بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Al-Hijr 15:5
The Rocky Tract · Juz 14 · Page 262
مَّا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ ٥
No nation will precede its term, nor will they remain thereafter.
Tafsir · in English
Ibn Kathir (abridged)
Medium · The classic, abridged: ayahs explained by ayahs and hadith.
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Commentary on 15:4–5
Every Township has its allotted Time
Allah is informing us that He never destroys a township until He has established evidences for it and its allotted time has ended. When the time for a nation's destruction has come, He never delays it, and He never moves its appointed time forward. This was a message and a warning to the people of Makkah, telling them to give up their Shirk, their stubbornness and disbelief for which they deserved to be destroyed.
Page 262
15:1
الٓرۚ تِلۡكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَقُرۡءَانٖ مُّبِينٖ ١
Alif, Lām, Rā.1 These are the verses of the Book and a clear Qur’ān [i.e., recitation].
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 2:1. ↩
15:2
رُّبَمَا يَوَدُّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡ كَانُواْ مُسۡلِمِينَ ٢
Perhaps those who disbelieve will wish1 that they had been Muslims.
1 translator’s note
- On the Day of Judgement or at the time of death. ↩
15:3
ذَرۡهُمۡ يَأۡكُلُواْ وَيَتَمَتَّعُواْ وَيُلۡهِهِمُ ٱلۡأَمَلُۖ فَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٣
Let them eat and enjoy themselves and be diverted by [false] hope, for they are going to know.
15:4
وَمَآ أَهۡلَكۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٍ إِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٞ مَّعۡلُومٞ ٤
And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree.
15:5
مَّا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ ٥
No nation will precede its term, nor will they remain thereafter.
15:6
وَقَالُواْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِي نُزِّلَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلذِّكۡرُ إِنَّكَ لَمَجۡنُونٞ ٦
And they say, "O you upon whom the message has been sent down, indeed you are mad.1
1 translator’s note
- Literally, "possessed by jinn." ↩
15:7
لَّوۡمَا تَأۡتِينَا بِٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰدِقِينَ ٧
Why do you not bring us the angels, if you should be among the truthful?"
15:8
مَا نُنَزِّلُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةَ إِلَّا بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَمَا كَانُوٓاْ إِذٗا مُّنظَرِينَ ٨
We do not send down the angels except with truth;1 and they [i.e., the disbelievers] would not then be reprieved.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., with a message or, as the conclusion of the verse suggests, to carry out a promised punishment. ↩
15:9
إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ ٩
Indeed, it is We who sent down the message [i.e., the Qur’ān], and indeed, We will be its guardian.
15:10
وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ فِي شِيَعِ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٠
And We had certainly sent [messengers] before you, [O Muḥammad], among the sects of the former peoples.
15:11
وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ١١
And no messenger would come to them except that they ridiculed him.
15:12
كَذَٰلِكَ نَسۡلُكُهُۥ فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمِينَ ١٢
Thus do We insert it [i.e., denial] into the hearts of the criminals.
15:13
لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَقَدۡ خَلَتۡ سُنَّةُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ١٣
They will not believe in it, while there has already occurred the precedent of the former peoples.
15:14
وَلَوۡ فَتَحۡنَا عَلَيۡهِم بَابٗا مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَظَلُّواْ فِيهِ يَعۡرُجُونَ ١٤
And [even] if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend,
15:15
لَقَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا سُكِّرَتۡ أَبۡصَٰرُنَا بَلۡ نَحۡنُ قَوۡمٞ مَّسۡحُورُونَ ١٥
They would say, "Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic."
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy