At-Tawba 9:70 · The Repentance · Arabic, translation, recitation

Other English translations

Abdel Haleem (Oxford)+

"Have they never heard the stories about their predecessors, the peoples of Noah, Ad, Thamud, Abraham, Midian, and the ruined cities? Their messengers came to them with clear evidence of the truth: God would not deceive them; they deceived themselves."

Pickthall (classic)+

"Hath not the fame of those before them reached them - the folk of Noah, A'ad, Thamud, the folk of Abraham, the dwellers of Midian and the disasters (which befell them)? Their messengers (from Allah) came unto them with proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty). So Allah surely wronged them not, but they did wrong themselves."

Yusuf Ali (classic)+

"Hath not the story reached them of those before them?- the People of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thamud; the People of Abraham, the men of Midian, and the cities overthrown. To them came their messengers with clear signs. It is not Allah Who wrongs them, but they wrong their own souls."

Tafsīr · classical commentary

Ibn Kathir

Abridged English, public domain

Advising the Hypocrites to learn a Lesson from Those before Them

Allah advises the hypocrites who reject the Messengers,

أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

(Has not the story reached them of those before them) have you (hypocrites) not learned the end of the nations before you who rejected the Messengers,

قَوْمُ نُوحٍ

(The people of Nuh), and the flood that drowned the entire population of the earth, except those who believed in Allah's servant and Messenger Nuh, peace be upon him,

وَعَادٌ

(and `Ad), who perished with the barren wind when they rejected Hud, peace be upon him,

وَثَمُودُ

(and Thamud), who were overtaken by the Sayhah (awful cry) when they denied Salih, peace be upon him, and killed the camel,

وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَهِيمَ

(and the people of Ibrahim), over whom He gave Ibrahim victory and the aid of clear miracles. Allah destroyed their king Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Koch from Canaan, may Allah curse him,

وِأَصْحَـبِ مَدْيَنَ

(and the dwellers of Madyan), the people of Shu`ayb, peace be upon him, who were destroyed by the earthquake and the torment of the day of the Shade,

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَـتِ

(and the overturned cities), the people of Lut who used to live in Madyan. Allah said in another Ayah,

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى

(And He destroyed the overturned cities) 53:53, meaning the people of the overturned cities in reference to Sadum Sodom, their major city. Allah destroyed them all because they rejected Allah's Prophet Lut, peace be upon him, and because they committed the sin that none before them had committed homosexuality.

أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(to them came their Messengers with clear proofs.), and unequivocal evidence,

فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ

(So it was not Allah Who wronged them), when He destroyed them, for He established the proofs against them by sending the Messengers and dissipating the doubts,

وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they used to wrong themselves), on account of their denying the Messengers and defying the Truth; this is why they earned the end, torment and punishment, that they did.

Let us now consider the statement: كَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ (You are) like those before you' in verse 69. According to one exegetical explanation, this is addressed to hypocrites while according to the other explanation, the address is to Muslims. The addition of ` you are' in parenthesis points out in this direction. Thus, it means that ` you too are like people before you. They went for worldly enjoyments and forgot all about the life to come. The result was that they sank into all sorts of sins. So shall you be.

Explaining this verse, Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ عنہ narrates a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet ﷺ . 1n al has been reported to have said that ` you too will take to the ways taken by communities before you. You will imitate them in toto as dittos and clones to the limit that should you see one of them entering into the hole of a lizard (iguana), you will follow him there too.' After having narrated this far, Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ said that should anyone wish to as-certain the thematic authenticity of this Hadith, let him read this verse of the Qur'an: كَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ `(You are) like those before you - 69.'

On hearing this, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: مَا اَشبَہَ اللَّیلَۃ بِالبَارِحَۃِ that is, ` how similar is this night (in our time) to the last night (way back) - they are the people of Bani Isra'il and we have been likened to them.' (Qurtubi)

The aim of the Hadith is fairly evident. It warns that Muslims too will start following the ways of the Jews and Christians by latter times. This statement appears only after a punishment has been announced for the hypocrites. It serves as an indicator that good Muslims would not do that. Only those among them, who are weak in 'Iman may do so because they are still infected with the germs of hypocrisy. All good men and women of the Muslim community have been instructed in this verse that they should themselves abstain from such ways as well as help others do the same.