فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا مُّسْتَقْبِلَ أَوْدِيَتِهِمْ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا عَارِضٌ مُّمْطِرُنَا ۚ بَلْ هُوَ مَا ٱسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِۦ ۖ رِيحٌ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ 24
Translations
And when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said, "This is a cloud bringing us rain!" Rather, it is that for which you were impatient: a wind, within it a painful punishment,
Transliteration
Falamma ra'awhu 'aaridhan mustaqbila awdiyatihim qaaluu haadha 'aaridun mumtiruna bal huwa maa istacjaltum bih reehun feeha adhaabun aleem
Tafsir (Explanation)
When the people of Ad saw a cloud approaching their valleys, they initially believed it would bring rain to end their drought and rejoiced, saying 'This is a cloud bringing us rain!' However, Allah revealed to them through His Prophet Hud that this was actually the very punishment they had arrogantly demanded—a devastating wind carrying a painful torment. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note that this ayah illustrates the irony of how the disbelievers' own arrogance and rejection of the Prophet's warning led them directly to the punishment they mockingly requested.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the broader Meccan narrative of Surah Al-Ahqaf, which recounts the story of the people of Ad and their rejection of Prophet Hud. The context describes how Ad was a powerful civilization that denied the truth; when drought struck them, Prophet Hud warned them that their arrogance would lead to divine punishment. This ayah captures the moment their destruction arrived—a wind of torment disguised initially as a rain-bearing cloud.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly quotes this ayah, Sunan Ibn Majah and other collections record hadiths about the people of Ad and the destructive wind ('aaq) that Allah sent upon them for eight days and nights as punishment for rejecting Prophet Hud's message.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that mocking divine warnings or arrogantly demanding proof can lead to swift and unexpected punishment, and that we should approach Allah's signs with humility and sincere seeking rather than skepticism. It reminds believers to heed the message of the prophets and recognize that what appears beneficial on the surface may conceal divine judgment for those who persist in disbelief.