وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُ 48
Translations
And for how many a city did I prolong enjoyment while it was committing wrong. Then I seized it, and to Me is the [final] destination.
Transliteration
Wa-ka-ayyin min qaryatin amlaytu laha wa-hiya zalimah, thumma akhaztuha wa-ilayya al-masir
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah illustrates Allah's patience and forbearance with unjust communities by granting them respite and opportunity to repent, yet when they persist in wrongdoing, He seizes them with punishment. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir emphasize that 'Amlaytu' (I gave respite) demonstrates divine mercy, while the eventual seizure ('akhaztuha') shows that Allah's patience is not endless—all people ultimately return to Him for judgment. The ayah serves as a warning that prosperity and delay in punishment should not be mistaken for approval of injustice.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Hajj's broader themes concerning divine judgment and accountability. While no specific asbab al-nuzul is recorded for this particular verse, it fits within the Medinan period's emphasis on warning the polytheists and hypocrites about the consequences of their transgressions, reinforcing the Quranic theme that nations are given opportunities to reform before divine punishment.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to a hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'When Allah intends good for a servant, He hastens his punishment in this world, and when He intends ill for a servant, He withholds his sins from him until he meets Him on the Day of Resurrection.' This illustrates how divine patience and punishment are intertwined with ultimate justice.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah's patience with wrongdoers should inspire both hope for repentance and fear of eventual accountability—delay in punishment is not immunity from it. Believers should use periods of respite to reform themselves and their communities, understanding that all affairs ultimately return to Allah's judgment.
Related Ayahs
لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَنَـٰفِعُ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ثُمَّ مَحِلُّهَآ إِلَى ٱلْبَيْتِ ٱلْعَتِيقِ
For you therein [i.e., the animals marked for sacrifice] are benefits for a specified term; then their place of sacrifice is at the ancient House.
لِّكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ جَعَلْنَا مَنسَكًا هُمْ نَاسِكُوهُ ۖ فَلَا يُنَـٰزِعُنَّكَ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۚ وَٱدْعُ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ۖ إِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ هُدًى مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
For every [religious] community We have appointed rites which they perform. So, [O Muḥammad], let them [i.e., the disbelievers] not contend with you over the matter but invite [them] to your Lord. Indeed, you are upon straight guidance.
وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّنْهُ حَتَّىٰ تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَقِيمٍ
But those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt of it until the Hour comes upon them unexpectedly or there comes to them the punishment of a barren Day.
لَن يَنَالَ ٱللَّهَ لُحُومُهَا وَلَا دِمَآؤُهَا وَلَـٰكِن يَنَالُهُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ مِنكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ سَخَّرَهَا لَكُمْ لِتُكَبِّرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَىٰكُمْ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
Their meat will not reach Allāh, nor will their blood, but what reaches Him is piety from you. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may glorify Allāh for that [to] which He has guided you; and give good tidings to the doers of good.