for their freedom in the form of expiation for many acts and in the form of mukatabah (writing a contract to earn and pay their price). It is established by continuous transmission from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) that conquered people were made slaves and bondwomen, and in the Qur'an, slaves and bondwomen are mentioned at many places. See Surah Nisa (3, 24, 36), Muminoon (5, 6), Ahzab (50), Nahl (71), Rum (28), Nur (31 to 33, 58), and many other verses. With these verses, hadiths, and the practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, only an atheist or an ignorant person who has no knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (peace be upon him) can deny slavery in Islam.

One way of showing favor to prisoners is to release them without compensation. This happens when it is in the interest to do so, for example, there is hope that they will become Muslim, or they will desist from activities against Islam and Muslims, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) released the chief of Najd, Thumamah bin Uthal (may Allah be pleased with him), without compensation. (See Bukhari: 4372) Several thousand prisoners of the Battle of Hunayn were released as a favor. (See Bukhari: 4318, 4319) On the occasion of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, eighty (80) men came from the direction of Taneem and intended to attack the Prophet (peace be upon him) near the time of Fajr prayer, but all of them were captured, then the Prophet released them all so that this matter would not become a cause for fighting. On this occasion, this verse was revealed: «وَ هُوَ الَّذِيْ كَفَّ اَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَ اَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ اَنْ اَظْفَرَكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ » [الفتح : ۲۴ ] "And He is the One who withheld their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah after He had given you victory over them." [ دیکھیے مسلم، الجہاد، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : { وھو الذی کف أیدیہم عنکم }: ۱۸۰۸ ] On the occasion of the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forgave all the people of Makkah as a favor, except for a few individuals. After the Battle of Banu Mustaliq, when the prisoners of this tribe were brought and distributed among the people, at that time Juwayriyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) came into the share of a certain person; the Prophet (peace be upon him) paid her price, bought her, freed her, and married her. Upon this, all the Muslims released their share of prisoners, saying that they had now become relatives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). [ دیکھیے مسند أحمد : 277/6، ح : ۲۶۴۱۹ ]

One way of showing favor to prisoners is to impose jizyah on them and make them dhimmis (protected non-Muslims) under the Muslims, as He said: «حَتّٰى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَّدٍ وَّ هُمْ صٰغِرُوْنَ» [ التوبۃ : ۲۹ ] "Until they pay the jizyah with their own hands while they are humbled."

Showing favor to prisoners also includes treating them well as long as they remain in captivity, taking care of their food, drink, clothing, and health, etc. Allah has greatly emphasized this. See the commentary of Surah Dahr, verse (8): «وَ يُطْعِمُوْنَ الطَّعَامَ عَلٰى حُبِّهٖ مِسْكِيْنًا وَّ يَتِيْمًا وَّ اَسِيْرًا ».

{’’ وَ اِمَّا فِدَآءً ‘‘} One way of taking ransom is to free them in exchange for some wealth, as ransom was taken from the prisoners of Badr. For details, see the commentary of Surah Anfal (70). Another way of ransom is to release them after taking a specific service as a condition for their release, for example, they teach reading and writing to those assigned to them. Another way of ransom is to release them in exchange for the release of a Muslim prisoner captured by the disbelievers, as Salamah bin Akwa' (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that in the raid on Banu Fazarah, among the prisoners, the commander Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave him a very beautiful bondwoman as an extra gift. When he came to Madinah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) insisted on taking that bondwoman as a gift, and he gave her to the Prophet (peace be upon him), so: [ فَبَعَثَ بِهَا رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلٰی أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ فَفَدٰی بِهَا نَاسًا مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ كَانُوْا أُسِرُوْا بِمَكَّةَ ] [مسلم، الجہاد و السیر، باب التنفیل و فداء المسلمین بالأسارٰی : ۱۷۵۵ ] "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sent that bondwoman to the people of Makkah as ransom for some Muslims who were imprisoned in Makkah."

