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
كَمَآ أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَيْتِكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِّنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَـٰرِهُونَ
[It is] just as when your Lord brought you out of your home [for the battle of Badr] in truth, while indeed, a party among the believers were unwilling,
كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They disbelieved in the signs of Allāh, so Allāh seized them for their sins. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and severe in penalty.
وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ
And do not be like those who say, "We have heard," while they do not hear.
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.