What does Allah do with your punishment? Does He seek to relieve Himself of anger by it, or to attain revenge by it, or to bring about benefit by it, or to avert harm by it as kings do with their punishments? And He is the Rich, upon whom none of that is permissible. Rather, it is a matter that wisdom necessitated, to punish the wrongdoer. If you give thanks for His blessing and believe in Him, you have distanced yourselves from deserving punishment. And Allah is Appreciative and Rewarding, fulfilling your rewards, and He is All-Knowing of your gratitude and belief. If you say: Why is gratitude mentioned before belief? I say: Because the wise person looks at the great blessing upon him in his creation and his exposure to benefits, so he gives a general thanks. When his reflection leads him to the knowledge of the Bestower of blessings, he then believes in Him and gives a detailed thanks. Thus, gratitude precedes belief, and it is as if it is the foundation of obligation and its essence.