وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ هِىَ أَشَدُّ قُوَّةً مِّن قَرْيَتِكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَخْرَجَتْكَ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهُمْ فَلَا نَاصِرَ لَهُمْ 13
Translations
And how many a city was stronger than your city [i.e., Makkah] which drove you out? We destroyed them; and there was no helper for them.
Transliteration
Wa-ka-ayyin min qaryatin hiya ashaddu quwwatan min qaryatika allati akhrajatka ahlaknāhum fa-lā nāsira lahum
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah reminds the Prophet (peace be upon him) that many cities far more powerful and fortified than Makkah (which expelled him) have been destroyed by Allah's punishment, and none could help or rescue them. This ayah serves as consolation to the Prophet and a warning to the disbelievers of Quraysh that their material strength and numbers would not protect them from divine retribution if they persisted in rejecting the message. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize this as evidence of Allah's supreme power over all kingdoms and civilizations.
Revelation Context
This ayah is situated within Surah Muhammad (a Medinan chapter revealed after the Hijrah), addressing the early Muslim community and the Prophet during a period of conflict with the Makkans. The context reflects the Prophet's experience of being driven out from his homeland, and Allah provides reassurance by referencing historical precedents of destroyed civilizations—a recurring theme in the Quran to strengthen believers' conviction that Allah's aid would ultimately prevail.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet said, 'Whoever helps a people in their wrongdoing will have a share in their sin,' emphasizing that strength and numbers alone cannot save a community from punishment if they oppose Allah's guidance. Additionally, Surah Al-Fil (Chapter 105) and related accounts in Sahih Bukhari discuss how Allah destroyed the armies of Abraha despite their superior military power.
Themes
Key Lesson
True security and victory come not from military might or numerical superiority, but from alignment with Allah's will and obedience to His guidance. Believers should take comfort knowing that despite apparent worldly disadvantages, Allah's support is absolute and His justice transcends all earthly power structures.
Related Ayahs
وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ ٱلْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ
And admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them.
۞ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ دَمَّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَلِلْكَـٰفِرِينَ أَمْثَـٰلُهَا
Have they not traveled through the land and seen how was the end of those before them? Allāh destroyed [everything] over them, and for the disbelievers is something comparable.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَشَآقُّوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَن يَضُرُّوا۟ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًٔا وَسَيُحْبِطُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
Indeed, those who disbelieved and averted [people] from the path of Allāh and opposed the Messenger after guidance had become clear to them - never will they harm Allāh at all, and He will render worthless their deeds.
أَفَمَن كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ كَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُۥ سُوٓءُ عَمَلِهِۦ وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَهْوَآءَهُم
So is he who is on clear evidence from his Lord like him to whom the evil of his work has been made attractive and they follow their [own] desires?