فَقُلْنَا ٱذْهَبَآ إِلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا فَدَمَّرْنَـٰهُمْ تَدْمِيرًا 36
Translations
And We said, "Go both of you to the people who have denied Our signs." Then We destroyed them with [complete] destruction.
Transliteration
Faqulna ithhaба ila al-qawm alladhina kadhdhаbu bi-ayatina fa-dammarnаhum tadmiran
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commanded Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh's people who rejected His signs, and Allah subsequently destroyed them completely and utterly. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that this ayah demonstrates the inevitable consequence of rejecting divine guidance—those who persistently deny God's revelations face total annihilation. Al-Tabari notes that the destruction (tadmir) was absolute, affecting their dwellings, crops, and eventually their entire civilization, serving as a warning to those who follow similar paths of disbelief.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Furqan (The Criterion), a Meccan surah that recounts stories of previous prophets and their peoples. The context discusses how Moses was sent with clear signs and miracles to Pharaoh and his people, and this ayah follows the command given to Moses and Aaron, leading into the description of their people's destruction as a consequence of sustained rejection of divine truth.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3372) from Ibn Abbas discusses how the people of Pharaoh were drowned in the sea, correlating with the destruction mentioned here. Additionally, the hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding the signs of Allah and their rejection by nations provides thematic connection to this ayah's warning.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that persistent rejection of God's clear signs inevitably leads to severe punishment, reminding believers that arrogance and denial of truth have real, devastating consequences. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of humility before divine guidance and serving as a warning against obstinacy in the face of clear evidence.