وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلَّا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنْ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ 34
Translations
But why should Allāh not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.
Transliteration
Wa mā lahum allā yu'adhdhibahumu Allāhu wa hum yaṣiddūna 'an al-masjidi al-ḥarāmi wa mā kānū awliyā'ahu, in awliyā'uhu illā al-muttaqūn wa lākinna akthara-hum lā ya'lamūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes the Meccan polytheists for their transgression in preventing Muslims from accessing the Sacred Mosque (Al-Masjid Al-Haram) while themselves being unworthy of guardianship over it. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the true guardians and protectors of the Sacred Mosque are only the God-conscious believers (al-muttaqūn), not those who commit shirk and obstruct the faithful. The ayah emphasizes that Allah's punishment is justified against those who commit such injustice, and their ignorance of this truth does not exempt them from accountability.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period during the early conflicts between Muslims and the Meccan Quraysh. It addresses the historical context of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (6 AH) when the Quraysh prevented Muslims from performing Umrah and accessing the Haram. The surah Al-Anfal discusses the Battle of Badr and the broader struggle for religious freedom and the right to worship.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Book of Hajj) describes how the Prophet (ﷺ) was prevented from entering Makkah and performing Umrah, leading to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Also relevant is the hadith about the sacredness of the Haram and its special status as a sanctuary for believers.
Themes
Key Lesson
True guardianship of sacred places and religious responsibilities belongs only to those who possess taqwa (piety and God-consciousness), not to those who misuse power or prevent others from worship. Modern believers should recognize that obstructing others' path to faith and prayer is a grave injustice that invites divine accountability, and we must strive to be among the muttaqūn who genuinely protect sacred values.
Related Ayahs
فَهَلْ يَنتَظِرُونَ إِلَّا مِثْلَ أَيَّامِ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ قُلْ فَٱنتَظِرُوٓا۟ إِنِّى مَعَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْمُنتَظِرِينَ
So do they wait except for like [what occurred in] the days of those who passed on before them? Say, "Then wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait."
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّن قَرْنٍ مَّكَّنَّـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَا لَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّكُمْ وَأَرْسَلْنَا ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْهِم مِّدْرَارًا وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرَ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهِمْ فَأَهْلَكْنَـٰهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَنشَأْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا ءَاخَرِينَ
Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them which We had established upon the earth as We have not established you? And We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and brought forth after them a generation of others.
وَإِن كَانَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأَيْكَةِ لَظَـٰلِمِينَ
And the companions of the thicket [i.e., the people of Madyan] were [also] wrongdoers,
وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَـٰلِحًا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ هَـٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةً ۖ فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
And to the Thamūd [We sent] their brother Ṣāliḥ. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. This is the she-camel of Allāh [sent] to you as a sign. So leave her to eat within Allāh's land and do not touch her with harm, lest there seize you a painful punishment.