Why was the verse expressed in the past tense: “And those who disbelieved will say, ‘Our Lord, show us the two of the jinn and mankind who led us astray’”?
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The student: O Shaykh, why was the verse expressed in the past tense [Ibrahim 14:13]?
The Shaykh : This is a good question. It asks whether this statement has already occurred or will occur. The answer is that it has not occurred, but it is a description of the state of affairs. Or it can be said that because its occurrence became certain, it became like the past, as Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nahl 16:1].
And those who disbelieved
وقال الذين كفرواThe Shaykh : This is a good question. It asks whether this statement has already occurred or will occur. The answer is that it has not occurred, but it is a description of the state of affairs. Or it can be said that because its occurrence became certain, it became like the past, as Allah the Exalted said: