The benefits of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “So We will surely let those who disbelieved taste a severe punishment, and We will surely recompense them for the worst of what they used to do.”

In this noble verse, there is a warning to these disbelievers of severe punishment. This is one of the methods of the Qur'an: that Allah the Exalted threatens the disbeliever, the criminal, and others among those who have done evil.
It contains evidence that it is not a defect for a person to obey Allah out of fear of His punishment. Is that clear? There is no blame on him, and it is not a defect for a person to avoid disobeying Allah out of fear of His punishment. This is contrary to those who say, “Worship Allah for Allah’s sake, not hoping for His reward or fearing His punishment.” The texts refute all of them. Indeed, Allah the Exalted made the punishment in this world a deterrent from sins. Allah the Exalted said regarding the case of the thief: So Allah did not legislate the fixed punishments except so that people would fear them and avoid sins. As for the village that was destroyed—the village of the Children of Israel, whose people became apes, despised—why? So the conclusion is that there is no blame on a person for leaving sins out of fear of Allah’s punishment in this world or the Hereafter, and that is not considered a defect in his conduct or his methodology.
And among the benefits of this noble verse is the establishment of punishment. Will it occur in this world, in the grave, in the Hereafter, or in all of them? In all of them. Allah the Exalted said: This is the punishment of this world, and this is the punishment of the Hereafter. It is established that the intended meaning of the lesser punishment is not the punishment of the grave, as some have said, but rather the punishment of this world, because there is no return possible in the punishment of the grave. Therefore, the lesser punishment is the punishment of this world, and the greater punishment is the punishment of the Hereafter. For this reason, it came in the hadith of the two who swear the oath of li'an that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Now, among the benefits of this noble verse is the affirmation of recompense with the worst, as He said: .
And among its benefits is that the recompense is of the same kind as the deed. So the good recompense is for the good deed, and the bad recompense is for the bad deed. And this—Glorified is Allah—is even in the recompense of this world. Allah the Exalted said: So if a person does wrong to you with a wrong, you may retaliate against him with its like. And if you pardon and make things right, your reward is with Allah. Yes.