➏ The words of this verse apparently indicate that after taking the disbelievers as prisoners, only one of the two options—favor or ransom—will be chosen, and they will not be killed. But in reality, the Muslim leader also has the option to kill them, as is mentioned in hadith and books of biography, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) killed Nadr bin Harith and Uqbah bin Abi Mu'ayt from among the prisoners of Badr. The prisoners of Banu Qurayzah, who came down from their forts on the decision of Sa'd bin Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), were killed. On the day of the conquest of Makkah, Ibn Khatal and Muqis bin Subabah were killed, and after Uhud, Abu 'Azza the poet was killed. After the established practice of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), no one has the right to say that after taking a disbeliever prisoner, he cannot be killed under any circumstances, because no one understands the meaning of the Qur'an better than the Prophet (peace be upon him). If someone reflects on the words of the verse, the option to kill prisoners is present in it, because after commanding to bind the prisoners firmly, Allah said: « فَاِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَ اِمَّا فِدَآءً » The meaning of { ’’ مَنًّا ‘‘} is favor and kindness, as one of the beautiful names of Allah is {’’اَلْمَنَّانُ‘‘}, and everyone knows that it is not obligatory for the benefactor to show favor. The favors Allah has bestowed upon His servants were neither obligatory upon Him nor were they the right of the servants, which Allah was bound to fulfill. From this word {’’ مَنًّا ‘‘} (favor and kindness), it is proven that keeping prisoners alive is a favor from the Muslims to the prisoners. If they did not have the option to kill them, but were obliged to keep them alive in all circumstances, then releasing them would not be a favor or kindness, but rather fulfilling their right which was obligatory upon the Muslims. Therefore, in the two words {’’ مَنًّا ‘‘} and {’’ فِدَآءً ‘‘}, all four options are included which the Muslim leader has: to kill, to enslave, to release without compensation, or to release for ransom. (Biqai) In Sahih Bukhari, it is also proven from the statement of Thumamah bin Uthal (may Allah be pleased with him) that releasing a prisoner is not his right, but a favor upon him. Thus, he said: [ إِنْ تَقْتُلْنِيْ تَقْتُلْ ذَا دَمٍ، وَإِنْ تُنْعِمْ تُنْعِمْ عَلٰی شَاكِرٍ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيْدُ الْمَالَ فَسَلْ مِنْهُ مَا شِئْتَ ] [ بخاري، المغازي، باب وفد بني حنیفۃ… : ۴۳۷۲۔ مسلم : ۱۷۶۴ ] "(O Muhammad!) If you kill me, you will kill one with blood , and if you show favor, you show favor to one who is grateful, and if you want wealth, ask for whatever you wish."

➐ {حَتّٰى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ اَوْزَارَهَا: ’’ اَوْزَارَهَا ‘‘ ’’وِزْرٌ‘‘} is the plural of which means burden; what is meant is weapons of war, because as long as the battle continues, weapons have to be carried, which are a burden for those who carry them. That is, keep striking the necks of the disbelievers and continue fighting them until the battle ends and no disbeliever has the courage or strength to fight the Muslims. This can only happen when the Muslims are dominant over the entire earth and the disbelievers have no courage or strength left to confront them or turn away from their command, as He said: «وَ قَاتِلُوْهُمْ حَتّٰى لَا تَكُوْنَ فِتْنَةٌ وَّ يَكُوْنَ الدِّيْنُ كُلُّهٗ لِلّٰهِ » [ الأنفال : ۳۹] "And fight them until there is no more fitnah and the religion is entirely for Allah." According to the statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), this battle between disbelief and Islam will continue until the Day of Judgment. Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: [ لَنْ يَبْرَحَ هٰذَا الدِّيْنُ قَائِمًا، يُقَاتِلُ عَلَيْهِ عِصَابَةٌ مِّنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ حَتّٰي تَقُوْمَ السَّاعَةُ ] [ مسلم، الإمارۃ، باب قولہ صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم : ’’ لا تزال طائفۃ من أمتي ظاھرین علی الحق… ‘‘ : ۱۹۲۲ ] "This religion will always remain established, and a group of Muslims will continue to fight for it until the Hour is established."

➑ {ذٰلِكَ:} This is the predicate of an omitted subject: {’’ أَيْ اَلْأَمْرُ ذٰلِكَ‘‘} That is, this is the matter which has been explained in detail regarding striking necks, taking prisoners, showing favor, and taking ransom; or it is the object of an omitted verb: {’’ أَيْ اِفْعَلُوْا ذٰلِكَ‘‘} That is, do this. This brief word is brought to firmly establish and emphasize the entire preceding detail in the mind.

➒ {وَ لَوْ يَشَآءُ اللّٰهُ لَانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ:} This is the answer to the question: if the disbelievers are so evil, why does Allah not punish them Himself? That is, Allah has commanded you to strike necks and do other things, although if Allah wills, He can Himself take revenge on the disbelievers. For this, a single jolt of an earthquake, a clap of thunder, a flood, or a gust of wind from Him is enough, as He did with many previous disbelieving nations. (See Ankabut: 40) But if He did so, then all people would believe to save themselves from destruction, which would be forced and compelled, not out of their own will and choice, and thus the purpose of trial and test would be lost.

