وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَا۟ وَقَد تَّبَيَّنَ لَكُم مِّن مَّسَـٰكِنِهِمْ ۖ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَكَانُوا۟ مُسْتَبْصِرِينَ 38
Translations
And [We destroyed] ʿAad and Thamūd, and it has become clear to you from their [ruined] dwellings. And Satan had made pleasing to them their deeds and averted them from the path, and they were endowed with perception.
Transliteration
Wa-'aadan wa-thamuuda wa-qad tabbayana lakum min masaakinihim wa-zayyana lahumu ash-shaytanu a'maalahum fa-saddahum 'ani as-sabili wa-kanu mustabsireen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the destruction of the 'Ad and Thamud peoples, whose ruins were visible to the Arabs of the Prophet's time as a sign of Allah's punishment. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that despite the clear evidence of their predecessors' destruction and the remnants of their dwellings, Satan beautified the deeds of these nations in their eyes, causing them to turn away from the straight path even though they possessed insight and understanding. The ayah emphasizes the tragic reality that knowledge and awareness alone are insufficient without sincere adherence to guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-'Ankabut, a Meccan surah that frequently references past destroyed nations as warnings to the Quraysh who rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message. The context addresses the Meccan pagans' rejection despite witnessing the physical ruins of 'Ad and Thamud in the Arabian Peninsula, which served as tangible historical evidence of divine punishment for those who rejected their prophets.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said regarding the people of 'Ad: 'They were given strength in their bodies like no other people, but they were destroyed because they rejected the signs of Allah' (referenced in Tafsir Ibn Kathir). Additionally, 'Abdullāh ibn Mas'ūd reported that the Prophet mentioned these nations as examples of those whom Allah punished for their arrogance and rejection (Sunan At-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that possessing intellectual understanding and witnessing clear signs is insufficient without genuine spiritual conviction and obedience; believers must actively resist Satan's beautification of worldly desires and heed divine guidance. In our modern context, this reminds us that knowledge of truth carries the responsibility to act upon it, and that becoming complacent despite clear signs of consequence leads to spiritual ruin.
Related Ayahs
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَـٰثِمِينَ
But they denied him, so the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.
فَإِذَا رَكِبُوا۟ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ إِذَا هُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ
And when they board a ship, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion [i.e., faith and hope]. But when He delivers them to the land, at once they associate others with Him
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ فَإِذَآ أُوذِىَ فِى ٱللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ ٱلنَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَئِن جَآءَ نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ ۚ أَوَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِى صُدُورِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And of the people are some who say, "We believe in Allāh," but when one [of them] is harmed for [the cause of] Allāh, he considers the trial [i.e., harm] of the people as [if it were] the punishment of Allāh. But if victory comes from your Lord, they say, "Indeed, We were with you." Is not Allāh most knowing of what is within the breasts of the worlds [i.e., all creatures]?
وَلَمَّآ أَن جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَا لُوطًا سِىٓءَ بِهِمْ وَضَاقَ بِهِمْ ذَرْعًا وَقَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ ۖ إِنَّا مُنَجُّوكَ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا ٱمْرَأَتَكَ كَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْغَـٰبِرِينَ
And when Our messengers [i.e., angels] came to Lot, he was distressed for them and felt for them great discomfort. They said, "Fear not, nor grieve. Indeed, we will save you and your family, except your wife; she is to be of those who remain behind.