فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ 12
Translations
And when they [i.e., its inhabitants] perceived Our punishment, at once they fled from it.
Transliteration
Fa-lammā aḥassū bi-ba'sinā idhā hum minhā yarkuḍūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
When the disbelieving people perceived or felt the coming of Allah's punishment, they immediately fled in panic and haste from their dwellings. This ayah illustrates the sudden terror and desperate flight of those who rejected the messengers when divine punishment became imminent, emphasizing that their escape was futile as Allah's punishment cannot be avoided. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this depicts the helplessness of those who rejected faith when confronted with the reality of divine retribution.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Anbiya's broader narrative about prophets and their nations' responses to divine warnings. The surah repeatedly mentions how peoples rejected their prophets and subsequently faced Allah's punishment. This particular ayah contextualizes the fate of nations mentioned in preceding verses (such as the people of Lot and Pharaoh), showing the recurring pattern of disbelief followed by inevitable divine consequence.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly references this ayah, Surah Al-Anbiya's theme aligns with the hadith: 'The example of those who obey Allah and those who disobey Him is like the example of a crew on a ship...' (Sahih Bukhari 2286), which illustrates consequences of obedience and disobedience. Additionally, the concept of fleeing from Allah's punishment relates to the principle mentioned in various hadiths about the inevitability of divine justice.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that rejecting divine guidance and the warnings of prophets leads to inevitable punishment that cannot be escaped through any worldly means. The modern reader should reflect on heeding warnings and guidance while they are still offered, rather than waiting until the moment of reckoning when all escape routes have been sealed.
Related Ayahs
وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا۟ بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ
And as for ʿAad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind
وَلَوْ أَنَّ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ ظَلَمَتْ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَٱفْتَدَتْ بِهِۦ ۗ وَأَسَرُّوا۟ ٱلنَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۖ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْقِسْطِ ۚ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
And if each soul that wronged had everything on earth, it would offer it in ransom. And they will confide regret when they see the punishment; and they will be judged in justice, and they will not be wronged.
فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْلَكِينَ
So they denied them and were of those destroyed.
ٱلَّتِى تَطَّلِعُ عَلَى ٱلْأَفْـِٔدَةِ
Which mounts directed at the hearts.