وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيهِم مُّنذِرِينَ 72
Translations
And We had already sent among them warners.
Transliteration
Wa-laqad arsalnā fīhim mundhirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah affirms that Allah sent warners (prophets and messengers) among the disbelieving peoples to convey His message and warn them of the consequences of rejection. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this demonstrates Allah's justice in sending clear guidance before punishment, ensuring that no nation has an excuse for disbelief. The plural 'mundhirīn' (warners) emphasizes that Allah continuously sent messengers throughout history to guide humanity.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah As-Saffat's discussion of the fate of disbelieving nations. It reinforces the Quranic theme that Allah's punishment only comes after clear warning through His messengers, establishing divine justice and the accountability of those who reject the message despite being warned.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'No people shall be punished until they have been sent a messenger' (Sunan Ibn Majah and Musnad Ahmad). This directly supports the principle mentioned in this ayah that warnings precede punishment.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that Allah's mercy precedes His wrath—He sends clear warnings and guidance before holding people accountable. For believers today, it reinforces the importance of conveying the message of Islam to others, as we are part of the tradition of warners established throughout history.
Related Ayahs
وَقَضَيْنَآ إِلَيْهِ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْأَمْرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مَقْطُوعٌ مُّصْبِحِينَ
And We conveyed to him [the decree] of that matter: that those [sinners] would be eliminated by early morning.
مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ضَلُّوا۟ عَنَّا بَل لَّمْ نَكُن نَّدْعُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
Other than Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us; rather, we did not used to invoke previously anything." Thus does Allāh put astray the disbelievers.
قُلْ أَغَيْرَ ٱللَّهِ أَبْغِى رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۚ وَلَا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلَّا عَلَيْهَا ۚ وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُم مَّرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Say, "Is it other than Allāh I should desire as a lord while He is the Lord of all things? And every soul earns not [blame] except against itself, and no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you concerning that over which you used to differ."
تِلْكَ ءَايَـٰتُ ٱللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِٱلْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
These are the verses of Allāh. We recite them to you, [O Muḥammad], in truth; and Allāh wants no injustice to the worlds [i.e., His creatures].