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
فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ ٱلْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْمُهِينِ
And when We decreed for him [i.e., Solomon] death, nothing indicated to them [i.e., the jinn] his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.
فَأَعْرَضُوا۟ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سَيْلَ ٱلْعَرِمِ وَبَدَّلْنَـٰهُم بِجَنَّتَيْهِمْ جَنَّتَيْنِ ذَوَاتَىْ أُكُلٍ خَمْطٍ وَأَثْلٍ وَشَىْءٍ مِّن سِدْرٍ قَلِيلٍ
But they turned away [refusing], so We sent upon them the flood of the dam, and We replaced their two [fields of] gardens with gardens of bitter fruit, tamarisks and something of sparse lote trees.
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ أَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْبُدُونَ
And [mention] the Day when He will gather them all and then say to the angels, "Did these [people] used to worship you?"
وَجَعَلْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ ٱلْقُرَى ٱلَّتِى بَـٰرَكْنَا فِيهَا قُرًى ظَـٰهِرَةً وَقَدَّرْنَا فِيهَا ٱلسَّيْرَ ۖ سِيرُوا۟ فِيهَا لَيَالِىَ وَأَيَّامًا ءَامِنِينَ
And We placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] visible cities. And We determined between them the [distances of] journey, [saying], "Travel between them by night or by day in safety."