According to hadith, when Allah wants good for a person, He hastens their punishment for sins in this life. Conversely, when He intends evil for a person, He withholds punishment for their sins, accumulating them until they meet their Lord on the Day of Judgment. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Hadith from at-Tirmidhi Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“When Allah desires good for His slave, He hastens his punishment in this world. And when He desires bad for His slave, He withholds his sins from him until he appears before Him on the Day of Resurrection”. This is interpreted to mean that a person who is shown mercy by Allah will have their sins expiated through trials, calamities, or pain in this life. This way, they can face judgment in the Hereafter with fewer sins to account for. [6, 7, 8, 9]
A related hadith from Abdullah ibn Mughaffal Another version of this hadith, narrated by Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, recounts an incident where a man who was tempted by a woman from his past hits his face on a wall out of distraction. The Prophet ﷺ comments on this, saying: [10, 11]
“You are a servant whom Allah wants good for. When Allah wants good for a servant, He hastens the punishment for his sin… And if He wants evil for him, He withholds punishment for his sin until he meets Him on the Day of Resurrection, as if he was a donkey”. Scholars explain that the injury the man received in this life served as an atonement for his temptation, clearing his account before the Day of Judgment. [7]
Broader context on divine punishment
- Tests versus punishments: Muslims understand that suffering in this life can be either a test from Allah or a punishment for wrongdoing. For believers who remain patient, a trial can be a means of elevating their status. For those who panic and lose faith, it can be a source of wrath.
- The fate of the unrepentant: The principle of withholding punishment from sinners in this life is particularly applicable to those who are defiant and persistent in their transgression. Allah may grant them worldly pleasures while their sins accumulate, reserving their full accountability for the Hereafter.
- Community-wide punishment: Another hadith states that Allah may punish an entire community if they see evil appearing among them and are able to stop it but do not. If they fail to do so, the punishment may fall upon both the sinners and the community that tolerated the sin. [5, 12, 13, 14, 15]
AI responses may include mistakes.[1] https://alsalafiyyah.github.io/allah-punish-person-whom-he-loves-in-this-world/[2] https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2024/07/22/punished-in-dunya/[3] https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:2396[4] https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/is-allah-testing-or-punishing-me-why-me[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdJJDnNntK4[6] https://thethinkingmuslim.com/2015/10/13/sins-which-cause-allah-to-not-look-towards-the-person-on-the-day-of-judgement/[7] https://www.reddit.com/r/Muslim/comments/1gc8ety/when_allah_wants_good_he_punishes_you_for_your/[8] https://www.dar-alifta.org/en/fatwa/details/21711/the-validity-of-the-claim-that-earthquakes-are-a-manifestation-of-divine-retribut[9] https://www.islamweb.net/en/article/194338/the-vast-mercy-of-allah-the-almighty-i[10] https://islamqa.info/en/answers/23425[11] https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/juz-9-sh-suleiman-hani-and-sh-mustafa-umar-quran-30-for-30-season-4[12] https://islamqa.info/en/answers/112905[13] https://www.abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2014/09/05/punishment-munkar/[14] https://www.pinterest.com/pin/479140847833918353/[15] http://www.englishtafsir.com/quran/40/index.html