سُورَةُ الأَعۡرَافِ
Reading Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti
Ayahs 91–100 of 206
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ
So the earthquake seized them, and they became within their home [corpses] fallen prone.
So the Trembling the violent earthquake seized them and they lay lifeless prostrate in their habitations keeled over their knees dead.
ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَا ۚ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا۟ شُعَيْبًۭا كَانُوا۟ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرِينَ
Those who denied Shu'ayb - it was as though they had never resided there. Those who denied Shu'ayb - it was they who were the losers.
Those who denied Shu‘ayb alladhīna kadhdhabū Shu‘ayban this constitutes the subject of the sentence the predicate of which is introduced by the following ka-an ‘as if’ it is as if ka-an has been softened its subject omitted in other words understand it as ka-annahum they had never dwelt never had residence there in those dwelling-places of theirs; those who denied Shu‘ayb they were the losers the emphasis effected by the repetition of the relative clause alladhīna kadhdhabū Shu‘ayban ‘those who denied Shu‘ayb’ and what follows it is intended as a refutation of what they had said previously sc. ‘if you follow Shu‘ayb you shall indeed be losers’.
فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَٰلَٰتِ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ ۖ فَكَيْفَ ءَاسَىٰ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍۢ كَٰفِرِينَ
And he turned away from them and said, "O my people, I had certainly conveyed to you the messages of my Lord and advised you, so how could I grieve for a disbelieving people?"
So he turned back on them and said ‘O my people I have conveyed to you the Messages of my Lord and advised you sincerely but you believe not so why should I grieve for a disbelieving people?’ the interrogative is meant rhetorically as a negation.
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍۢ مِّن نَّبِىٍّ إِلَّآ أَخَذْنَآ أَهْلَهَا بِٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ
And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allah].
And We did not send a prophet to any city but that when they denied him We seized We punished its people with misery abject poverty and hardship illness so that they might be humble so that they might be self-effaced and so believe.
ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ ٱلسَّيِّئَةِ ٱلْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّىٰ عَفَوا۟ وَّقَالُوا۟ قَدْ مَسَّ ءَابَآءَنَا ٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَٱلسَّرَّآءُ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بَغْتَةًۭ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.
Then We gave them in place of evil the chastisement good wealth and health until they multiplied and said out of ingratitude towards this grace ‘Hardship and happiness befell our fathers before’ just as it has befallen us and this is nothing but the habit of time and not the consequence of God so remain firm in what you follow. God exalted be He says So We seized them with the chastisement suddenly while they perceived not beforehand the time of its coming.
وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَٱتَّقَوْا۟ لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَٰكِن كَذَّبُوا۟ فَأَخَذْنَٰهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning."
Yet had the people of the towns the deniers believed in God and the messengers sent to them and been fearful of unbelief and acts of disobedience We would have indeed opened upon them read la-fatahnā or la-fattahnā blessings from the heaven by way of rain and earth by way of vegetation; but they denied the messengers and so We seized them We punished them on account of what they used to earn.
أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَٰتًۭا وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ
Then, did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them at night while they were asleep?
Do the people of the towns the deniers feel secure from the coming of Our might Our chastisement upon them at night while they are sleeping? unaware of it?
أَوَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا ضُحًۭى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
Or did the people of the cities feel secure from Our punishment coming to them in the morning while they were at play?
Or do the people of the towns feel secure from the coming of Our might upon them in the daytime while they are playing?
أَفَأَمِنُوا۟ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ
Then did they feel secure from the plan of Allah? But no one feels secure from the plan of Allah except the losing people.
And so do they feel secure from God’s plotting? that is His drawing them on by degrees through graces and then seizing them suddenly. None feels secure from God’s plotting but the people who are losers.
أَوَلَمْ يَهْدِ لِلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَهْلِهَآ أَن لَّوْ نَشَآءُ أَصَبْنَٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۚ وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ
Has it not become clear to those who inherited the earth after its [previous] people that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins? But We seal over their hearts so they do not hear.
Has it not been shown has it not become clear to those who inherit the earth as a place of habitation after the destruction of those who inhabited it that an is the softened form and constitutes the subject of the verb its noun having been omitted in other words understand it as annahu if We will We could smite them with chastisement for their sins? as We smote those before them? the hamza in the four instances are meant to indicate rebuke and the particles fa ‘so’ and wa ‘and’ which have been inserted in two instances each are meant to indicate a supplement; a variant reading for a-wa-amina has aw amina ‘or do they feel secure’ in the second instance as a supplement. And We seal up their hearts so that they do not hear the admonition in a way so as to reflect.
Commentary: Tafsir al-Jalalayn by Jalal al-Din al-Mahalli & Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.
