Al-An'am 6:131
The Cattle · Juz 8 · Page 144
ذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمۡ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهۡلِكَ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ بِظُلۡمٖ وَأَهۡلُهَا غَٰفِلُونَ ١٣١
That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing1 while their people were unaware.
1 translator’s note
- Or "unjustly." ↩
Tafsir · in English
Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 6:131–132
ذَلِكَ أَن لَّمْ يَكُنْ رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غَفِلُونَ
(This is because your Lord would not destroy the (populations of) towns for their wrongdoing while their people were unaware. ) meaning: `We sent the Messengers and revealed the Books to the Jinns and mankind, so that no one has an excuse that he is being punished for his wrongs although he did not receive Allah's Message. Therefore, We did not punish any of the nations, except after sending Messengers to them, so that they have no excuse.' Allah said in other Ayat,
وَإِن مِّنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلاَّ خَلاَ فِيهَا نَذِيرٌ
(And there never was a nation but a warner had passed among them.) 35:24, and
وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَّسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُواْ اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُواْ الْطَّغُوتَ
(And verily, We have sent among every Ummah a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah, and stay away from At-Taghut (all false deities).") 16:36, and
وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولاً
(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.) 17:15, and,
كُلَّمَا أُلْقِىَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌقَالُواْ بَلَى قَدْ جَآءَنَا نَذِيرٌ فَكَذَّبْنَا
(Every time a group is cast therein, its keeper will ask: "Did no warner come to you" They will say: "Yes, indeed a warner did come to us, but we belied him.") 67:8-9 There are many other Ayat on this subject. At-Tabari said, "Allah's statement,
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ
(For all there will be degrees according to what they did.) means, every person who obeys Allah or behaves disobediently, has grades and ranks according to their works, which Allah gives them as recompense, good for good and evil for evil." I say, it is possible that Allah's statement,
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ
(For all there will be degrees according to what they did.) refers to the disbelievers of the Jinns and mankind who will earn a place in the Fire according to their evil deeds. Allah said,
قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ
(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment).")7:38, and,
الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ بِمَا كَانُواْ يُفْسِدُونَ
(Those who disbelieved and hinder (others) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment because they used to spread corruption.) 16:88 Allah said next,
وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَفِلٍ عَمَّا يَعْمَلُونَ
(And your Lord is not unaware of what they do.) Ibn Jarir commented, "All these deeds that they did, O Muhammad, they did while your Lord is aware of them, and He collects and records these deeds with Him, so that He recompenses them when they meet Him and return to Him.
Page 144
6:125
فَمَن يُرِدِ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَهۡدِيَهُۥ يَشۡرَحۡ صَدۡرَهُۥ لِلۡإِسۡلَٰمِۖ وَمَن يُرِدۡ أَن يُضِلَّهُۥ يَجۡعَلۡ صَدۡرَهُۥ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجٗا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي ٱلسَّمَآءِۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يَجۡعَلُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّجۡسَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ ١٢٥
So whoever Allāh wants to guide - He expands his breast to [contain] Islām; and whoever He wants to send astray1 - He makes his breast tight and constricted as though he were climbing into the sky. Thus does Allāh place defilement upon those who do not believe.
1 translator’s note
- As a result of the person's arrogance and persistence in sin. ↩
6:126
وَهَٰذَا صِرَٰطُ رَبِّكَ مُسۡتَقِيمٗاۗ قَدۡ فَصَّلۡنَا ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ١٢٦
And this is the path of your Lord, [leading] straight. We have detailed the verses for a people who remember.
6:127
۞ لَهُمۡ دَارُ ٱلسَّلَٰمِ عِندَ رَبِّهِمۡۖ وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ١٢٧
For them will be the Home of Peace [i.e., Paradise] with their Lord. And He will be their protecting friend because of what they used to do.
6:128
وَيَوۡمَ يَحۡشُرُهُمۡ جَمِيعٗا يَٰمَعۡشَرَ ٱلۡجِنِّ قَدِ ٱسۡتَكۡثَرۡتُم مِّنَ ٱلۡإِنسِۖ وَقَالَ أَوۡلِيَآؤُهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡإِنسِ رَبَّنَا ٱسۡتَمۡتَعَ بَعۡضُنَا بِبَعۡضٖ وَبَلَغۡنَآ أَجَلَنَا ٱلَّذِيٓ أَجَّلۡتَ لَنَاۚ قَالَ ٱلنَّارُ مَثۡوَىٰكُمۡ خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٞ ١٢٨
And [mention, O Muḥammad], the Day when He will gather them together [and say], "O company of jinn, you have [misled] many of mankind." And their allies among mankind will say, "Our Lord, some of us made use of others, and we have [now] reached our term which You appointed for us." He will say, "The Fire is your residence, wherein you will abide eternally, except for what Allāh wills. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing."
6:129
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعۡضَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ بَعۡضَۢا بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡسِبُونَ ١٢٩
And thus will We make some of the wrongdoers allies of others for what they used to earn.1
1 translator’s note
- Another interpretation pertaining to this world is "And thus do We make some of the wrongdoers allies of others for what they have been earning." ↩
6:130
يَٰمَعۡشَرَ ٱلۡجِنِّ وَٱلۡإِنسِ أَلَمۡ يَأۡتِكُمۡ رُسُلٞ مِّنكُمۡ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ ءَايَٰتِي وَيُنذِرُونَكُمۡ لِقَآءَ يَوۡمِكُمۡ هَٰذَاۚ قَالُواْ شَهِدۡنَا عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِنَاۖ وَغَرَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَشَهِدُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ أَنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ كَٰفِرِينَ ١٣٠
"O company of jinn and mankind,1 did there not come to you messengers from among you, relating to you My verses and warning you of the meeting of this Day of yours?" They will say, "We bear witness against ourselves"; and the worldly life had deluded them, and they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
1 translator’s note
- They will be reproached thus at the Judgement. ↩
6:131
ذَٰلِكَ أَن لَّمۡ يَكُن رَّبُّكَ مُهۡلِكَ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ بِظُلۡمٖ وَأَهۡلُهَا غَٰفِلُونَ ١٣١
That is because your Lord would not destroy the cities for wrongdoing1 while their people were unaware.
1 translator’s note
- Or "unjustly." ↩