ثُمَّ نُتْبِعُهُمُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ 17
Translations
Then We will follow them with the later ones.
Transliteration
Thumma nutbi'uhumu al-akhireen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to Allah's method of destroying successive generations of disbelievers, where He follows one group with another in punishment and destruction. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this demonstrates Allah's pattern throughout history of sending messengers to nations, and when they reject the message, He brings about their ruin, then repeats this cycle with subsequent peoples. The verse emphasizes divine justice and the inevitable consequences of rejecting divine guidance across all ages.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah Al-Mursalat, a Meccan surah that discusses the Day of Judgment and Allah's power over creation. It is situated within a passage (verses 16-19) that describes how Allah destroys disbelieving nations throughout history as a prelude to the final judgment, providing the Meccan audience reassurance that those who reject Prophet Muhammad will face the same fate as previous transgressors.
Related Hadiths
The concept is related to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned the destruction of previous nations and warned that the same patterns would apply to his own ummah if they turned away from obedience. Additionally, Surah Al-Qasas (28:78) discusses Qarun's destruction, exemplifying this principle of successive punishment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that disobedience to Allah and rejection of His message carries inevitable consequences, a pattern repeated throughout human history; believers should take heed from the fate of previous nations and remain steadfast in faith to avoid similar destruction.