۞ وَإِذَا وَقَعَ ٱلْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَآبَّةً مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ أَنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ كَانُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا لَا يُوقِنُونَ 82
Translations
And when the word [i.e., decree] befalls them, We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth speaking to them, [saying] that the people were, of Our verses, not certain [in faith].
Transliteration
Wa-idha waqaʿa al-qawlu ʿalayhim akhrajnā lahum dābbatan min al-arḍ tukallimuhum anna al-nās kānū bi-āyātinā lā yūqinūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the Dabbat al-Arḍ (the Beast of the Earth), one of the major signs of the Day of Judgment that will emerge when the divine decree is fulfilled and humanity has rejected Allah's signs. According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this creature will be sent as a final warning to mankind, speaking to them and marking the believers and disbelievers, serving as testimony that people persistently refused to believe in Allah's revelations despite their clarity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah An-Naml's broader discussion of the signs of the Hour (Day of Judgment) and divine authority. It appears within a passage discussing major eschatological events and humanity's rejection of prophetic messages throughout history, establishing the context for Allah's final judgment.
Related Hadiths
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Beast will come out and will have with it the seal of Solomon' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi). Additionally, Muslim reports that the Beast will mark people on their faces—the believer will glow with light while the disbeliever will bear a dark mark.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that persistent rejection of Allah's clear signs invokes divine consequences, and serves as a solemn reminder to take our relationship with Allah's revelations seriously in this life, as multiple warnings are given before ultimate accountability on the Day of Judgment.