فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَن تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوٓا۟ أَرْحَامَكُمْ 22
Translations
So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship?
Transliteration
Fa-hal 'asaytum in tawallaytum an tufsidoo fil-ardi wa-taqatti'oo arhamakum
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question warning the believers that if they turn away from Allah's guidance, they will inevitably corrupt the earth and sever family ties. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this as a causal connection: rejection of divine guidance naturally leads to moral corruption and societal breakdown, beginning with the destruction of familial bonds, which are foundational to a healthy society. The ayah emphasizes personal accountability by directly addressing the addressees' potential choices and their inevitable consequences.
Revelation Context
Surah Muhammad was revealed in Madinah during a period of intensified conflict between the Muslim community and its opponents. This ayah comes in a section warning believers against hypocrisy and wavering faith, reminding them that abandoning Islamic principles leads to widespread corruption (fasad) in society, mirroring the state of pre-Islamic Arabia and contemporary hostile societies.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever severs the ties of kinship will not enter Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari 5638). Additionally, 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3895), highlighting the primacy of maintaining family bonds in Islam.
Themes
Key Lesson
Straying from Allah's path is not merely a personal spiritual matter but has cascading social consequences, beginning with the disintegration of family bonds and spreading to broader societal corruption. Maintaining Islamic principles, particularly upholding family ties (silat al-rahim), is essential for both individual salvation and social stability.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَأَرَيْنَـٰكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُم بِسِيمَـٰهُمْ ۚ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِى لَحْنِ ٱلْقَوْلِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ
And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their mark; but you will surely know them by the tone of [their] speech. And Allāh knows your deeds.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ
Indeed, those who disbelieved and averted [people] from the path of Allāh and then died while they were disbelievers - never will Allāh forgive them.
سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ
He will guide them and amend their condition
هَـٰٓأَنتُمْ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبْخَلُ ۖ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْغَنِىُّ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ ۚ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوٓا۟ أَمْثَـٰلَكُم
Here you are - those invited to spend in the cause of Allāh - but among you are those who withhold [out of greed]. And whoever withholds only withholds [benefit] from himself; and Allāh is the Free of need, while you are the needy. And if you turn away [i.e., refuse], He will replace you with another people; then they will not be the likes of you.