ثُمَّ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسَـٰٓـُٔوا۟ ٱلسُّوٓأَىٰٓ أَن كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَكَانُوا۟ بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ 10
Translations
Then the end of those who did evil was the worst [consequence] because they denied the signs of Allāh and used to ridicule them.
Transliteration
Thumma kana 'aqibatu alladhina asaa'u as-su'a an kadhdhabo bi-ayati Allahi wa kanu biha yastahzi'un
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the inevitable consequence for those who commit evil (as'u as-su'a) - specifically, their rejection and mockery of Allah's signs. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir emphasize that the ultimate punishment for those who deny and ridicule the verses of Allah is severe torment, with Al-Qurtubi noting that this verse establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between disbelief combined with ridicule and divine punishment. The ayah serves as a stark warning that mocking the divine message compounds the sin of disbelief itself.
Revelation Context
Surah Ar-Rum was revealed in Mecca during a period when the Quraysh were actively rejecting the Prophet Muhammad's message and ridiculing the Quranic verses. This ayah specifically addresses the fate of those who not only deny Allah's signs but compound their rejection through mockery and scorn, establishing a thematic warning throughout the surah about the consequences of arrogance and disbelief.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever mocks something from the deen (religion), the punishment for that is clear.' (Related to the severity of ridiculing Islamic teachings). Additionally, the hadith in Sahih Bukhari emphasizes that those who reject the signs of Allah and mock them face the worst of endings.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that deliberate rejection of Allah's guidance, especially when accompanied by arrogance and mockery, carries grave consequences in both this life and the afterlife. For believers, it reinforces the importance of respecting divine revelation and treating the signs of Allah with reverence, while serving as a warning against spiritual carelessness.
Related Ayahs
قُلْ هَلْ نُنَبِّئُكُم بِٱلْأَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَـٰلًا
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds?
تَظُنُّ أَن يُفْعَلَ بِهَا فَاقِرَةٌ
Expecting that there will be done to them [something] backbreaking.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَا تَعْتَذِرُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ ۖ إِنَّمَا تُجْزَوْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
O you who have disbelieved, make no excuses that Day. You will only be recompensed for what you used to do.
وَذَرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۚ وَذَكِّرْ بِهِۦٓ أَن تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌۢ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِىٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ وَإِن تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَّا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَآ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا۟ بِمَا كَسَبُوا۟ ۖ لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ
And leave those who take their religion as amusement and diversion and whom the worldly life has deluded. But remind with it [i.e., the Qur’ān], lest a soul be given up to destruction for what it earned; it will have other than Allāh no protector and no intercessor. And if it should offer every compensation, it would not be taken from it [i.e., that soul]. Those are the ones who are given to destruction for what they have earned. For them will be a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.