سُنَّةَ ٱللَّهِ فِى ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلُ ۖ وَلَن تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ ٱللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا 62
Translations
[This is] the established way of Allāh with those who passed on before; and you will not find in the way of Allāh any change.
Transliteration
Sunnat-allahi fil-ladhina khalaw min qabl; wa lan tajida li-sunnat-illahi tabdila
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah establishes that the Sunnah (laws, patterns, ways) of Allah with respect to His punishment of previous nations who rejected His messengers is immutable and unchangeable. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain this in the context of Surah Al-Ahzab's discussion of the Battle of the Trench, asserting that just as Allah punished disbelieving nations before, He will continue to do so according to His eternal principles. The ayah emphasizes divine consistency in judgment and the futility of hoping for exceptions to Allah's established moral and historical laws.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Ahzab (a Medinan surah), following discussions of the Battle of the Trench (5 AH) and the siege of Medina. It serves as a reassurance to the believers that Allah's pattern of supporting the faithful and punishing the disbelievers is constant and reliable, providing comfort during a period of intense conflict with the Quraysh and their allies.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in the hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you, span by span and cubit by cubit,' emphasizing the repetition of historical patterns. Additionally, Surah Al-Fatir (35:43) contains a parallel verse affirming the unchanging nature of Allah's Sunnah.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should find assurance in Allah's unchanging laws of justice and history; wrongdoing is inevitably met with consequences, while righteousness is ultimately rewarded. This teaches reliance on divine principles rather than hoping for exceptions to moral laws, encouraging steadfastness during trials.