وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ نُوحٍ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِرَبِّكَ بِذُنُوبِ عِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرًۢا بَصِيرًا 17
Translations
And how many have We destroyed from the generations after Noah. And sufficient is your Lord, concerning the sins of His servants, as Aware and Seeing.
Transliteration
Wa-kam ahlakna mina al-quruni min ba'da Nuh. Wa-kafa bi-rabbika bi-dhunubi 'ibadih khabiran basira.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah reminds the believers that Allah has destroyed many generations after the time of Prophet Nuh (Noah) due to their disobedience and rejection of His messengers. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that Allah's punishment is inevitable for those who persist in sin, while the concluding phrase—'Your Lord is Sufficient as One who is Aware and Seeing of the sins of His servants'—reassures that nothing escapes Allah's knowledge and justice. Al-Qurtubi notes this serves as a warning to the contemporary Meccan disbelievers that they too face destruction if they continue to reject the message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period (early revelations) within Surah Al-Isra, which emphasizes the consequences of rejecting divine guidance and the certainty of Allah's punishment. The context addresses the Quraysh's rejection of the Prophet's message by drawing historical parallels to previous nations that were destroyed for similar disobedience.
Related Hadiths
Hadith: 'Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should speak good or remain silent' (Sahih Bukhari 6018), relating to the theme of accountability for actions. Also relevant: 'The best jihad is a word of justice before a tyrant' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4011), connecting to the theme of divine justice and awareness.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that divine justice is inevitable and inescapable—Allah's knowledge and sight encompass all human actions, and nations that persistently reject truth face ruin. For believers today, this serves as both a warning against negligence in faith and a reassurance that no injustice escapes Allah's notice, encouraging moral accountability and steadfastness in submission to God.
Related Ayahs
أَفَأَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَكَرُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن يَخْسِفَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِمُ ٱلْأَرْضَ أَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
Then, do those who have planned evil deeds feel secure that Allāh will not cause the earth to swallow them or that the punishment will not come upon them from where they do not perceive?
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ءَالَ لُوطٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
And when the messengers came to the family of Lot,
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا صَـٰلِحًا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَمِنْ خِزْىِ يَوْمِئِذٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْعَزِيزُ
So when Our command came, We saved Ṣāliḥ and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us, and [saved them] from the disgrace of that day. Indeed, it is your Lord who is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might.
لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَجَابُوا۟ لِرَبِّهِمُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَهُۥ لَوْ أَنَّ لَهُم مَّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا وَمِثْلَهُۥ مَعَهُۥ لَٱفْتَدَوْا۟ بِهِۦٓ ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ سُوٓءُ ٱلْحِسَابِ وَمَأْوَىٰهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
For those who have responded to their Lord is the best [reward], but those who did not respond to Him - if they had all that is in the earth entirely and the like of it with it, they would [attempt to] ransom themselves thereby. Those will have the worst account, and their refuge is Hell, and wretched is the resting place.