وَتِلْكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُمْ لَمَّا ظَلَمُوا۟ وَجَعَلْنَا لِمَهْلِكِهِم مَّوْعِدًا 59
Translations
And those cities - We destroyed them when they wronged, and We made for their destruction an appointed time.
Transliteration
Wa tilka al-qura ahlaknahum lamma zalamu wa ja'alna li-mahlakihim maw'ida
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that Allah destroyed the nations and peoples of various cities when they committed injustice and oppression against His signs and messengers. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Allah had appointed a specific, predetermined time for their destruction, emphasizing that divine punishment is not arbitrary but follows a pattern of warning through messengers followed by inevitable consequence for those who reject the truth. The ayah serves as a historical reminder that no civilization escapes accountability for persistent wrongdoing.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Kahf's broader Meccan context, where the Quran repeatedly mentions past destroyed nations to encourage the Prophet Muhammad and believers regarding divine justice. It follows the narrative of Dhul-Qarnayn and precedes discussion of the Day of Judgment, emphasizing that Allah's punishment of unjust peoples is a established divine law (Sunnah of Allah).
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Sahih Muslim (2242) where the Prophet ﷺ mentions that when a community becomes widespread in oppression and injustice, Allah brings punishment upon all of them. Additionally, Sunan Ibn Majah contains hadiths about the destruction of past nations due to their transgression of Allah's boundaries.
Themes
Key Lesson
Societies and individuals cannot escape the consequences of persistent injustice and rejection of divine guidance, as Allah has established unchanging laws governing rise and fall of civilizations. This should inspire believers to uphold justice, heed divine warnings, and reflect that no power—however great—is immune from Allah's justice.
Related Ayahs
مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُمَتَّعُونَ
They would not be availed by the enjoyment with which they were provided.
وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِى ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۖ قُلِ ٱللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ فِى يَتَـٰمَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ ٱلَّـٰتِى لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَن تَنكِحُوهُنَّ وَٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ ٱلْوِلْدَٰنِ وَأَن تَقُومُوا۟ لِلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمًا
And they request from you, [O Muḥammad], a [legal] ruling concerning women. Say, "Allāh gives you a ruling about them and [about] what has been recited to you in the Book concerning the orphan girls to whom you do not give what is decreed for them - and [yet] you desire to marry them - and concerning the oppressed among children and that you maintain for orphans [their rights] in justice." And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allāh is ever Knowing of it.
رُّسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ حُجَّةٌۢ بَعْدَ ٱلرُّسُلِ ۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
[We sent] messengers as bringers of good tidings and warners so that mankind will have no argument against Allāh after the messengers. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ إِلَّا ٱلنَّارُ ۖ وَحَبِطَ مَا صَنَعُوا۟ فِيهَا وَبَـٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do.