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Surah At-Tawbah, Ayah 70 (9:70)

ٱلتَّوْبَة

أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ …

Quran 9:70 is ayah 70 of Surah At-Tawbah (“The Repentance”), a Medinan surah of 129 ayahs. It is in Juz 10, on page 198 of the Madani Mushaf.

9:70
أَلَمْيَأْتِهِمْنَبَأُٱلَّذِينَمِنقَبْلِهِمْقَوْمِنُوحٍوَعَادٍوَثَمُودَوَقَوْمِإِبْرَٰهِيمَوَأَصْحَٰبِمَدْيَنَوَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَٰتِ ۚأَتَتْهُمْرُسُلُهُمبِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ ۖفَمَاكَانَٱللَّهُلِيَظْلِمَهُمْوَلَٰكِنكَانُوٓا۟أَنفُسَهُمْيَظْلِمُونَ٧٠
alam yatihim naba-u alladhīna min qablihim qawmi nūḥin waʿādin wathamūda waqawmi ib'rāhīma wa-aṣḥābi madyana wal-mu'tafikāti atathum rusuluhum bil-bayināti famā kāna l-lahu liyaẓlimahum walākin kānū anfusahum yaẓlimūna

Has there not reached them the news of those before them - the people of Noah and [the tribes of] ʿAad and Thamūd and the people of Abraham and the companions [i.e., dwellers] of Madyan and the towns overturned? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allāh would never have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.(70)

Word by word

  1. أَلَمْalamHas not
  2. يَأْتِهِمْyatihimcome to them
  3. نَبَأُnaba-u(the) news
  4. ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna(of) those who
  5. مِنmin(were) before them
  6. قَبْلِهِمْqablihim(were) before them
  7. قَوْمِqawmi(the) people
  8. نُوحٍnūḥin(of) Nuh
  9. وَعَادٍwaʿādinand Aad
  10. وَثَمُودَwathamūdaand Thamud
  11. وَقَوْمِwaqawmiand (the) people
  12. إِبْرَٰهِيمَib'rāhīma(of) Ibrahim
  13. وَأَصْحَٰبِwa-aṣḥābiand (the) companions
  14. مَدْيَنَmadyana(of) Madyan
  15. وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَٰتِ ۚwal-mu'tafikātiand the towns overturned
  16. أَتَتْهُمْatathumCame to them
  17. رُسُلُهُمrusuluhumtheir Messengers
  18. بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ ۖbil-bayinātiwith clear proofs
  19. فَمَاfamāAnd not
  20. كَانَkānawas
  21. ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
  22. لِيَظْلِمَهُمْliyaẓlimahumto wrong them
  23. وَلَٰكِنwalākinbut
  24. كَانُوٓا۟kānūthey were (to)
  25. أَنفُسَهُمْanfusahumthemselves
  26. يَظْلِمُونَyaẓlimūnadoing wrong

Tafsir (commentary) of 9:70

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

Advising the Hypocrites to learn a Lesson from Those before Them

Allah advises the hypocrites who reject the Messengers,

أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

(Has not the story reached them of those before them) have you (hypocrites) not learned the end of the nations before you who rejected the Messengers,

قَوْمُ نُوحٍ

(The people of Nuh), and the flood that drowned the entire population of the earth, except those who believed in Allah's servant and Messenger Nuh, peace be upon him,

وَعَادٌ

(and `Ad), who perished with the barren wind when they rejected Hud, peace be upon him,

وَثَمُودُ

(and Thamud), who were overtaken by the Sayhah (awful cry) when they denied Salih, peace be upon him, and killed the camel,

وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَهِيمَ

(and the people of Ibrahim), over whom He gave Ibrahim victory and the aid of clear miracles. Allah destroyed their king Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Koch from Canaan, may Allah curse him,

وِأَصْحَـبِ مَدْيَنَ

(and the dwellers of Madyan), the people of Shu`ayb, peace be upon him, who were destroyed by the earthquake and the torment of the day of the Shade,

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَـتِ

(and the overturned cities), the people of Lut who used to live in Madyan. Allah said in another Ayah,

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى

(And He destroyed the overturned cities) 53:53, meaning the people of the overturned cities in reference to Sadum Sodom, their major city. Allah destroyed them all because they rejected Allah's Prophet Lut, peace be upon him, and because they committed the sin that none before them had committed homosexuality.

أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَـتِ

(to them came their Messengers with clear proofs.), and unequivocal evidence,

فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ

(So it was not Allah Who wronged them), when He destroyed them, for He established the proofs against them by sending the Messengers and dissipating the doubts,

وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they used to wrong themselves), on account of their denying the Messengers and defying the Truth; this is why they earned the end, torment and punishment, that they did.

Read the full Surah At-Tawbah