فَهَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ أَن تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَتُقَطِّعُوٓا۟ أَرْحَامَكُمْ 22
Translations
So would you perhaps, if you turned away, cause corruption on earth and sever your [ties of] relationship?
Transliteration
Fa-hal 'asaytum in tawallaytum an tufsidoo fil-ardi wa-taqatti'oo arhamakum
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question warning the believers that if they turn away from Allah's guidance, they will inevitably corrupt the earth and sever family ties. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir interpret this as a causal connection: rejection of divine guidance naturally leads to moral corruption and societal breakdown, beginning with the destruction of familial bonds, which are foundational to a healthy society. The ayah emphasizes personal accountability by directly addressing the addressees' potential choices and their inevitable consequences.
Revelation Context
Surah Muhammad was revealed in Madinah during a period of intensified conflict between the Muslim community and its opponents. This ayah comes in a section warning believers against hypocrisy and wavering faith, reminding them that abandoning Islamic principles leads to widespread corruption (fasad) in society, mirroring the state of pre-Islamic Arabia and contemporary hostile societies.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever severs the ties of kinship will not enter Paradise' (Sahih Bukhari 5638). Additionally, 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3895), highlighting the primacy of maintaining family bonds in Islam.
Themes
Key Lesson
Straying from Allah's path is not merely a personal spiritual matter but has cascading social consequences, beginning with the disintegration of family bonds and spreading to broader societal corruption. Maintaining Islamic principles, particularly upholding family ties (silat al-rahim), is essential for both individual salvation and social stability.