أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا نَأْتِى ٱلْأَرْضَ نَنقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِۦ ۚ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ ٱلْحِسَابِ 41
Translations
Have they not seen that We set upon the land, reducing it from its borders? And Allāh decides; there is no adjuster of His decision. And He is swift in account.
Transliteration
Awalam yaraw anna na'tee al-arda nanqusuha min atrafihaa; wa-Allahu yahkumu la mu'aqqiba li-hukmihi; wa-huwa sari'u al-hisab.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah warns the disbelievers that Allah is gradually diminishing the lands of the polytheists by reducing their territories and influence through conquest and loss—a sign of divine punishment that they fail to recognize. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret 'nanqusuha min atrafihaa' (reducing it from its edges) as referring to the shrinking of disbelieving territories as Muslims advance, or more generally as the inevitable loss and diminishment that befalls those who reject Allah's signs. The ayah concludes with an emphatic reminder that Allah's judgment is absolute, unquestionable, and swiftly executed.
Revelation Context
Surah Ar-Ra'd is Medinan and addresses the believers during a period of conflict with Meccan polytheists. This ayah fits within the broader theme of warning the disbelievers about the consequences of their rejection, while serving to reassure the Muslim community that Allah's plan is unfolding and their enemies' power is diminishing despite apparent strength.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly explicates this ayah, it relates thematically to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned that the lands and treasures would be opened to the Muslims, indicating the expansion of Islamic territories—the opposite condition warned against in this verse for the disbelievers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that apparent worldly strength of disbelievers is temporary and subject to Allah's divine plan—encouraging patience and trust in Allah's justice, while warning against arrogance and the illusion of permanent power. For modern readers, it emphasizes that moral decline and spiritual emptiness inevitably lead to historical decline, and that Allah's justice operates on both individual and civilizational scales.