Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Story of `Ad or Thamud Allah tells us that after the people of Nuh, He created another nation. It was said that this was `Ad, because they were the successors of the people of Nuh. Or it was said that they were Thamud, because Allah says: فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ (So, the Sayhah overtook them in truth.) Allah sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, and he called them to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate, but they belied him, opposed him and refused to follow him because he was a human being like them, and they refused to follow a human Messenger. They did not believe in the meeting with Allah on the Day of Resurrection and they denied the idea of physical resurrection. They said: أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتٌّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَاباً وَعِظـماً أَنَّكُمْ مُّخْرَجُونَ - هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ (Does he promise you that when you have died and have become dust and bones, you shall come out alive (resurrected) Far, very far is that which you are promised!) meaning, very unlikely. إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ افتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً (He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allah,) meaning, `in the Message he has brought to you, and his warnings and promise of resurrection.' وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَقَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ (and we are not going to believe in him. He said: "O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.") meaning, the Messenger ﷺ prayed against his people and asked his Lord to help him against them. His Lord answered his prayer: قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَـدِمِينَ ((Allah) said: "In a little while, they are sure to be regretful.") meaning, `for their opposition towards you and their stubborn rejection of the Message you brought to them.' فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ (So, The Sayhah overtook them in truth,) meaning, they deserved that from Allah because of their disbelief and wrongdoing. The apparent meaning is that the Sayhah was combined with the furious cold wind, تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا فَأْصْبَحُواْ لاَ يُرَى إِلاَّ مَسَـكِنُهُمْ (Destroying everything by the command of its Lord! So they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings!) 46:25 فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ غُثَآءً (and We made them as rubbish of dead plants.) means, they are dead and destroyed, like the scum and rubbish left by a flood, i.e., something insignificant and useless that is of no benefit to anyone. فَبُعْداً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ (So, away with the people who are wrongdoers.) As Allah's statement: وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ هُمُ الظَّـلِمِينَ (We wronged them not, but they were the wrongdoers.) 43:76 means, who are wrongdoers because of their disbelief and stubborn opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so let those who hear this beware of disbelieving in their Messengers.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Mention of Other Nations Allah says: ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُوناً ءَاخَرِينَ (Then, after them, We created other generations.) meaning, nations and peoples. مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْخِرُونَ (No nation can advance their term, nor can they delay it.) means, they are taken at the appropriate time, as decreed by Allah in His Book that is preserved with Him, before they were created, nation after nation, century after century, generation after generation, successors after predecessors. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى (Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.) Ibn `Abbas said, "(This means) following one another in succession." This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ (And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid Taghut (all false deities)." Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified) 16:36. كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ (Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him;) meaning the greater majority of them. This is like the Ayah: يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ (Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.) 36:30 فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضاً (so We made them follow one another,) means, `We destroyed them,' as Allah says: وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ (And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) 17:17 وَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ (and We made them as Ahadith) meaning, stories and lessons for mankind, as Allah says elsewhere: فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (so, We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally) 34:19.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Mention of Other Nations Allah says: ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُوناً ءَاخَرِينَ (Then, after them, We created other generations.) meaning, nations and peoples. مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْخِرُونَ (No nation can advance their term, nor can they delay it.) means, they are taken at the appropriate time, as decreed by Allah in His Book that is preserved with Him, before they were created, nation after nation, century after century, generation after generation, successors after predecessors. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى (Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.) Ibn `Abbas said, "(This means) following one another in succession." This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ (And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid Taghut (all false deities)." Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified) 16:36. كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ (Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him;) meaning the greater majority of them. This is like the Ayah: يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ (Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.) 36:30 فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضاً (so We made them follow one another,) means, `We destroyed them,' as Allah says: وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ (And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) 17:17 وَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ (and We made them as Ahadith) meaning, stories and lessons for mankind, as Allah says elsewhere: فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (so, We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally) 34:19.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Mention of Other Nations Allah says: ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُوناً ءَاخَرِينَ (Then, after them, We created other generations.) meaning, nations and peoples. مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَـْخِرُونَ (No nation can advance their term, nor can they delay it.) means, they are taken at the appropriate time, as decreed by Allah in His Book that is preserved with Him, before they were created, nation after nation, century after century, generation after generation, successors after predecessors. ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَى (Then We sent Our Messengers in succession.) Ibn `Abbas said, "(This means) following one another in succession." This is like the Ayah: وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّـغُوتَ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ هَدَى اللَّهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ حَقَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الضَّلَـلَةُ (And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and avoid Taghut (all false deities)." Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified) 16:36. كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ (Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him;) meaning the greater majority of them. This is like the Ayah: يحَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ (Alas for mankind! There never came a Messenger to them but they used to mock at him.) 36:30 فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضاً (so We made them follow one another,) means, `We destroyed them,' as Allah says: وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ (And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) 17:17 وَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ (and We made them as Ahadith) meaning, stories and lessons for mankind, as Allah says elsewhere: فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ وَمَزَّقْنَـهُمْ كُلَّ مُمَزَّقٍ (so, We made them as tales (in the land), and We dispersed them all totally) 34:19.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

The Story of Musa, Peace be upon Him; and Fir`awn Allah tells us that He sent Musa, peace be upon him, and his brother Harun to Fir`awn and his chiefs with decisive evidence and definitive proof, but Fir`awn and his people were too arrogant to follow them and obey their commands because they were human beings, just as previous nations had denied the Message of the human Messengers. They were of a similar mentality, so Allah destroyed Fir`awn and his chiefs, drowning them all in one day. He revealed the Book to Musa, i.e., the Tawrah, in which were rulings, commands and prohibitions, after He had destroyed Fir`awn and the Egyptians and seized them with a punishment of the All-Mighty, All-Capable to carry out what He wills. After Allah revealed the Tawrah, Allah did not destroy any nation with an overwhelming calamity; instead, He commanded the believers to fight the disbelievers, as He says: وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ مِن بَعْدِ مَآ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ الاٍّولَى بَصَآئِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ (And indeed We gave Musa -- after We had destroyed the generations of old -- the Scripture as an enlightenment for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that they might remember.) 28:43