وَيَـٰقَوْمِ لَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شِقَاقِىٓ أَن يُصِيبَكُم مِّثْلُ مَآ أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوحٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ هُودٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ صَـٰلِحٍ ۚ وَمَا قَوْمُ لُوطٍ مِّنكُم بِبَعِيدٍ 89
Translations
And O my people, let not [your] dissension from me cause you to be struck by that similar to what struck the people of Noah or the people of Hūd or the people of Ṣāliḥ. And the people of Lot are not from you far away.
Transliteration
Wa yā qawmi lā yajrimannakum shiqāqī an yusībakum mithlu mā asāba qawma Nūhin aw qawma Hūdin aw qawma Sālih; wa mā qawmu Lūtin minkum bi-ba'īd
Tafsir (Explanation)
In this ayah, Prophet Shu'ayb warns his people not to let their rejection and opposition to him be the cause of their destruction, as previous nations who rejected their messengers were destroyed. Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note that Shu'ayb is invoking historical precedents of divine punishment—the drowning of Noah's people, the wind that destroyed 'Ad (Hud's people), the earthquake that destroyed Thamud (Salih's people), and the overturning of Lot's people—as a merciful reminder and deterrent. The phrase 'not far from you' emphasizes the temporal proximity of these events in human memory, suggesting that such destruction could befall them similarly and imminently.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Shu'ayb's final plea to his people (the Midianites) in Surah Hud, a Meccan surah emphasizing the consistency of Allah's messages across prophets. The context shows Shu'ayb earnestly warning his people after they rejected his call to monotheism and fair dealing in commerce, drawing parallels to other rejected prophets to illustrate that divine punishment is a established pattern, not a mere threat.
Related Hadiths
The Quran itself in multiple surahs (7:59-93, 26:106-191) reiterates these same warnings about previous peoples. Hadith collections emphasize the principle: 'The best of stories is the Quran' (Sahih Muslim), referring to these historical accounts as lessons. Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'The nations were shown to me' (Sahih Bukhari 3340), indicating Allah's emphasis on these historical examples.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that rejecting divine guidance has consistent, catastrophic consequences across human history, and that prophets' warnings stem from genuine concern for their people's welfare. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of heeding sincere advice and not allowing personal disputes to blind us to spiritual truths, lest we repeat the mistakes of those who came before us.