Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 9 At-Tawbah, Ayat 68-70
وَعَدَ اللّٰهُ الۡمُنٰفِقِيۡنَ وَالۡمُنٰفِقٰتِ وَالۡـكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَـنَّمَ خٰلِدِيۡنَ فِيۡهَا ؕ هِىَ حَسۡبُهُمۡ ۚ وَلَـعَنَهُمُ اللّٰهُ ۚ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ مُّقِيۡمٌ ۙ
﴿9:68﴾
كَالَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِكُمۡ كَانُوۡۤا اَشَدَّ مِنۡكُمۡ قُوَّةً وَّاَكۡثَرَ اَمۡوَالًا وَّاَوۡلَادًا ؕ فَاسۡتَمۡتَعُوۡا بِخَلَاقِهِمۡ فَاسۡتَمۡتَعۡتُمۡ بِخَلَاقِكُمۡ كَمَا اسۡتَمۡتَعَ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِكُمۡ بِخَلَاقِهِمۡ وَخُضۡتُمۡ كَالَّذِىۡ خَاضُوۡا ؕ اُولٰۤـئِكَ حَبِطَتۡ اَعۡمَالُهُمۡ فِى الدُّنۡيَا وَالۡاٰخِرَةِ ۚ وَاُولٰۤـئِكَ هُمُ الۡخٰسِرُوۡنَ
﴿9:69﴾
اَلَمۡ يَاۡتِهِمۡ نَبَاُ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡ قَوۡمِ نُوۡحٍ وَّعَادٍ وَّثَمُوۡدَ ۙ وَقَوۡمِ اِبۡرٰهِيۡمَ وَاَصۡحٰبِ مَدۡيَنَ وَالۡمُؤۡتَفِكٰتِ ؕ اَتَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُمۡ بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ ۚ فَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡ وَلٰـكِنۡ كَانُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُوۡنَ
﴿9:70﴾
[9:68] Allah has promised Hell-Fire to the hypocrites, both men and women,
and to the unbelievers. They shall abide in it: a sufficient recompense for
them. Allah has cursed them, and theirs is a lasting torment. [9:69] Your ways are like the ways of those who have gone before you.76
They were mightier than you in power, and more abundant in riches and children.
They enjoyed their lot for a while as you have enjoyed your lot, and you also
engaged in idle talk as they did. Their works have come to naught in this world,
and in the Hereafter they are surely the losers. [9:70] Have they not heard the accounts of those who came before them77
- of the people of Noah and 'Ad and Thamud, and the people of Abraham and the
dwellers of Madyan (Midian), and the cities that were overturned?78
Their Messengers came to them with Clear Signs. Then, it was not Allah Who caused
them any wrong; they rather wronged themselves.79
Notes
76. In the preceding verse, they were being mentioned in the third person,
but here they are being addressed directly in the second person.
77. Again they are being mentioned in the third person.
78. These were the people of Lot.
79. “They used to wrong themselves” for they were themselves responsible
for their destruction. Allah had no enmity with them and had no desire to destroy
them. As a matter of fact, they themselves adopted the way of life that led
to destruction, whereas Allah had sent His Messengers to them and afforded them
the opportunities of thinking, understanding, and reforming. His Messengers
admonished and warned them of the consequences of treading wrong paths, and
presented very clearly before them the way that leads to success, and also the
ways that lead to destruction. But when they did not benefit from the opportunities
that were offered to them to mend their ways, and persisted in treading the
ways that led to destruction, they inevitably met with the end for which they
were heading. And this horrible end was not due to Allah’s will to be unjust
to them but due to their own evil doings."