أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَأَصْحَـٰبِ مَدْيَنَ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ۚ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ 70
Translations
Has there not reached them the news of those before them - the people of Noah and [the tribes of] ʿAad and Thamūd and the people of Abraham and the companions [i.e., dwellers] of Madyan and the towns overturned? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allāh would never have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.
Transliteration
Alam ya'tihim naba'u alladhina min qablihim qawmu Nuh wa 'Ad wa Thamud wa qawmu Ibrahim wa ashab Madyan wa al-mu'tafika. Ataathum rusuluhum bi-al-bayyinat. Fama kana Allahu li-yadhiimahum wa lakin kanu anfusahum yadhlimuun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah reminds the disbelievers among the Arabs of the destruction that befell previous nations who rejected their messengers despite receiving clear proofs and signs. Allah emphasizes that He does not wrong anyone; rather, these nations brought destruction upon themselves through their own disobedience and rejection of divine guidance. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this is a powerful warning demonstrating that rejection of truth leads to inevitable divine punishment, making the disbelievers of Madinah accountable for their choices.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah At-Tawbah (revealed in the 9th year of Hijrah), which addresses the breaking of treaties and the hypocrisy of those who refused to fight in the cause of Allah. The ayah specifically responds to those who rejected the Prophet Muhammad and Divine guidance, reminding them that such rejection mirrors the conduct of destroyed nations before them.
Related Hadiths
Sunan Ibn Majah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'The destruction of my Ummah will come from the hands of young men from Quraysh,' referring to those who reject guidance. Also relevant is the hadith in Sahih Muslim about the inevitability of divine punishment for those who persistently reject truth after clear signs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that every individual and nation bears responsibility for accepting or rejecting divine truth—Allah's justice is absolute and never unjust, but humans harm themselves through their own choices and disobedience. Modern readers should reflect that ignoring clear signs of truth and following base desires inevitably leads to spiritual and moral destruction.
Related Ayahs
۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱشْتَرَىٰ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَأَمْوَٰلَهُم بِأَنَّ لَهُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةَ ۚ يُقَـٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقْتُلُونَ وَيُقْتَلُونَ ۖ وَعْدًا عَلَيْهِ حَقًّا فِى ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةِ وَٱلْإِنجِيلِ وَٱلْقُرْءَانِ ۚ وَمَنْ أَوْفَىٰ بِعَهْدِهِۦ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَٱسْتَبْشِرُوا۟ بِبَيْعِكُمُ ٱلَّذِى بَايَعْتُم بِهِۦ ۚ وَذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Indeed, Allāh has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allāh, so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur’ān. And who is truer to his covenant than Allāh? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.
قُل لَّن يُصِيبَنَآ إِلَّا مَا كَتَبَ ٱللَّهُ لَنَا هُوَ مَوْلَىٰنَا ۚ وَعَلَى ٱللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Say, "Never will we be struck except by what Allāh has decreed for us; He is our protector." And upon Allāh let the believers rely.
يَوْمَ يُحْمَىٰ عَلَيْهَا فِى نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَىٰ بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ ۖ هَـٰذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَ
The Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell and seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, [it will be said], "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard."
ٱنفِرُوا۟ خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَـٰهِدُوا۟ بِأَمْوَٰلِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Go forth, whether light or heavy, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the cause of Allāh. That is better for you, if you only knew.