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Ayah
Word by Word
وَتِلۡكَ
And these
ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓ
[the] towns
أَهۡلَكۡنَٰهُمۡ
We destroyed them
لَمَّا
when
ظَلَمُواْ
they wronged
وَجَعَلۡنَا
and We made
لِمَهۡلِكِهِم
for their destruction
مَّوۡعِدٗا
an appointed time
وَتِلۡكَ
And these
ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓ
[the] towns
أَهۡلَكۡنَٰهُمۡ
We destroyed them
لَمَّا
when
ظَلَمُواْ
they wronged
وَجَعَلۡنَا
and We made
لِمَهۡلِكِهِم
for their destruction
مَّوۡعِدٗا
an appointed time
Translation
Such were the populations we destroyed when they committed iniquities; but we fixed an appointed time for their destruction.
Tafsir
And those towns, that is to say, the inhabitants of those [towns], such as 'aad and Thamood, as well as others, We destroyed them when they did evil, [when] they disbelieved, and We appointed for their destruction (a variant reading [for mahlikihim] has muhlakihim) a tryst.
"
Their Partners are not able to respond and the Criminals are brought to the Fire
Allah tells;
وَيَوۡمَ يَقُولُ
And (remember) the Day He will say:
Allah tells us how He will address the idolators on the Day of Resurrection before all of creation, rebuking and scolding them,
نَادُوا شُرَكَايِيَ الَّذِينَ زَعَمۡتُمۡ
Call those (so-called) partners of Mine whom you claimed.
meaning, in the world. Call them today to save you from the situation you are in!
Allah says:
وَلَقَدۡ جِيۡتُمُونَا فُرَادَى كَمَا خَلَقۡنَـكُمۡ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَتَرَكۡتُمۡ مَّا خَوَّلۡنَـكُمۡ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمۡ وَمَا نَرَى مَعَكُمۡ شُفَعَأءَكُمُ الَّذِينَ زَعَمۡتُمۡ أَنَّهُمۡ فِيكُمۡ شُرَكَأءُ لَقَد تَّقَطَّعَ بَيۡنَكُمۡ وَضَلَّ عَنكُم مَّا كُنتُمۡ تَزۡعُمُونَ
And truly, you have come unto Us alone as We created you the first time. You have left what you were given behind your backs and We do see not with you your intercessors whom you claimed were your partners. Now all relations between you and them have been cut off, and all that you used to claim has vanished from you. (6:94)
فَدَعَوۡهُمۡ فَلَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُوا لَهُمۡ
Then they will cry unto them, but they will not answer them.
As Allah says:
وَقِيلَ ادۡعُواۡ شُرَكَأءَكُمۡ فَدَعَوۡهُمۡ فَلَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُواۡ لَهُمۡ
And it will be said (to them):""Call upon those partners of yours,"" then they will call upon them, but they will not answer them. (28:64)
And the Ayah:
وَمَنۡ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدۡعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسۡتَجِيبُ لَهُ
And who is more astray than one who calls others besides Allah, such as will not answer him. (46:5) Until the end of the two Ayat;
And:
وَاتَّخَذُواۡ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ ءالِهَةً لِّيَكُونُواۡ لَهُمۡ عِزّاً
كَلَّ سَيَكۡفُرُونَ بِعِبَـدَتِهِمۡ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ضِدّاً
And they have taken gods besides Allah, that they may grant them honor. Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them. (19:81-82)
وَجَعَلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُم مَّوۡبِقًا
and We shall put Mawbiq between them.
Ibn Abbas, Qatadah and others said:
""Destruction.""
The meaning is that Allah is stating that these idolators will have no way of reaching the gods they claimed in this world. He will separate them in the Hereafter and neither party will have any means of reaching the other. There will be devastation, great horrors and other terrible things in between them.
Abdullah bin Amr understood the pronoun in the phrase ""between them"" to refer to the believers and the disbelievers, meaning that the people of guidance and the people of misguidance will be separated.
