ذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَـٰفِلُونَ 131
Translations
That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing while their people were unaware.
Transliteration
Dhālika an lam yakun rabbuka muhlika al-qurā bi-ẓulmin wa-ahluhā ghāfilūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah explains that Allah does not destroy cities unjustly while their inhabitants remain unaware of His warnings. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this as affirming Allah's justice and mercy—He does not punish people without first sending them messengers and clear signs. The ayah establishes the principle that destruction comes only after clear warning and rejection of truth, protecting Allah's attribute of justice ('adl).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Al-An'am within a broader discussion of Allah's justice in punishment and the necessity of clear warning before divine retribution. It responds to questions about why Allah permits injustice on earth and establishes that civilizations are destroyed only after deliberate rejection of guidance, not out of arbitrary punishment or while people lack awareness of truth.
Related Hadiths
Sunan Ibn Majah and other collections record that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah does not punish the people of a house until they have been sent a messenger.' This principle directly supports the meaning of this ayah. Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the 'Aad people illustrates how nations were destroyed after receiving clear warnings.
Themes
Key Lesson
Allah's punishment is never arbitrary or unjust; it comes only after clear warnings and deliberate rejection of truth. This teaches believers that they are responsible for seeking guidance and that rejecting clear signs has serious consequences, while it also provides assurance of Allah's perfect justice in all His dealings with humanity.
Related Ayahs
وَخَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلِتُجْزَىٰ كُلُّ نَفْسٍۭ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
And Allāh created the heavens and earth in truth and so that every soul may be recompensed for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.
۞ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُۥ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ إِن كُنتُمْ ءَامَنتُم بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَبْدِنَا يَوْمَ ٱلْفُرْقَانِ يَوْمَ ٱلْتَقَى ٱلْجَمْعَانِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
And know that anything you obtain of war booty - then indeed, for Allāh is one fifth of it and for the Messenger and for [his] near relatives and the orphans, the needy, and the [stranded] traveler, if you have believed in Allāh and in that which We sent down to Our Servant on the day of criterion [i.e., decisive encounter] - the day when the two armies met [at Badr]. And Allāh, over all things, is competent.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَظْلِمُ ٱلنَّاسَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ
Indeed, Allāh does not wrong the people at all, but it is the people who are wronging themselves.
وَمَا تُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
And you will not be recompensed except for what you used to do -