Surat Hud (7-8)

{وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَق السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاء لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً وَلَئِن قُلْتَ إِنَّكُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ مِن بَعْدِ الْمَوْتِ لَيَقُولَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِنْ هَـذَا إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ} (هود : 7)

7- He is the Creative Creator who created the heavens and the earth in six days and His Throne was on water. He deposited in heavens and earth all you need and signs to refer to Him, and deposited in you readiness and physical and moral powers to deal with the universe, to test you, and to see how would you deal with the things which He created for you, and to see whether you are going to follow the truth which He explained to you through His Messengers or you shall go astray and disbelieve?

If you say to those polytheists: You shall be resurrected after your death so as Allah would reckon you for your actions, they mock at your words and say in denial: What you are saying is a trick and falsehood which has no basis.

{وَلَئِنْ أَخَّرْنَا عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابَ إِلَى أُمَّةٍ مَّعْدُودَةٍ لَّيَقُولُنَّ مَا يَحْبِسُهُ أَلاَ يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمْ لَيْسَ مَصْرُوفاً عَنْهُمْ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ} (هود : 8)

8- If we delay worldly torment for a fixed period and for a wisdom which is only known to Allah, they say in ignorance and foolishness: What delays the torment, and what does prevent it to come? They say that in denial and mockery.

When torment will come to them, nothing can remove it and no one can push it away from them, but torment will encompass them as a retribution for their mockery and disbelief.

The delay of torment was a mercy from Allah to them because they embraced Islam thereafter and Allah made them useful and used them to open countries for Islam.