Al-Ankaboot 29:40 · The Spider · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"and We punished each one of them for their sins: some We struck with a violent storm; some were overcome by a sudden blast; some We made the earth swallow; and some We drowned. It was not God who wronged them; they wronged themselves."

Pickthall (classic)+

"So We took each one in his sin; of them was he on whom We sent a hurricane, and of them was he who was overtaken by the (Awful) Cry, and of them was he whom We caused the earth to swallow, and of them was he whom We drowned. It was not for Allah to wrong them, but they wronged themselves."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"Each one of them We seized for his crime: of them, against some We sent a violent tornado (with showers of stones); some were caught by a (mighty) Blast; some We caused the earth to swallow up; and some We drowned (in the waters): It was not Allah Who injured (or oppressed) them:" They injured (and oppressed) their own souls."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

The Destruction of Nations Who rejected Their Messengers

Allah tells us about these nations who disbelieved in their Messengers, and how He destroyed them and sent various kinds of punishments and vengeance upon them. `Ad, the people of Hud, peace be upon him, used to live in the Ahqaf (curved sand-hills), near Hadramawt, in the Yemen. Thamud, the people of Salih, lived in Al-Hijr, near Wadi Al-Qura. The Arabs used to know their dwelling place very well, and they often used to pass by it. Qarun was the owner of great wealth and had the keys to immense treasures. Fir`awn, the king of Egypt at the time of Musa, and his minister Haman were two Coptics who disbelieved in Allah and His Messenger, peace be upon him.

فَكُلاًّ أَخَذْنَا بِذَنبِهِ

(So, We punished each for his sins,) their punishments fit their crimes.

فَمِنْهُم مَّن أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِباً

(of them were some on whom We sent a Hasib,) This was the case with `Ad, and this happened because they said: "Who is stronger than us" So, there came upon them a violent, intensely cold wind, which was very strong and carried pebbles which it threw upon them. It carried them through the air, lifting a man up to the sky and then hurling him headlong to the ground, so that his head split and he was left as a body without a head, like uprooted stems of date palms.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ

(and of them were some who were overtaken by As-Sayhah,) This is what happened to Thamud, against whom evidence was established because of the she-camel who came forth when the rock was split, exactly as they had asked for. Yet despite that they did not believe, rather they persisted in their evil behavior and disbelief, and threatening to expel Allah's Prophet Salih and the believers with him, or to stone them. So the Sayhah struck them, taking away their powers of speech and movement.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الاٌّرْضَ

(and of them were some whom We caused the earth to swallow,) This refers to Qarun who transgressed, he was evil and arrogant. He disobeyed his Lord, the Most High, and paraded through the land in a boastful manner, filled with self-admiration, thinking that he was better than others. He showed off as he walked, so Allah caused the earth to swallow him and his house, and he will continue sinking into it until the Day of Resurrection.

وَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا

(and of them were some whom We drowned.) This refers to Fir`awn, his minister Haman and their troops, all of whom were drowned in a single morning, not one of them escaped.

وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ

(It was not Allah Who wronged them,) in what He did to them,

وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they wronged themselves.) that happened to them as a punishment for what they did with their own hands.

Всемогущий Аллах возвестил о том, что каждый из неверующих народов получил наказание, которое соответствовало совершенным им злодеяниям. На некоторых грешников Господь обрушил шквалистый ветер. Эта горькая участь досталась адитам, на которых обрушился злосчастный ураган, бушевавший в течение семи ночей и восьми дней без перерыва, после чего поверженные нечестивцы были подобны рухнувшим сгнившим пальмовым стволам. Некоторых грешников Господь поразил чудовищным воплем, и ярким свидетельством этого стала погибель соплеменников пророка Салиха. Иных нечестивцев поглотила земля, и такой ужасный конец выпал на долю надменного Каруна. А других грешников Всемогущий Господь потопил в море, что и произошло с Фараоном, Хаманом и их войском. Аллах не был несправедлив к людям - они сами были несправедливы к себе. Не подобает Всевышнему Аллаху притеснять Своих рабов, потому что Он справедлив и не нуждается в Своих творениях. Однако нечестивцы сами были несправедливы к себе, потому что не выполняли своих обязанностей и забывали о том, что смыслом человеческой жизни является поклонение одному Аллаху. Они не придавали этому должного значения, потакали своим страстям и совершали грехи. В результате они обрекли себя на великое несчастье, хотя полагали, что сумеют извлечь из этого пользу.