Surah 10

Surah 10:11

"If God were to hurry the evil for the people, (as) their seeking to hurry the good, their time would indeed have been completed for them. But We leave those who do not expect the meeting with Us in their insolent transgression, wandering blindly."
Allah does not respond to the Requests for Evil like He does with the Requests for Good Verses 10:11
Show Full Scripture Context (10:11) — 1 Verse
Verse 11

۞وَلَوۡ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسۡتِعۡجَالَهُم بِٱلۡخَيۡرِ لَقُضِيَ إِلَيۡهِمۡ أَجَلُهُمۡۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرۡجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِي طُغۡيَٰنِهِمۡ يَعۡمَهُونَ

If God were to hurry the evil for the people, (as) their seeking to hurry the good, their time would indeed have been completed for them. But We leave those who do not expect the meeting with Us in their insolent transgression, wandering blindly.

Allah tells us about His Forbearance and Benevolence with His servants. He does not respond to them when they pray with evil intentions against themselves, their wealth or their children during times of grief or anger. He knows that they do not truly intend evil for themselves so He doesn't respond to them. This is in reality kindness and mercy. On the other hand, He responds to them when they pray for themselves, wealth and money, with good, blessing and growth. Allah has said, {And were Allah to hasten for mankind the evil as He hastens for them the good then they would have been ruined.} This means that if He had responded to all of their evil requests, He would have destroyed them. However, people should avoid praying for evil as much as they can. Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar recorded in his Musnad that Jabir said, "Allah's Messenger said: 'Do not pray against yourselves, do not pray against your children, do not pray against your wealth, for your prayer may coincide with a time of response from Allah and Allah will respond to you.'" This Hadith was also recorded by Abu Dawud. 1] Abu Dawud 2:185. This is similar to what is understood from the following Ayah: [{And man invokes (Allah) for evil as he invokes (Allah) for good.} [17:11]. In regard to the interpretation of this Ayah, {And were Allah to hasten for mankind the evil as He hastens for them the good} Mujahid said: "It is the man saying to his son or money when he is angry, 'O Allah don't bless him (or it) and curse him (or it).' [1] At-Tabari 15:34. Should Allah respond to this man in this request as He responds to him with good, He would destroy them."

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.