فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ 30
Translations
And how [severe] were My punishment and warning.
Transliteration
Fakayfa kana 'adhabi wa nuthuri
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rhetorically questions the disbelievers by asking 'How then was My punishment and My warnings?' emphasizing the severity and inevitability of Allah's torment for those who rejected His signs and messengers. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this as Allah's powerful reminder of the consequences that befell previous nations who denied their prophets, serving as a stern warning to the Quraysh and all subsequent generations who reject faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qamar, which recounts the stories of previous nations destroyed for their rejection of prophets (Nuh, Hud, Salih, and Lut). The ayah comes after describing the destruction of 'Ad and before the story of Thamud, forming part of a recurring pattern throughout the surah where Allah asks rhetorically how terrible His punishment was for those who rejected His warnings.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this specific ayah, Surah Al-Qamar's theme relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned about following the ways of previous nations, emphasizing that those who reject guidance face the same destructive consequences that destroyed their predecessors.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that rejecting Allah's messages and His messengers carries severe consequences, not merely in the afterlife but sometimes even in this world, as evidenced by the destruction of past civilizations. For believers, it reinforces the importance of heeding divine warnings and learning from the fate of those who arrogantly dismissed them.