فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُنذَرِينَ 73
Translations
Then look how was the end of those who were warned -
Transliteration
Fanzur kayfa kana 'aqibatu al-mundhireen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah commands the reader to observe and reflect upon the final outcome of those who were warned (the disbelievers and those who rejected the messengers). The 'aqibah (end result, consequence) refers to their punishment and destruction in this world and the Hereafter. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse serves as a powerful reminder of Divine justice—those who rejected clear warnings met with ruin, establishing a pattern throughout history that warns future generations of the consequences of rejecting divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah As-Saffat, which extensively recounts stories of prophets and their peoples. The context discusses various nations that rejected their messengers (Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, and others). This particular verse concludes the narrative of these rejectors, inviting reflection on the recurring pattern of divine punishment for those who turn away from warnings.
Related Hadiths
The concept of 'aqibah (final outcome) is reinforced in the hadith: 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Tirmidhi), highlighting how one's end reflects their deeds. Additionally, the Quran states in 28:37: 'And each of them We seized for his sin' (Sahih Muslim contextualizes Divine punishment patterns).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us to study history and observe how those who rejected divine messages faced destruction, using this knowledge as a deterrent against arrogance and disbelief. For believers, it reinforces trust in Allah's justice and the importance of heeding warnings from the Quran and Sunnah in our own lives.
Related Ayahs
وَإِنَّ ٱلْفُجَّارَ لَفِى جَحِيمٍ
And indeed, the wicked will be in Hellfire.
وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـٰهُمْ فَٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْعَمَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَـٰعِقَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
And as for Thamūd, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا سَوْفَ نُصْلِيهِمْ نَارًا كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَـٰهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
Indeed, those who disbelieve in Our verses - We will drive them into a fire. Every time their skins are roasted through, We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allāh is ever Exalted in Might and Wise.
يَوْمَ يَغْشَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِن تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
On the Day the punishment will cover them from above them and from below their feet and it is said, "Taste [the result of] what you used to do."