سُوْرَةُ التَّوْبَةِ
Surah At-Tawba (9) — Ayah 70
أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَأَصْحَـٰبِ مَدْيَنَ وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ۚ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ﴿70﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Has not the story reached them of those before them? - The people of Nûh (Noah), ‘Âd, and Thamûd, the people of Ibrâhîm (Abraham), the dwellers of Madyan (Midian) and the cities overthrown [i.e. the people to whom Lût (Lot) preached]; to them came their Messengers with clear proofs. So it was not Allâh Who wronged them, but they used to wrong themselves.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَلَمْ
alam
Has not
يَأْتِهِمْ
yatihim
come to them
نَبَأُ
naba-u
(the) news
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
مِن
min
(were) before them
قَبْلِهِمْ
qablihim
(were) before them
قَوْمِ
qawmi
(the) people
نُوحٍۢ
nūḥin
(of) Nuh
وَعَادٍۢ
waʿādin
and Aad
وَثَمُودَ
wathamūda
and Thamud
وَقَوْمِ
waqawmi
and (the) people
إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
ib'rāhīma
(of) Ibrahim
وَأَصْحَـٰبِ
wa-aṣḥābi
and (the) companions
مَدْيَنَ
madyana
(of) Madyan
وَٱلْمُؤْتَفِكَـٰتِ ۚ
wal-mu'tafikāti
and the towns overturned
أَتَتْهُمْ
atathum
Came to them
رُسُلُهُم
rusuluhum
their Messengers
بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖ
bil-bayināti
with clear proofs
فَمَا
famā
And not
كَانَ
kāna
was
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ
liyaẓlimahum
to wrong them
وَلَـٰكِن
walākin
but
كَانُوٓا۟
kānū
they were (to)
أَنفُسَهُمْ
anfusahum
themselves
يَظْلِمُونَ
yaẓlimūna
doing wrong
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
70. Has not the news reached them of those who came before them—such as the people of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud, the people of Abraham, the inhabitants of Midian, and the overturned towns [84]? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs. Allah would not wrong them, but they wronged themselves [85].
[84] These are all nations that, in their own times, were renowned. Then, when they denied Allah’s messengers and His signs, and chose the path of disobedience and opposition, a punishment from Allah, either earthly or heavenly, befell them, which utterly destroyed and ruined them. The details of such nations have already been mentioned earlier in Surah Al-A'raf, and will also be mentioned at several places ahead. The overturned towns refer to the towns of the people of Sayyiduna Lut ؑ. By Allah’s command, Sayyiduna Jibreel lifted these towns on his wing, raised them to the heights, and then hurled them down to the earth. Yet even then, Allah’s wrath upon this nation was not lessened, so a rain of stones was sent down upon them. The center of Sayyiduna Lut’s preaching was the city of Sodom. And these overturned towns are most likely now buried under the Dead Sea.
[85] That is, Allah had neither any enmity with these people, nor any desire or need to punish them; rather, the way of life they adopted and persisted in was itself a path of destruction and ruin, and this had already been conveyed to them through the messengers.
[84] These are all nations that, in their own times, were renowned. Then, when they denied Allah’s messengers and His signs, and chose the path of disobedience and opposition, a punishment from Allah, either earthly or heavenly, befell them, which utterly destroyed and ruined them. The details of such nations have already been mentioned earlier in Surah Al-A'raf, and will also be mentioned at several places ahead. The overturned towns refer to the towns of the people of Sayyiduna Lut ؑ. By Allah’s command, Sayyiduna Jibreel lifted these towns on his wing, raised them to the heights, and then hurled them down to the earth. Yet even then, Allah’s wrath upon this nation was not lessened, so a rain of stones was sent down upon them. The center of Sayyiduna Lut’s preaching was the city of Sodom. And these overturned towns are most likely now buried under the Dead Sea.
[85] That is, Allah had neither any enmity with these people, nor any desire or need to punish them; rather, the way of life they adopted and persisted in was itself a path of destruction and ruin, and this had already been conveyed to them through the messengers.
