كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَآ ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِّمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ 95
Translations
As if they had never prospered therein. Then, away with Madyan as Thamūd was taken away.
Transliteration
Ka-an lam yaghnaw fiha, ala bu'dan li-Madyana kama ba'idat Thamud
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the people of Madyan were completely destroyed and obliterated from their land, as if they had never enjoyed prosperity there at all. The phrase 'Ala bu'dan li-Madyana' (destruction upon Madyan) is a curse invoking ruin upon them, similar to how the people of Thamud were destroyed before them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this refers to the final destruction of Madyan by Prophet Shu'ayb, emphasizing the completeness of Allah's punishment upon those who reject His messengers and persist in corruption.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Hud's accounts of various destroyed nations. It specifically follows the narrative of Prophet Shu'ayb and the people of Madyan, who rejected him despite his warnings against fraud and injustice in commerce. The ayah emphasizes the finality and totality of their destruction as a consequence of their disbelief.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly references this ayah, the destruction of Madyan is mentioned in the broader context of destroyed peoples. See Surah Al-'Ankabut 29:36-37 for complementary Quranic references to Madyan's fate.
Themes
Key Lesson
Just as past nations were entirely erased for their disobedience and injustice, those who reject divine guidance and persist in corruption face the inevitability of Allah's punishment. This serves as a profound warning that no amount of worldly prosperity can protect a society from divine reckoning if it abandons justice and truth.
Related Ayahs
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ أَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْمِكْيَالَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
And O my people, give full measure and weight in justice and do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ مَن يَنصُرُنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِن طَرَدتُّهُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ
And O my people, who would protect me from Allāh if I drove them away? Then will you not be reminded?
وَلَئِنْ أَخَّرْنَا عَنْهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابَ إِلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ مَّعْدُودَةٍ لَّيَقُولُنَّ مَا يَحْبِسُهُۥٓ ۗ أَلَا يَوْمَ يَأْتِيهِمْ لَيْسَ مَصْرُوفًا عَنْهُمْ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And if We hold back from them the punishment for a limited time, they will surely say, "What detains it?" Unquestionably, on the Day it comes to them, it will not be averted from them, and they will be enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
وَقُل لِّلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٱعْمَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنَّا عَـٰمِلُونَ
And say to those who do not believe, "Work according to your position; indeed, we are working.