ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ شَآقُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ ۖ وَمَن يُشَآقِّ ٱللَّهَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ 4
Translations
That is because they opposed Allāh and His Messenger. And whoever opposes Allāh - then indeed, Allāh is severe in penalty.
Transliteration
Dhālika bi-annahum shāqqū Allāha wa-rasūlahu wa-man yushāqq Allāha fa-inna Allāha shadīd al-ʿiqāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that the punishment befalling the Banu Nadir (Jewish tribe of Medina) was a direct consequence of their opposition and enmity toward Allah and His Messenger. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that 'shiqāq' (opposition/enmity) represents a fundamental rupture in the covenant between the believers and those who rebel against Allah's authority. The ayah establishes a divine principle: those who set themselves against Allah and His messenger face severe punishment, as Allah's power and retribution are absolute and inescapable.
Revelation Context
This ayah was revealed in the context of Surah Al-Hashr, which details the expulsion of Banu Nadir from Medina in the year 4 AH. The tribe had violated their covenant with the Prophet (peace be upon him) by plotting against him and allying with his enemies. This surah documents the consequences of their betrayal and establishes the principle that opposing Allah and His Messenger leads to destruction.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever opposes me will be opposed by Allah, and whoever opposes Allah will be destroyed.' (Related to the principle in Tirmidhi and other collections). Additionally, the incident of Banu Nadir's expulsion is documented in authentic hadith collections including Sahih Bukhari and Sunan Ibn Majah.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a reminder that opposition to divine truth and righteous leadership carries inevitable consequences in this world and the hereafter. For believers, it reinforces the importance of loyalty to Allah and His guidance, while warning against the spiritual and material destruction that results from deliberate rebellion against divine authority.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَ
And there had certainly come to them a Messenger from among themselves, but they denied him; so punishment overtook them while they were wrongdoers.
ضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلذِّلَّةُ أَيْنَ مَا ثُقِفُوٓا۟ إِلَّا بِحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَحَبْلٍ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَبَآءُو بِغَضَبٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَضُرِبَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَسْكَنَةُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَكْفُرُونَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَقْتُلُونَ ٱلْأَنۢبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ بِمَا عَصَوا۟ وَّكَانُوا۟ يَعْتَدُونَ
They have been put under humiliation [by Allāh] wherever they are overtaken, except for a rope [i.e., covenant] from Allāh and a rope [i.e., treaty] from the people [i.e., the Muslims]. And they have drawn upon themselves anger from Allāh and have been put under destitution. That is because they disbelieved in [i.e., rejected] the verses of Allāh and killed the prophets without right. That is because they disobeyed and [habitually] transgressed.
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.
فَذَرْنِى وَمَن يُكَذِّبُ بِهَـٰذَا ٱلْحَدِيثِ ۖ سَنَسْتَدْرِجُهُم مِّنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So leave Me, [O Muḥammad], with [the matter of] whoever denies this statement [i.e., the Qur’ān]. We will progressively lead them [to punishment] from where they do not know.