This then is like the Ayat:
وَيَوۡمَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ يَوۡمَيِذٍ يَتَفَرَّقُونَ
And on the Day when the Hour will be established -- that Day shall (all men) be separated. (30:14)
يَوۡمَيِذٍ يَصَّدَّعُونَ
On that Day men shall be divided. (30:43)
وَامۡتَازُواۡ الۡيَوۡمَ أَيُّهَا الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ
(It will be said), ""And O you the criminals! Get you apart this Day (from the believers). (36:59)
وَيَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُهُمۡ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُواۡ مَكَانَكُمۡ أَنتُمۡ وَشُرَكَأوُكُمۡ فَزَيَّلۡنَا بَيۡنَهُمۡ
And on the Day when We shall gather them all together, then We shall say to those who joined partners, ""Stop in your place! You and your partners."" Then We shall separate between them... until,
وَضَلَّ عَنۡهُمۡ مَّا كَانُواۡ يَفۡتَرُونَ
And what they invented will vanish from them. (10:28-30)
Then Allah says
وَرَأَى الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ النَّارَ فَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُم مُّوَاقِعُوهَا
And the criminals shall see the Fire and apprehend that they are to fall therein.
meaning when they see Hell with their own eyes, since it is being dragged forth by seventy thousand reins, each pulled by seventy thousand angels. When,
وَرَأَى الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ النَّارَ
(the criminals shall see the Fire), they will realize that they cannot escape being thrown into it, and that will only intensify their anxiety and distress, because the anticipation and fear of punishment is in itself a real punishment.
وَلَمۡ يَجِدُوا عَنۡهَا مَصۡرِفًا
And they will find no way of escape from it.
means, they will have no way of fleeing, it will be inevitable
Examples put forth in the Qur'an
Allah says,
وَلَقَدۡ صَرَّفۡنَا فِي هَذَا الۡقُرۡانِ لِلنَّاسِ مِن كُلِّ مَثَلٍ وَكَانَ الاِۡنسَانُ أَكۡثَرَ شَيۡءٍ جَدَلاً
And indeed We have given every kind of example in this Qur'an for mankind. But, man is ever more quarrelsome than anything.
Allah says, `In this Qur'an, We have explained to mankind and given clear details of matters so that they will not stray from the truth or be misled from the path of guidance. Despite this explanation, man is very quarrelsome and opposes truth with falsehood,' except for those whom Allah guides to the path of salvation.
Imam Ahmad recorded that Ali bin Abi Talib said that;
the Messenger of Allah came to visit him and Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger at night, and said,
أَلَا تُصَلِّيَانِ
Are you not going to pray?
I said, ""O Messenger of Allah, our souls are in the Hand of Allah. If He wills to wake us, He will wake us.""
When I said that, he went away without returning.
Then I heard him as he was walking away, slapping his thigh and saying,
وَكَانَ الاِۡنسَانُ أَكۡثَرَ شَيۡءٍ جَدَلاً
But, man is ever more quarrelsome than anything.""
It was also recorded in the Two Sahihs
The Rebellion of the Disbelievers
Allah tells:
وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ أَن يُوۡمِنُوا إِذۡ جَاءهُمُ الۡهُدَى وَيَسۡتَغۡفِرُوا رَبَّهُمۡ
And nothing prevents men from believing, while the guidance has come to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord,
Allah tells us about the rebellion of the disbelievers in ancient times and in more recent times, and how they rejected the obvious truth even when they witnessed clear signs and proofs. Nothing stopped them from following the truth except their demand to witness with their own eyes the punishment which they were being warned about. As some of them said to their Prophet:
فَأَسۡقِطۡ عَلَيۡنَا كِسَفاً مِّنَ السَّمَأءِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ
So cause a piece of the heaven to fall on us, if you are of the truthful! (26:187)
Others said:
ايۡتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ
Bring Allah's torment upon us if you are one of the truthful. (29:29)
The Quraysh said:
اللَّهُمَّ إِن كَانَ هَـذَا هُوَ الۡحَقَّ مِنۡ عِندِكَ فَأَمۡطِرۡ عَلَيۡنَا حِجَارَةً مِّنَ السَّمَأءِ أَوِ ايۡتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ
O Allah! If this is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones on us from the sky or bring upon us a painful torment. (8:32)
وَقَالُواۡ يأَيُّهَا الَّذِى نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ الذِّكۡرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجۡنُونٌ
لَّوۡ مَا تَأۡتِينَا بِالۡمَلَـيِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ
And they say:""O you to whom the Reminder has been sent down! Verily, you are a mad man! Why do you not bring angels to us if you are of the truthful!"" (15:6-7)
There are other Ayat referring to the same thing.
Then Allah says:
إِلاَّ أَن تَأۡتِيَهُمۡ سُنَّةُ الاَۡوَّلِينَ
except that the ways of the ancients be repeated with them,
meaning, their overwhelming punishment, destroying every last one of them.
أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَهُمُ الۡعَذَابُ قُبُلً
or the torment be brought to them face to face.
they see it with their own eyes, being directly confronted with it.
Then Allah says
وَمَا نُرۡسِلُ الۡمُرۡسَلِينَ إِلاَّ مُبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ
And We send not the Messengers except as bearers of good news and warners.
before the punishment they give good news to those who believe in them and follow them, and warnings to those who reject them and oppose them.
Then Allah tells us about the disbelievers:
وَيُجَادِلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا
But those who disbelieve, argue
بِالۡبَاطِلِ لِيُدۡحِضُوا بِهِ الۡحَقَّ
with falsehood, in order to refute the truth thereby.
they try to weaken the truth that the Messengers brought, but they cannot achieve that.
وَاتَّخَذُوا ايَاتِي وَمَا أُنذِرُوا هُزُوًا
And they take My Ayat and that which they are warned for jest!
they take the proof, evidence and miracles sent with the Messengers to warn them, and make them fear the punishment;
هُزُوًا
(as a jest and mockery),
and they make fun of them, which is the worst type of disbelief
The Worst People are Those Who turn away after being reminded
Allah says,
وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّن ذُكِّرَ بِأيَاتِ رَبِّهِ فَأَعۡرَضَ عَنۡهَا
And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Ayat (signs) of his Lord, but turns away from them,
Allah says, `Who among My creatures does more wrong than one who is reminded of the signs of Allah then turns away from them,' i.e., ignores them and does not listen or pay attention to them.
وَنَسِيَ مَا قَدَّمَتۡ يَدَاهُ
forgetting what his hands have sent forth.
means, bad deeds and evil actions.
إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمۡ
Truly, We have set over their hearts,
means, the hearts of these people,
أَكِنَّةً
Akinnah,
means, coverings.
أَن يَفۡقَهُوهُ
lest they should understand this,
means, so that they will not understand this Qur'an and its clear Message.
وَفِي اذَانِهِمۡ وَقۡرًا
and in their ears, deafness.
means that they will be deaf in an abstract way, to guidance.
وَإِن تَدۡعُهُمۡ إِلَى الۡهُدَى فَلَن يَهۡتَدُوا إِذًا أَبَدًا
And if you call them to guidance, even then they will never be guided.
وَرَبُّكَ الۡغَفُورُ ذُو الرَّحۡمَةِ
And your Lord is Most Forgiving, Owner of mercy.
means, `your Lord, O Muhammad, is forgiving and has great mercy.'
لَوۡ يُوَاخِذُهُم بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَعَجَّلَ لَهُمُ الۡعَذَابَ
Were He to call them to account for what they have earned, then surely, He would have hastened their punishment.
This is like the Ayah:
وَلَوۡ يُوَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُواۡ مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهۡرِهَا مِن دَابَّةٍ
And if Allah were to punish men for that which they earned, He would not leave a moving creature on the surface of the earth. (35:45)
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغۡفِرَةٍ لِّلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلۡمِهِمۡ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الۡعِقَابِ
But verily, your Lord is full of forgiveness for mankind in spite of their wrongdoing. And verily, your Lord is (also) severe in punishment. (13:6)
And there are many Ayat which say the same thing.
Then Allah tells us that He is patient, He conceals faults and forgives sins. He may guide some of them from wrongdoing to true guidance, and whoever continues in his evil ways, then there will come to him a Day when infants will turn grey and every pregnant female will shed her load.
He says:
بَل لَّهُم مَّوۡعِدٌ لَّن يَجِدُوا مِن دُونِهِ مَوۡيِلً
But they have their appointed time, beyond which they will find no escape.
meaning, they will find no way out
وَتِلۡكَ الۡقُرَى أَهۡلَكۡنَاهُمۡ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا
And these towns, We destroyed them when they did wrong.
This refers to earlier nations in times past; `We destroyed them because of their stubborn disbelief.'
وَجَعَلۡنَا لِمَهۡلِكِهِم مَّوۡعِدًا
And We appointed a fixed time for their destruction.
`We appointed for them a set time limit, not to be increased or decreased. The same applies to you, O idolators, so beware or what happened to them will happen to you too, for you have rejected the noblest Messenger and greatest Prophet, and you are not dearer to Us than them, so fear My punishment and wrath."
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