وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَآ أَخَذَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَهِىَ ظَـٰلِمَةٌ ۚ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُۥٓ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ 102
Translations
And thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.
Transliteration
Wa kathalika akhzu rabbika idha akhadha al-qura wa hiya zalimah. Inna akhzahu alimun shadid.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's seizing of oppressive cities and nations as a punishment for their wrongdoing, establishing a divine pattern of retribution. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Allah's punishment when it comes upon unjust societies is both painful (alim) and severe (shadid), serving as both a warning and a consequence for sustained transgression. The ayah emphasizes that Allah's divine justice operates according to consistent laws that apply universally to all peoples who persist in injustice.
Revelation Context
Surah Hud, revealed in Mecca, chronicles the stories of various prophets and the destruction of nations that rejected divine guidance. This ayah appears within the broader narrative demonstrating how Allah destroyed previous civilizations (such as the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud) for their persistent injustice and disbelief, providing historical evidence to the Meccans of the consequences of rejecting the Message.
Related Hadiths
The theme connects to the Hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) warned about the destruction of nations: 'When the people of a land oppress and wrong one another, Allah brings calamity upon all of them without distinction.' This illustrates collective consequences of societal injustice.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that oppression and injustice do not go unnoticed by Allah, and that nations which persist in wrongdoing face inevitable divine punishment, serving as both a deterrent against committing injustice and reassurance that Allah's justice ultimately prevails over tyranny.