But why should Allāh not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.
What prevents them being punished when they have unjustly stopped people from performing both the circling (ţawāf) and the prayer in the Sacred Mosque – actions deserving of punishment? The idolaters are not Allah’s allies. The allies of Allah are only those who are mindful of Him by fulfilling His instructions and avoiding His prohibitions. Most of the idolaters do not know this, as they claim they are Allah’s allies when they are not.