ثُمَّ جَآءَهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ 206
Translations
And then there came to them that which they were promised?
Transliteration
Thumma jaa'ahum maa kanu yu'adun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the punishment and retribution that came upon the disbelieving nations after they rejected their messengers and persisted in denial. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir explain that this verse emphasizes the certainty of Allah's promise—that those who mock and reject the truth will inevitably face the consequences they were warned about in this life and the Hereafter. Al-Tabari notes this is part of the recurring pattern throughout Surah Ash-Shu'ara where each nation receives the promised punishment.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah Ash-Shu'ara, which details the stories of various prophets and the fate of nations that rejected them. The verse comes at the conclusion of several narratives (Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, Shu'ayb) illustrating how Allah's warning and promise of punishment are always fulfilled, serving as warnings to the Quraysh who were similarly rejecting Prophet Muhammad.
Related Hadiths
Related to the theme of Allah's promise: The hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'When Allah intends good for a people, He hastens their punishment in this world, and when He intends ill for them, He withholds punishment until they meet Him on the Day of Judgment.' This emphasizes the certainty of divine justice.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Allah's warnings are not empty threats but certain realities that will come to pass, encouraging us to heed divine guidance and warning others with conviction. It also instills hope in the hearts of believers that truth will ultimately prevail over falsehood, regardless of how powerful the opposition may seem.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَيَبْعَثَنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ مَن يَسُومُهُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِيعُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And [mention] when your Lord declared that He would surely [continue to] send upon them until the Day of Resurrection those who would afflict them with the worst torment. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.
لَّا تَدْعُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ ثُبُورًا وَٰحِدًا وَٱدْعُوا۟ ثُبُورًا كَثِيرًا
[They will be told], "Do not cry this Day for one destruction but cry for much destruction."
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.
هَلْ أَتَىٰكَ حَدِيثُ ٱلْجُنُودِ
Has there reached you the story of the soldiers -