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
إِن تَحْرِصْ عَلَىٰ هُدَىٰهُمْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَن يُضِلُّ ۖ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن نَّـٰصِرِينَ
[Even] if you should strive for their guidance, [O Muḥammad], indeed, Allāh does not guide those He sends astray, and they will have no helpers.
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنۢ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن جُلُودِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ ۙ وَمِنْ أَصْوَافِهَا وَأَوْبَارِهَا وَأَشْعَارِهَآ أَثَـٰثًا وَمَتَـٰعًا إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
And Allāh has made for you from your homes a place of rest and made for you from the hides of the animals tents which you find light on your day of travel and your day of encampment; and from their wool, fur and hair is furnishing and enjoyment [i.e., provision] for a time.
وَإِذَا رَءَا ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ شُرَكَآءَهُمْ قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ شُرَكَآؤُنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كُنَّا نَدْعُوا۟ مِن دُونِكَ ۖ فَأَلْقَوْا۟ إِلَيْهِمُ ٱلْقَوْلَ إِنَّكُمْ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ
And when those who associated others with Allāh see their "partners," they will say, "Our Lord, these are our partners [to You] whom we used to invoke [in worship] besides You." But they will throw at them the statement, "Indeed, you are liars."
أَفَأَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then, do those who have planned evil deeds feel secure that Allāh will not cause the earth to swallow them or that the punishment will not come upon them from where they do not perceive?