وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن قَبْلُ ۖ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَىٰ 52
Translations
And the people of Noah before. Indeed, it was they who were [even] more unjust and oppressing.
Transliteration
Wa-qawma Noohin min qablu, innahum kanoo hum adhlama wa-atgha
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the people of Prophet Noah who were destroyed before the nations mentioned earlier in Surah An-Najm, emphasizing that they were even more unjust and transgressive than others. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this statement underscores the severity of Noah's people's disbelief and rebellion against Allah's signs, making their punishment a powerful warning to subsequent generations. The comparative structure ('adhzam wa-atgha' - 'more unjust and more transgressive') highlights the degrees of wrongdoing and how persistent rejection of divine guidance leads to greater spiritual corruption.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Najm is a Meccan surah revealed during the early Meccan period and focuses on the certainty of the Quran and warnings to those who reject it. This ayah appears within a passage recounting destroyed nations (53:50-55), reminding the Meccan polytheists of Allah's pattern of destroying those who persist in disbelief and transgression, serving as a direct warning to the contemporary audience of Mecca.
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Sunan Ibn Majah and other collections describes Noah's message and the 950 years he preached to his people, with only a few believing. Also related: Hadith in Sahih Muslim regarding the intercession of the Prophet (SAW) mentioning Noah as one of the greatest messengers whose people were destroyed due to widespread rejection.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that persistent rejection of divine guidance and moral transgression inevitably leads to divine punishment, serving as a timeless reminder that no community is exempt from accountability regardless of their power or numbers, and that believers should heed the warnings from history rather than repeat the mistakes of those before them.