قَدْ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنْيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّقْفُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ 26
Translations
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.
Transliteration
Qad makara alladhina min qablihim fa-ata allahu bunyanahummin al-qawa'id fa-kharra 'alayhim al-saqfu min fawqihim wa-atahum al-'adhab min haythu la yash'urun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how those who devised plots and schemes before the people of Muhammad (such as the disbelievers and their leaders) were destroyed by Allah—He undermined the very foundations of their structures (both literal and metaphorical), causing their buildings to collapse upon them from above, and the punishment came upon them from directions they did not anticipate. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir interpret this as both a historical account of past nations' destruction and a metaphorical reference to the collapse of their plans, power, and influence, emphasizing that no scheme against Allah's will can succeed.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Nahl and relates to the broader theme of consoling the Prophet Muhammad and the believers about the ultimate triumph of truth over the schemes of disbelievers. It serves as a warning to Meccan polytheists who plotted against Islam, drawing parallels to how previous nations who rejected prophets were destroyed despite their worldly power and cunning plans.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly cites this specific ayah, Sunan Ibn Majah and other collections contain hadiths about the destruction of past nations due to their rejection of prophets. Related thematically is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about how Allah protects His religion and His Prophet from the schemes of enemies.
Themes
Key Lesson
No plot or scheme devised against truth and Allah's will shall ultimately succeed, no matter how powerful those who devise it may appear; those who oppose Allah's message will find their foundations crumble from within, and punishment comes from sources and directions they never anticipated.
Related Ayahs
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ مُشْرِقِينَ
So the shriek seized them at sunrise.
وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِۦ مَا تَوَلَّىٰ وَنُصْلِهِۦ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ وَسَآءَتْ مَصِيرًا
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers - We will give him what he has taken and drive him into Hell, and evil it is as a destination.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ ٱلْعِجْلَ سَيَنَالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُفْتَرِينَ
Indeed, those who took the calf [for worship] will obtain anger from their Lord and humiliation in the life of this world, and thus do We recompense the inventors [of falsehood].
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.