Al-Hajj 22:42
The Pilgrimage · Juz 17 · Page 337
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدۡ كَذَّبَتۡ قَبۡلَهُمۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٖ وَعَادٞ وَثَمُودُ ٤٢
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad] - so, before them, did the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamūd deny [their prophets],
Tafsir · in English
Tazkirul Quran
Brief · Short modern reflections on each passage.
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Commentary on 22:42–44
The people who denied Abraham and Moses were their contemporaries and not those living when this verse was revealed: by the time the Quran was revealed, all the people professed to be followers of these prophets. The same thing happened in the case of all the other prophets. The people of their age disbelieved them, and it was the successors of these very people who elevated them to the status of greatness and holiness. The reason for this is that, in his own times, a prophet is simply a call-giver without the trappings of greatness, but in later ages, a history of greatness gathers round his name. The people of every age have proved that they are not capable of recognising a prophet,—a lonely herald of Truth. They can recognise a prophet only when greatness already attaches to his name. The Prophet Muhammad brought the same message as was brought by Prophet Abraham and Moses. But the people of his age, who were proud of being associated with Abraham and Moses, refused to accept him. This shows which people are in reality believers in a prophet. The real believers in a prophet are those who recognise the ‘call-giving’ prophet while he is still at the stage of having no signs of greatness attached to him. Those who recognise him only when he has achieved greatness are simply believers in history and not real believers in the Prophet of God.
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22:39
أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمۡ ظُلِمُواْۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصۡرِهِمۡ لَقَدِيرٌ ٣٩
Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought,1 because they were wronged. And indeed, Allāh is competent to give them victory.
1 translator’s note
- Referring here to the Prophet's companions. ↩
22:40
ٱلَّذِينَ أُخۡرِجُواْ مِن دِيَٰرِهِم بِغَيۡرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّآ أَن يَقُولُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُۗ وَلَوۡلَا دَفۡعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعۡضَهُم بِبَعۡضٖ لَّهُدِّمَتۡ صَوَٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٞ وَصَلَوَٰتٞ وَمَسَٰجِدُ يُذۡكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسۡمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرٗاۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ ٤٠
[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right - only because they say, "Our Lord is Allāh." And were it not that Allāh checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allāh is much mentioned [i.e., praised]. And Allāh will surely support those who support Him [i.e., His cause]. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
22:41
ٱلَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أَقَامُواْ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَوُاْ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَمَرُواْ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَنَهَوۡاْ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلۡأُمُورِ ٤١
[And they are] those who, if We give them authority in the land, establish prayer and give zakāh and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And to Allāh belongs the outcome of [all] matters.
22:42
وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدۡ كَذَّبَتۡ قَبۡلَهُمۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٖ وَعَادٞ وَثَمُودُ ٤٢
And if they deny you, [O Muḥammad] - so, before them, did the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamūd deny [their prophets],
22:43
وَقَوۡمُ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ وَقَوۡمُ لُوطٖ ٤٣
And the people of Abraham and the people of Lot
22:44
وَأَصۡحَٰبُ مَدۡيَنَۖ وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَىٰۖ فَأَمۡلَيۡتُ لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذۡتُهُمۡۖ فَكَيۡفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ٤٤
And the inhabitants of Madyan. And Moses was denied, so I prolonged enjoyment for the disbelievers; then I seized them, and how [terrible] was My reproach.
22:45
فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرۡيَةٍ أَهۡلَكۡنَٰهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٞ فَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا وَبِئۡرٖ مُّعَطَّلَةٖ وَقَصۡرٖ مَّشِيدٍ ٤٥
And how many a city did We destroy while it was committing wrong - so it is [now] fallen into ruin1 - and [how many] an abandoned well and [how many] a lofty palace.2
22:46
أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٞ يَعۡقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوۡ ءَاذَانٞ يَسۡمَعُونَ بِهَاۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعۡمَى ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَلَٰكِن تَعۡمَى ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِي فِي ٱلصُّدُورِ ٤٦
So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.