سُوْرَةُ هُوْدٍ
Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 117
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ لِيُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا مُصْلِحُونَ ﴿117﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَمَا
wamā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
would
رَبُّكَ
rabbuka
your Lord
لِيُهْلِكَ
liyuh'lika
destroy
ٱلْقُرَىٰ
l-qurā
the cities
بِظُلْمٍۢ
biẓul'min
unjustly
وَأَهْلُهَا
wa-ahluhā
while its people
مُصْلِحُونَ
muṣ'liḥūna
(were) reformers
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 117){وَ مَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ لِيُهْلِكَ …:} That is, if those people were reformers instead of being criminals, and then they were destroyed with punishment, this would have been clear injustice, and Allah never commits such injustice that the people of a town do not commit corruption but rather reform, and enjoin good and forbid evil, and yet Allah sends punishment upon them, because this would be injustice, and Allah is never unjust in any way. Some scholars have taken "injustice" to mean shirk, and have interpreted it as: Allah does not destroy any town in this world merely because of shirk, as long as its inhabitants do not commit corruption in the land, but rather maintain reform in their mutual relations. He only destroys them when they exceed limits and spread corruption in the land. However, the first meaning is more correct.
