وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَبَقُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُعْجِزُونَ 59
Translations
And let not those who disbelieve think they will escape. Indeed, they will not cause failure [to Allāh].
Transliteration
Wa lā yahsabanna alladhīna kafarū sabaqū. Innahum lā yu'jizūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns the disbelievers not to think they have escaped or outpaced Allah's plan, for they cannot escape His grasp or frustrate His will. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that no matter how the disbelievers flee or think they have evaded divine punishment, they remain within Allah's complete control and knowledge. The ayah conveys that escape from Allah is impossible, and eventually, they will face accountability for their rejection of truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Anfal, which was revealed after the Battle of Badr (2 AH). The surah discusses the spoils of war and lessons from that pivotal battle. This particular verse is part of a section addressing the disbelievers' false sense of security and warning them against thinking their worldly power or evasion strategies will save them from divine justice.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to Surah At-Tariq 86:15-16, where Allah says disbelievers plot and plan, but Allah is the best of planners (Ahsan al-Makireen). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari regarding the inevitability of divine punishment reinforces this theme of inescapable accountability.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should have absolute trust in Allah's sovereignty and justice, knowing that no oppressor escapes His awareness or judgment, while disbelievers are cautioned that material power or temporary escape does not exempt them from divine reckoning. This ayah encourages patience during trials and confidence that Allah's justice will ultimately prevail.
Related Ayahs
وَأَعِدُّوا۟ لَهُم مَّا ٱسْتَطَعْتُم مِّن قُوَّةٍ وَمِن رِّبَاطِ ٱلْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِۦ عَدُوَّ ٱللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَءَاخَرِينَ مِن دُونِهِمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ ۚ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِن شَىْءٍ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تُظْلَمُونَ
And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allāh and your enemy and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allāh knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allāh will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ ٱلْأَدْبَارَ
O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [in battle], do not turn to them your backs [in flight].
ٱلَّذِينَ عَـٰهَدتَّ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ يَنقُضُونَ عَهْدَهُمْ فِى كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ وَهُمْ لَا يَتَّقُونَ
The ones with whom you made a treaty but then they break their pledge every time, and they do not fear Allāh.
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."