Ayah
Word by Word
تَٱللَّهِ
By Allah
لَقَدۡ
certainly
أَرۡسَلۡنَآ
We have sent
إِلَىٰٓ
to
أُمَمٖ
nations
مِّن
before you
قَبۡلِكَ
before you
فَزَيَّنَ
but made fair-seeming
لَهُمُ
to them
ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ
the Shaitaan
أَعۡمَٰلَهُمۡ
their deeds
فَهُوَ
So he
وَلِيُّهُمُ
(is) their ally
ٱلۡيَوۡمَ
today
وَلَهُمۡ
and for them
عَذَابٌ
(is) a punishment
أَلِيمٞ
painful
تَٱللَّهِ
By Allah
لَقَدۡ
certainly
أَرۡسَلۡنَآ
We have sent
إِلَىٰٓ
to
أُمَمٖ
nations
مِّن
before you
قَبۡلِكَ
before you
فَزَيَّنَ
but made fair-seeming
لَهُمُ
to them
ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ
the Shaitaan
أَعۡمَٰلَهُمۡ
their deeds
فَهُوَ
So he
وَلِيُّهُمُ
(is) their ally
ٱلۡيَوۡمَ
today
وَلَهُمۡ
and for them
عَذَابٌ
(is) a punishment
أَلِيمٞ
painful
Translation
By Allah, We (also) sent (Our messengers) to Peoples before thee; but Satan made, (to the wicked), their own acts seem alluring: He is also their patron today, but they shall have a most grievous penalty.
Tafsir
By God, We verily sent to communities before you, messengers. But Satan adorned for them their deeds, [their] evil [deeds], so that they considered them to be good [deeds] and therefore they denied the messengers. So he is their patron, the guardian of their affairs, today, that is, [now] in this world, and for them there will be a painful chastisement, in the Hereafter. It is also said that by al-yawm, 'today', is meant the Day of Resurrection, narrating the events as though they are taking place [now]. In other words, they have no guardian other than him [in other words, Satan], and as he is incapable of helping himself, how could he possibly help them?
Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before
Allah says,
تَاللّهِ لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيۡطَانُ أَعۡمَالَهُمۡ
By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you, but Shaytan made their deeds seeming fair to them.
Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.'
فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الۡيَوۡمَ
So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,
meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help,
وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
and theirs will be a painful torment.
The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed
Allah says,
وَمَا أَنزَلۡنَا عَلَيۡكَ الۡكِتَابَ إِلاَّ لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِي اخۡتَلَفُواۡ فِيهِ
And We have not revealed the Book to you, except that you may clearly explain to them those things in which they differ,
Allah says to His Messenger that He has revealed the Book to him to explain the truth to mankind in matters which they dispute over. So the Qur'an is a decisive arbitrator for every issue that they argue about.
وَهُدًى
and (as) a guidance,
meaning, for their hearts.
وَرَحۡمَةً
and a mercy,
meaning, for the one who adheres to it.
لِّقَوۡمٍ يُوۡمِنُونَ
for a people who believe
وَاللّهُ أَنزَلَ مِنَ الۡسَّمَاء مَاء فَأَحۡيَا بِهِ الَارۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِهَا
And Allah sends water down from the sky, then He revives the earth with it after its death.
Just as Allah causes the Qur'an to bring life to hearts that were dead from disbelief, so He brings the earth to life after it has died, by sending down water from the sky.
إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لايَةً لِّقَوۡمٍ يَسۡمَعُونَ
Surely that is a sign for people who listen.
meaning those who understand the words and their meanings.
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