كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَآ ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِّمَدْيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ 95
Translations
As if they had never prospered therein. Then, away with Madyan as Thamūd was taken away.
Transliteration
Ka-an lam yaghnaw fiha, ala bu'dan li-Madyana kama ba'idat Thamud
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the people of Madyan were completely destroyed and obliterated from their land, as if they had never enjoyed prosperity there at all. The phrase 'Ala bu'dan li-Madyana' (destruction upon Madyan) is a curse invoking ruin upon them, similar to how the people of Thamud were destroyed before them. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note this refers to the final destruction of Madyan by Prophet Shu'ayb, emphasizing the completeness of Allah's punishment upon those who reject His messengers and persist in corruption.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Hud's accounts of various destroyed nations. It specifically follows the narrative of Prophet Shu'ayb and the people of Madyan, who rejected him despite his warnings against fraud and injustice in commerce. The ayah emphasizes the finality and totality of their destruction as a consequence of their disbelief.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly references this ayah, the destruction of Madyan is mentioned in the broader context of destroyed peoples. See Surah Al-'Ankabut 29:36-37 for complementary Quranic references to Madyan's fate.
Themes
Key Lesson
Just as past nations were entirely erased for their disobedience and injustice, those who reject divine guidance and persist in corruption face the inevitability of Allah's punishment. This serves as a profound warning that no amount of worldly prosperity can protect a society from divine reckoning if it abandons justice and truth.
Related Ayahs
فَإِلَّمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَآ أُنزِلَ بِعِلْمِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَن لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
And if they do not respond to you - then know that it [i.e., the Qur’ān] was revealed with the knowledge of Allāh and that there is no deity except Him. Then, would you [not] be Muslims?
فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ شَقُوا۟ فَفِى ٱلنَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيهَا زَفِيرٌ وَشَهِيقٌ
As for those who were [destined to be] wretched, they will be in the Fire. For them therein is [violent] exhaling and inhaling.
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰشُعَيْبُ أَصَلَوٰتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَن نَّتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَآ أَوْ أَن نَّفْعَلَ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِنَا مَا نَشَـٰٓؤُا۟ ۖ إِنَّكَ لَأَنتَ ٱلْحَلِيمُ ٱلرَّشِيدُ
They said, "O Shuʿayb, does your prayer [i.e., religion] command you that we should leave what our fathers worship or not do with our wealth what we please? Indeed, you are the forbearing, the discerning!"
وَٱصْنَعِ ٱلْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا وَلَا تُخَـٰطِبْنِى فِى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّهُم مُّغْرَقُونَ
And construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration and do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are [to be] drowned."