وَمَن كَفَرَ فَلَا يَحْزُنكَ كُفْرُهُۥٓ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَنُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ · نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ
"Whoever disbelieves, let his disbelief not grieve you. To Us is their return; We shall inform them of what they did… We let them enjoy a little, then We drive them to a heavy punishment."
فَلَا يَحْزُنكَ كُفْرُهُ — This limit has been treated at several places in this series, and each time with a different word:
| Place | Expression |
|---|---|
| Fāṭir 35/8 | Fa-lā tadhhab nafsuka ʿalayhim ḥasarāt — do not wear yourself away |
| al-Zumar 39/41 | Wa mā anta ʿalayhim bi-wakīl — you are not a guardian over them |
| Qāf 50/45 | Wa mā anta ʿalayhim bi-jabbār — you are not one who compels |
| al-Aḥqāf 46/35 | Balāgh — it is a delivering of the message |
| Luqmān 31/23 | Fa-lā yaḥzunka kufruh — do not grieve |
And the difference here is worth recording: the others were limiting authority; this verse takes up the feeling. Ḥuzn — a grief that closes inward.
نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ — iḍṭirār: root ض-ر-ر, Form VIII: to leave without recourse and so to compel.
The opposition between the two verbs must be recorded: numattiʿuhum (We let them enjoy) — freedom; naḍṭarruhum (We compel them) — the absence of recourse. And between them stands thumma: the particle that marks an interval.