كَدَأْبِ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ ۙ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَفَرُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِىٌّ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ 52
Translations
[Theirs is] like the custom of the people of Pharaoh and of those before them. They disbelieved in the signs of Allāh, so Allāh seized them for their sins. Indeed, Allāh is Powerful and severe in penalty.
Transliteration
Kada'bi āli Fir'awn wa alladhīna min qablihim kafarū bi āyāti Allāh fa akhdhahum Allāhu bidhnūbihim inna Allāha Qawiyyun Shadīdu al-'Iqāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah draws a parallel between the Quraysh's rejection of Allah's signs and the disbelief of Pharaoh and those before them, warning that just as Allah seized them with punishment for their sins, so too will the disbelievers face divine retribution. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the verse emphasizes that Allah's pattern of punishing those who reject His signs is consistent throughout history, and that divine punishment is inevitable for those who persist in disbelief. The phrase 'da'b' (custom/pattern) underscores the unchanging nature of Allah's justice and the consequences of rejection.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the Medinan period as part of Surah Al-Anfal, which addresses the Battle of Badr and its lessons. The verse comes after the battle when the Muslims questioned the distribution of spoils, and it serves as a reminder to the believers that the disbelievers who fought against them faced the same fate as previous nations who rejected Allah's prophets. The context reinforces that Allah's victory for the believers is part of His eternal pattern of supporting His messengers.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim (2798) narrates from Abu Huraira that the Prophet ﷺ said, 'The Sunnah (pattern) of Allah with those before you is a lesson for you.' This hadith directly supports the concept of Allah's consistent pattern throughout history. Additionally, Sunan Ibn Majah contains traditions about Allah's swift punishment for those who reject His signs.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that rejecting Allah's signs carries inevitable consequences, serving as both a reassurance that justice will ultimately prevail and a warning to remain steadfast in faith. It reminds us that history demonstrates the reality of divine accountability, and that Allah's power and justice are absolute and consistent across all times and peoples.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْءَانًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ ٱلْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۗ بَل لِّلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَا۟يْـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن لَّوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَى ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُوا۟ قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِّن دَارِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ وَعْدُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ
And if there was any Qur’ān [i.e., recitation] by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur’ān], but to Allāh belongs the affair entirely. Then have those who believed not accepted that had Allāh willed, He would have guided the people, all of them? And those who disbelieve do not cease to be struck, for what they have done, by calamity - or it will descend near their home - until there comes the promise of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh does not fail in [His] promise.
ٱلَّذِى جَعَلَ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَأَلْقِيَاهُ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلشَّدِيدِ
Who made [as equal] with Allāh another deity; then throw him into the severe punishment."
ذَٰلِكَ جَزَآؤُهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ بِمَا كَفَرُوا۟ وَٱتَّخَذُوٓا۟ ءَايَـٰتِى وَرُسُلِى هُزُوًا
That is their recompense - Hell - for what they denied and [because] they took My signs and My messengers in ridicule.
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ءَالَ لُوطٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
And when the messengers came to the family of Lot,