أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ 98
Translations
Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play?
Transliteration
Awa-amina ahlu al-qura an ya'tiyhum ba'suna duhan wa-hum yal'abun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah questions whether the people of the towns felt secure from Allah's punishment coming upon them during the forenoon while they were engaged in play and heedlessness. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as a rhetorical rebuke emphasizing false security and complacency—the people were so absorbed in their worldly amusements that they neglected the signs of Allah and His warnings, making them vulnerable to sudden divine punishment. The ayah serves as a warning against heedlessness and the delusion that one is safe from Allah's consequences regardless of their disobedience.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-A'raf, which addresses the consequences of rejecting Allah's messengers throughout history. It is part of a broader discussion warning the Quraysh and all people against false security and complacency in faith. The specific reference to playing during daytime may allude to the Arabs' tendency toward distraction and neglect of religious responsibilities.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said in Sahih Muslim: 'Two blessings are neglected by many people: health and free time.' This hadith relates thematically to the ayah's warning against wasting time in play and heedlessness. Additionally, the Quran itself states in Surah Al-Anbiya (21:1): 'Closer and closer to mankind comes their Reckoning,' emphasizing sudden accountability.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should never feel so secure in their worldly pursuits that they neglect their spiritual responsibilities and Allah's signs; true security comes only through conscious obedience to Allah, not through heedless entertainment and distraction. This ayah reminds us that punishment can come unexpectedly, making constant mindfulness of Allah and readiness for accountability essential aspects of faith.
Related Ayahs
وَٱلْبَلَدُ ٱلطَّيِّبُ يَخْرُجُ نَبَاتُهُۥ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ ۖ وَٱلَّذِى خَبُثَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَّا نَكِدًا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُصَرِّفُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَشْكُرُونَ
And the good land - its vegetation emerges by permission of its Lord; but that which is bad - nothing emerges except sparsely, with difficulty. Thus do We diversify the signs for a people who are grateful.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ
And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allāh].
فَدَلَّىٰهُمَا بِغُرُورٍ ۚ فَلَمَّا ذَاقَا ٱلشَّجَرَةَ بَدَتْ لَهُمَا سَوْءَٰتُهُمَا وَطَفِقَا يَخْصِفَانِ عَلَيْهِمَا مِن وَرَقِ ٱلْجَنَّةِ ۖ وَنَادَىٰهُمَا رَبُّهُمَآ أَلَمْ أَنْهَكُمَا عَن تِلْكُمَا ٱلشَّجَرَةِ وَأَقُل لَّكُمَآ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ لَكُمَا عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ
So he made them fall, through deception. And when they tasted of the tree, their private parts became apparent to them, and they began to fasten together over themselves from the leaves of Paradise. And their Lord called to them, "Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you that Satan is to you a clear enemy?"
قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ وَٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ مِنَ ٱلرِّزْقِ ۚ قُلْ هِىَ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا خَالِصَةً يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ
Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of [i.e., from] Allāh which He has produced for His servants and the good [lawful] things of provision?" Say, "They are for those who believed during the life of this world, exclusively [for them] on the Day of Resurrection." Thus do We detail the verses for a people who know.