وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ 113
Translations
And there had certainly come to them a Messenger from among themselves, but they denied him; so punishment overtook them while they were wrongdoers.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad jaa'ahum rasoolun minhum fa-kadhdhboohu fa-akhdhahumu al-adhaabu wa-hum thaalimoon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that whenever a messenger from among the people came to them, they rejected him, and as a result, Allah's punishment seized them while they were wrongdoers. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this ayah establishes a universal pattern of divine justice: nations that reject their messengers face punishment in this life and the next. The phrase 'wa-hum dhaalimun' (while they were wrongdoers) emphasizes that their punishment was just retribution for their own transgressions and rejection of guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period and is part of Surah An-Nahl's broader theme of signs of Allah's guidance and the consequences of rejecting it. The ayah serves as a historical reminder to the Quraysh of previous nations who rejected their prophets, establishing that rejection of the Prophet Muhammad follows the same destructive pattern. It reinforces the message that acceptance of the messenger is essential for salvation.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim narrates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth.' This relates thematically to the necessity of accepting divine guidance. Additionally, in Surah An-Nahl 36, there is mention of 'How many a generation have We destroyed before them,' which parallels this ayah's message about past nations.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that rejecting divine guidance and the messenger brings inevitable punishment, and that turning away from truth is an act of injustice to oneself. For modern readers, it emphasizes the critical importance of heeding the message of guidance and learning from the historical fate of those who rejected their prophets.
Related Ayahs
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ
And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.
ٱلَّذِينَ تَتَوَفَّىٰهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ ظَالِمِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ فَأَلْقَوُا۟ ٱلسَّلَمَ مَا كُنَّا نَعْمَلُ مِن سُوٓءٍۭ ۚ بَلَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
The ones whom the angels take in death [while] wronging themselves, and [who] then offer submission, [saying], "We were not doing any evil." But, yes! Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of what you used to do.
إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allāh, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allāh.
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْغَـٰفِلُونَ
Those are the ones over whose hearts and hearing and vision Allāh has sealed, and it is those who are the heedless.