➓ { وَ لٰكِنْ لِّيَبْلُوَاْ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ: ’’ لِيَبْلُوَاْ‘‘} is related to an omitted verb: {’’ أَيْ وَلٰكِنَّهُ أَمَرَكُمْ بِالْجِهَادِ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ‘‘} "That is, but He has commanded you to engage in jihad so that He may test some of you by means of others," and it may become clear who is a sincere believer and who is a hypocrite, as He said: « اَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ اَنْ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ وَ لَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللّٰهُ الَّذِيْنَ جٰهَدُوْا مِنْكُمْ وَ يَعْلَمَ الصّٰبِرِيْنَ » [ آل عمران : ۱۴۲ ] "Or did you think that you would enter Paradise while Allah has not yet made evident those of you who strive and made evident the steadfast?" Among the countless wisdoms of Allah in commanding the believers to engage in jihad, a few are mentioned in this verse, as He said: «قَاتِلُوْهُمْ يُعَذِّبْهُمُ اللّٰهُ بِاَيْدِيْكُمْ وَ يُخْزِهِمْ وَ يَنْصُرْكُمْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ يَشْفِ صُدُوْرَ قَوْمٍ مُؤْمِنِيْنَ (14) وَ يُذْهِبْ غَيْظَ قُلُوْبِهِمْ وَ يَتُوْبُ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مَنْ يَّشَآءُ وَ اللّٰهُ عَلِيْمٌ حَكِيْمٌ » [ التوبۃ : ۱۴،۱۵ ] "Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and heal the breasts of a believing people. And remove the anger of their hearts. And Allah accepts repentance from whom He wills; and Allah is Knowing, Wise." For details, see the aforementioned verses of Surah Tawbah.

⓫ {وَ الَّذِيْنَ قُتِلُوْا فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ فَلَنْ يُّضِلَّ اَعْمَالَهُمْ:} That is, the fact that the martyrs are killed in the way of Allah does not mean that they lost their lives, gained nothing, and their sacrifice benefited only those who remained alive in this world. He said: this is never the case; Allah will never let their deeds go to waste, rather the real profit of this bargain will be obtained by them themselves. For more, see the commentary of Surah Tawbah (111). Some of the blessings received by the martyrs are mentioned in the verses immediately following this verse.

4. 1. When both groups have been mentioned, now the command is being given to fight against the disbelievers and non-treaty People of the Book. Instead of saying "kill them," the command is given to "strike their necks," as this expression conveys greater severity and harshness towards the disbelievers. (Fath al-Qadeer)

4. 2. That is, after a fierce battle and killing as many of them as possible, those who fall into your hands should be taken as captives and held firmly so that they cannot escape.

4. 3. "Mann" means to release without ransom as a favor, and "fidaa" means to release in exchange for some compensation. Regarding the captives, the choice has been given that whichever option is better for Islam and the Muslims according to the situation, that should be adopted.

4. 4. That is, until the war with the disbelievers ends, or it means that the hostile enemy, after being defeated or making peace, lays down arms, and your battle with them is to continue in which you will kill them as well. Regarding the captives, you have the choice of the two aforementioned options. Some say this verse is abrogated and only killing remains as an option, but the correct view is that this verse is not abrogated; it is definitive, and the leader of the time has all four options: to kill the disbelievers, to take them captive, to release any or all of the captives as a favor, or to release them in exchange for compensation. (Fath al-Qadeer)

4. 5. Or you do likewise, "if‘alū dhālika" or "dhālika ḥukm al-kuffār," meaning 'that is the ruling concerning the disbelievers.'

4. 6. Meaning, by destroying the disbelievers or subjecting them to punishment, that is, you would not even need to fight them.

4. 7. That is, He will not let their reward and recompense go to waste.

4. (O believers!) When you meet the disbelievers in battle, strike their necks until, when you have thoroughly subdued them, bind them firmly (as captives). Then, afterwards, either show them favor or ransom them, until the war lays down its burdens [5]. That is the command. And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance on them Himself [6], but (He has ordained this) to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the way of Allah—He will never let their deeds go to waste.

[5] After the two preceding introductory verses, instructions regarding warfare are now being given to the Muslims, and from these it is understood that prior to the revelation of this Surah, Muslims had already been granted permission to fight, but so far no battle had actually taken place. The first verse revealed regarding the permission for Muslims to fight was verse 39 of Surah Al-Hajj, then in this regard are verses 190 to 193 of Surah Al-Baqarah. And these instructions are as follows:
1. When the battlefield arises, confront the disbelievers with full enthusiasm and courage of faith, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O people! Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allah for well-being, but if you do encounter them, then remain steadfast, and know that Paradise is under the shade of swords. [بخاری۔ کتاب الجہاد۔ باب لاتتمنّوا لقاء العدو]
2.
General Instructions Regarding War:

Your real objective should be to break the military strength of the enemy and the backbone of disbelief. Therefore, focus as much as possible on killing the disbelievers. However, when the intensity of the battle subsides and the enemy lays down their arms, then at that time, take the remaining men as captives. Do not start taking captives before this.

