Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 53

قُلْ

(Say), O Muhammad to them,

هَلْ تَرَبَّصُونَ بِنَآ

(Do you wait for us), anything,

إِلاَ إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْنِ

(except one of the two best things), martyrdom or victory over you, according to the meaning given by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, and others.

وَنَحْنُ نَتَرَبَّصُ بِكُمْ

(while we await for you), that this will touch you,

أَن يُصِيبَكُمُ اللَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ مِّنْ عِندِهِ أَوْ بِأَيْدِينَا

(either that Allah will afflict you with a punishment from Himself or at our hands), either capture or killing,

فَتَرَبَّصُواْ إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ مُّتَرَبِّصُونَ

(So wait, we too are waiting with you.) Allah said next,

The tenth verse (52), while mentioning the charming demeanor of the man of true faith, has given an answer to hypocrites delighted over the discomfort of Muslims. According to the man of true faith, the thing that hypocrites take as suffering for Muslims and which makes them happy is really no suffering for them. In fact, it is another form of comfort and success. The reason is that a man of true faith becomes deserving of eternal returns and rewards even after having failed in his strong resolve, something that is the real objective of all his successes. Therefore, he succeeds, even in failure and gains, even in loss.

The first sentence of the verse: قُلْ هَلْ تَرَ‌بَّصُونَ بِنَا إِلَّا إِحْدَى الْحُسْنَيَيْن (Say, "Is it not that you are expecting for us but one of the two good things [ martyrdom and victory ] "?) means exactly this. However, along with it, it was also said that the fate of the disbelievers was quite contrary for they will find no respite from suffering or punishment under any condition. Either, they would be punished at the hands of Muslims right here in this world, in which case, they will taste the punishment in the mortal and the eternal world both. And, in case, they somehow escaped unscathed in the mortal world, there is no possibility of deliverance from the punishment of the Hereafter.

For true men of faith, there is no question of failure in this world. Their success lies in God being pleased with them and this is a certainty, in both good times and bad. If any trouble befalls a believer, this increases his inclination towards God. If he receives some benefit, this creates the feeling of obligation and gratitude in him and, by being grateful to God, he becomes entitled to further blessings from Him. ‘So wait, if you will; we too, are waiting with you.’ On the face of it, this is a statement of believers, but in fact these are God’s words addressed to unbelievers. God is telling them in a warning tone that although they have been waiting for the destruction of the believers, the fact is that in God’s scheme they are destined to achieve eternal success, and what is going to happen to them (the opponents) is that after their being given a long rope to fully and finally establish their guilt, they will be consigned to eternal degradation and punishment.