الوعيد
al-Waʿīd
The divine promise of punishment for evil deeds; it is part of Allah’s covenant (ʿahd, mithaq) with humanity
What it means
Al-Waʿīd is the divine warning of punishment for evil deeds. Ismail al Faruqi places it beside al-waʿd, the promise of reward, as the second part of the covenant between Allah and human beings. The Quran speaks of it as something already sent in warning: “I sent the warning (al-waʿīd) to you beforehand” (50:28). The word is used for the punishment promised in the Hereafter. The Quran also says that Allah may forgive anything short of associating partners with Him (4:48), and the theologians discussed whether Allah must carry out His warning in every case. The Ashʿarites held that He may pardon, while the Muʿtazilites argued the opposite.
Often misunderstood as
That it is the threat of arbitrary vengeance, when the Quran joins the warning to the offer of repentance and forgiveness.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 47, listed as AL WA'ĪD. The definition is restated here.