وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ 34
Translations
And We did not send into a city any warner except that its affluent said, "Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers."
Transliteration
Wa mā arsalnā fī qaryatin min nadhīrin illā qāla mutrafūhā innā bimā ursiltum bihī kāfirūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah states that whenever Allah sent a warner (messenger) to any town, the wealthy and affluent among its people rejected the message outright. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the word 'mutrafūhā' (those given to ease and luxury) refers to the elite and privileged classes who were so consumed by worldly pleasures and their status that they refused to accept the divine message, viewing it as a threat to their power and comfort.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surat Saba, a Meccan surah that addresses the Meccan pagans' rejection of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and establishes a historical pattern of resistance to divine guidance. The ayah reflects the broader Meccan context where the wealthy merchants and leaders of Quraysh rejected the Prophet's message, demonstrating that such opposition was not unique to that time but a recurring pattern throughout history.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (6439) where the Prophet said: 'The most misguided people are those who follow their desires without knowledge.' This relates to how the wealthy prioritized their luxurious lifestyles over truth. Additionally, Surah Al-Mudathir (74:11-13) addresses similar arrogance among the wealthy who rejected the Quran.
Themes
Key Lesson
Wealth and social status can become veils that prevent the heart from receiving truth and guidance; believers should remain humble and open to divine wisdom regardless of their worldly position, recognizing that spiritual blindness is far more dangerous than physical blindness.
Related Ayahs
أَفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَم بِهِۦ جِنَّةٌۢ ۗ بَلِ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ وَٱلضَّلَـٰلِ ٱلْبَعِيدِ
Has he invented about Allāh a lie or is there in him madness?" Rather, they who do not believe in the Hereafter will be in the punishment and [are in] extreme error.
وَلِسُلَيْمَـٰنَ ٱلرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ ۖ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُۥ عَيْنَ ٱلْقِطْرِ ۖ وَمِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِۦ ۖ وَمَن يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ
And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind - its morning [journey was that of] a month - and its afternoon [journey was that of] a month, and We made flow for him a spring of [liquid] copper. And among the jinn were those who worked for him by the permission of his Lord. And whoever deviated among them from Our command - We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blaze.
وَلَا تَنفَعُ ٱلشَّفَـٰعَةُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُۥ ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَن قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ٱلْحَقَّ ۖ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ
And intercession does not benefit with Him except for one whom He permits. [And those wait] until, when terror is removed from their hearts, they will say [to one another], "What has your Lord said?" They will say, "The truth." And He is the Most High, the Grand.
۞ وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ۖ يَـٰجِبَالُ أَوِّبِى مَعَهُۥ وَٱلطَّيْرَ ۖ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ ٱلْحَدِيدَ
And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], "O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well]." And We made pliable for him iron,