Al-Hijr: 5

Ayah

Word by Word

مَّا

Not

تَسۡبِقُ

(can) advance

مِنۡ

any

أُمَّةٍ

nation

أَجَلَهَا

its term

وَمَا

and not

يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ

(can) delay it

Translation

Neither can a people anticipate its term, nor delay it.

Tafsir

Every Township has its allotted Time Allah says: وَمَا أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَّعْلُومٌ مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ And never did We destroy a township but there was a known decree for it. No nation can advance its term, nor delay it. Allah is informing that He never destroys a township until He has established evidences for it and its allotted time has ended. When the time for a nation's destruction has come, He never delays it, and He never moves its appointed time forward. This was a message and a warning to the people of Makkah, telling them to give up their Shirk, their stubbornness and disbelief for which they deserved to be destroyed.