3.
Instructions Regarding Prisoners of War:

For those prisoners who fall into your hands, one of two courses may be adopted: either release them as a favor, or take ransom for them. From this, it is understood that killing prisoners is not the general rule. However, killing is also not prohibited, from which it is understood that prisoners who are leaders of disbelief may also be killed. Their crime is not only that they participated in the battle, but they have many other serious crimes for which they deserve to be killed. Thus, after the conquest of Makkah, despite the general amnesty for prisoners, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered that four individuals be killed. After the Battle of Banu Qurayzah, when the besieged Jews accepted Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Mu'adh as arbitrator and laid down their arms, Sayyiduna Sa'd ؓ ruled that their young men should be killed, their women and children should be made slaves, and their wealth should be distributed among the Mujahideen. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared Sayyiduna Sa'd's decision to be absolutely correct, saying that his decision was in accordance with the decision of the Lord of the heavens, and so they were killed. Their crime was not only that they were prisoners of war, but their real crimes were that they had repeatedly broken the terms of the treaty, and during the Battle of Ahzab, in the midst of battle, they joined forces with the enemy's allied armies and put the Muslims in extremely difficult circumstances.

Consultation Regarding the Prisoners of Badr and Ransom:

Regarding the prisoners of Badr, the Prophet ﷺ consulted the Companions. Sayyiduna Umar ؓ advised that since these prisoners were the chiefs of disbelief, it was necessary to kill them. However, the Prophet ﷺ, in accordance with the general rule of this verse and the opinion of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr ؓ, decided to release them for ransom. Because of this, reproach descended upon the Muslims. Allah's will was in accordance with the decision of Sayyiduna Umar, because the prisoners of Badr were not merely prisoners of war, but the worst enemies of Islam and the Muslims, and were engaged in many hostile activities against the Muslims and the Prophet of Islam. From these clarifications, it is understood that the leader of the time has the right to make an exception to this general rule when the prisoners of war are involved in other crimes as well, and the leader should neither release them as a favor nor for ransom, but should have them killed, because the most important objective of fighting in the way of Allah is to break the backbone of disbelief.

Various Forms of Favor Upon Prisoners:

Then, there are several forms of releasing prisoners as a favor. For example, one is that no service is taken from them in any way, and if circumstances permit, they are released purely for the pleasure of Allah and to establish the moral superiority of Islam, as the Prophet ﷺ announced a general amnesty on the day of the conquest of Makkah, or after the Battle of Hunayn, after the distribution of prisoners of war, the Prophet ﷺ, at the request of the people of Hawazin, set them free. The second form is that their lives are spared by distributing them among the Muslims, and the Muslims are instructed to treat them in the best possible manner, as after the Battle of Hunayn, the Prophet ﷺ first distributed such prisoners among the Muslims. In addition, on several other occasions, the Prophet ﷺ distributed prisoners of war among the Mujahideen. The third is that if they must be imprisoned, then they should be treated well, and this imprisonment should not be permanent or perpetual. The fourth is that they are taken as dhimmis by taking jizyah from them and are given the right to live freely in the Islamic state, as was done with the people of Najran.

Various Forms of Ransom:

There are also several forms of ransom. One is that they are released after taking monetary ransom, as was done with the prisoners of Badr, and this ransom is taken from each person according to his means. The second is that, instead of money, some other service is taken from the prisoners in exchange for their release, as on the occasion of the prisoners of Badr, those who did not have the means to pay ransom were required to teach ten Muslim children to read and write. The third is that prisoners of war are exchanged with the enemy. For this, it is not necessary that one disbeliever is released for one Muslim; rather, once the Prophet ﷺ released one disbeliever in exchange for two Muslims. These are the various forms included in this brief phrase of the verse. Out of all these forms, whichever is most suitable according to the circumstances and in the best interest of the Muslims and Islam, the leader of the time may adopt that form.

[6] That is, Allah could have sent a thunderbolt or an earthquake or unleashed a flood upon the followers of falsehood and the enemies of Islam and destroyed them, just as He had sent such punishments upon previous rebellious nations, and in this way, He could have taken retribution from them for you. But until the battle between truth and falsehood is established and the battlefield is heated, the test of the servants cannot take place, to see who is sincere to Islam and possesses the courage of faith, and also, how many among the disbelievers take heed from these warning actions and benefit from the respite that Allah has granted them.