فَذُوقُوا۟ عَذَابِى وَنُذُرِ 39
Translations
So taste My punishment and warning.
Transliteration
Fadhooqoo AAathaabee wa nuthuri
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the disbelievers to taste His punishment and His warnings, referring to the torment that befell the nations of 'Ad, Thamud, Pharaoh, and the people of the Flood. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah emphasizes that the warnings sent through the messengers were clear, yet the people rejected them, and thus they experienced the consequences of their disbelief. The phrase "taste My punishment" indicates the reality and severity of the torment that comes upon those who reject divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Qamar, which repeatedly documents the fate of past nations who rejected their messengers. The context involves the narrative of Ad, Thamud, Noah's people, and Lot's people, establishing a pattern that warnings precede punishment. This serves as a warning to the Meccan disbelievers of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that they too will face consequences if they reject the message.
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Sahih Muslim: 'The example of the Qur'an is like that of a house whose doors are locked from inside' - emphasizing that those who reject clear warnings and signs will taste punishment. Also relevant: The hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah regarding the fate of deniers who receive clear warnings.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that divine warnings are not empty threats but precede real consequences, encouraging sincere acceptance of guidance while it is offered. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of heeding moral and spiritual warnings before facing the inevitable consequences of persistent rejection.
Related Ayahs
وَقَـٰرُونَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ سَـٰبِقِينَ
And [We destroyed] Qārūn and Pharaoh and Hāmān. And Moses had already come to them with clear evidences, and they were arrogant in the land, but they were not outrunners [of Our punishment].
إِنَّ ٱلْمُنَـٰفِقِينَ فِى ٱلدَّرْكِ ٱلْأَسْفَلِ مِنَ ٱلنَّارِ وَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ نَصِيرًا
Indeed, the hypocrites will be in the lowest depths of the Fire - and never will you find for them a helper -
قَدْ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنْيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّقْفُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Those before them had already plotted, but Allāh came at [i.e., uprooted] their building from the foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day."