كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَفِرْعَوْنُ ذُو ٱلْأَوْتَادِ 12
Translations
The people of Noah denied before them, and [the tribe of] ʿAad and Pharaoh, the owner of stakes,
Transliteration
Kazzabat qablahum qawmu Noohin wa 'Aadun wa Fi'awnu dhu al-awtaad
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah presents a historical reminder that the peoples of Noah, 'Ad, and Pharaoh (described as 'possessor of the stakes/tent-pegs') all rejected and denied the messages of their respective prophets before the time of Prophet Muhammad. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the phrase 'dhū al-awtād' (possessor of the stakes) refers to Pharaoh's great military power and fortifications, symbolizing his earthly dominion and strength. The ayah serves as a consolation to the Prophet and a warning to the Meccan disbelievers that rejection of divine signs is not unprecedented—previous powerful nations faced similar spiritual blindness and consequent destruction.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period within Surah Sad, which addresses the mockery and rejection faced by Prophet Muhammad from the Quraysh. The surah frequently references previous nations' rejection of their prophets to contextualize the contemporary disbelief and to reassure the Prophet that this pattern of denial is historical and carries inevitable consequences. The broader theme emphasizes that divine justice operates consistently across time.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected here relates to Hadith Qudsi: 'My mercy precedes My wrath' (Sahih Muslim 2751), illustrating that Allah gave these nations opportunities before punishment. Additionally, the destruction of 'Ad is detailed in Sahih Bukhari (3156) where the Prophet described the tremendous wind that destroyed them over seven nights and eight days.
Themes
Key Lesson
Just as powerful nations before us rejected their prophets and faced destruction, we must heed divine guidance in our own time; arrogance and material strength offer no protection against the consequences of rejecting truth and divine signs.
Related Ayahs
تَلْفَحُ وُجُوهَهُمُ ٱلنَّارُ وَهُمْ فِيهَا كَـٰلِحُونَ
The Fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles.
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ نُهُوا۟ عَنِ ٱلنَّجْوَىٰ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا نُهُوا۟ عَنْهُ وَيَتَنَـٰجَوْنَ بِٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ وَمَعْصِيَتِ ٱلرَّسُولِ وَإِذَا جَآءُوكَ حَيَّوْكَ بِمَا لَمْ يُحَيِّكَ بِهِ ٱللَّهُ وَيَقُولُونَ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَوْلَا يُعَذِّبُنَا ٱللَّهُ بِمَا نَقُولُ ۚ حَسْبُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ يَصْلَوْنَهَا ۖ فَبِئْسَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Have you not considered those who were forbidden from private conversation [i.e., ridicule and conspiracy] and then return to that which they were forbidden and converse among themselves about sin and aggression and disobedience to the Messenger? And when they come to you, they greet you with that [word] by which Allāh does not greet you and say among themselves, "Why does Allāh not punish us for what we say?" Sufficient for them is Hell, which they will [enter to] burn, and wretched is the destination.
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُۥ فِى ٱلْفُلْكِ وَأَغْرَقْنَا ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا عَمِينَ
But they denied him, so We saved him and those who were with him in the ship. And We drowned those who denied Our signs. Indeed, they were a blind people.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ
Indeed, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to avert [people] from the way of Allāh. So they will spend it; then it will be for them a [source of] regret; then they will be overcome. And those who have disbelieved - unto Hell they will be gathered.