وَٱتَّقُوا۟ فِتْنَةً لَّا تُصِيبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنكُمْ خَآصَّةً ۖ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ 25
Translations
And fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among you exclusively, and know that Allāh is severe in penalty.
Transliteration
Wa-ttaqū fitnatun lā tuṣībanna alladhīna ẓalamū minkum khāṣṣatan wa-a'lamū anna Allāha shadīdu al-'iqāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the believers to guard against fitnah (tribulation/discord) that does not exclusively affect the wrongdoers among them, but affects the righteous as well. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a warning that societal corruption and disobedience can bring divine punishment upon entire communities, not just the transgressors themselves. The verse emphasizes collective responsibility and warns that Allah's punishment is severe for those who fail to prevent or oppose injustice within their society.
Revelation Context
Revealed in Medina during the period of early Islamic warfare and community consolidation. This surah addresses the believers following the Battle of Badr, and this particular ayah contextualizes the importance of maintaining social cohesion and moral standards within the Muslim community to avoid collective punishment.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa-sallam) said: 'When the people see an evil and do not change it, Allah will soon include them all in His punishment' (Sunan Ibn Majah and Sunan al-Tirmidhi). Additionally, 'Whoever among you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; if he is not able, then with his tongue; if he is not able, then with his heart, and that is the weakest of faith' (Sahih Muslim).
Themes
Key Lesson
Muslims have a collective duty to prevent wrongdoing in their society, as inaction can bring divine punishment upon the entire community, not just the wrongdoers themselves. This emphasizes the importance of enjoining good and forbidding evil (al-amr bi-l-ma'rūf wa-n-nahy 'an al-munkar) as a foundational Islamic principle for maintaining societal righteousness.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَآءُ بَعْضٍ ۚ إِلَّا تَفْعَلُوهُ تَكُن فِتْنَةٌ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَفَسَادٌ كَبِيرٌ
And those who disbelieved are allies of one another. If you do not do so [i.e., ally yourselves with other believers], there will be fitnah [i.e., disbelief and oppression] on earth and great corruption.
إِذْ يَقُولُ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقُونَ وَٱلَّذِينَ فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ غَرَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ دِينُهُمْ ۗ وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
[Remember] when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts was disease [i.e., arrogance and disbelief] said, "Their religion has deluded those [Muslims]." But whoever relies upon Allāh - then indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ قُل لِّمَن فِىٓ أَيْدِيكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَسْرَىٰٓ إِن يَعْلَمِ ٱللَّهُ فِى قُلُوبِكُمْ خَيْرًا يُؤْتِكُمْ خَيْرًا مِّمَّآ أُخِذَ مِنكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
O Prophet, say to whoever is in your hands of the captives, "If Allāh knows [any] good in your hearts, He will give you [something] better than what was taken from you, and He will forgive you; and Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful."
ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
The ones who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they spend.