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Ar-Rum (The Romans)

Verse 9of 60

أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوٓا۟ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةًۭ وَأَثَارُوا۟ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَآ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ ۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ﴿٩

Translation (Sahih International)

Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? They were greater than them in power, and they plowed the earth and built it up more than they have built it up, and their messengers came to them with clear evidences. And Allah would not ever have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.

Word-by-word meaning

أَوَلَمْawalamHave not
يَسِيرُوا۟yasīrūthey traveled
فِىin
ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍithe earth
فَيَنظُرُوا۟fayanẓurūand observed
كَيْفَkayfahow
كَانَkānawas
عَـٰقِبَةُʿāqibatu(the) end
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna(of) those
مِنminbefore them
قَبْلِهِمْ ۚqablihimbefore them
كَانُوٓا۟kānūThey were
أَشَدَّashaddamightier
مِنْهُمْmin'humthan them
قُوَّةًۭquwwatan(in) strength
وَأَثَارُوا۟wa-athārūand they dug
ٱلْأَرْضَl-arḍathe earth
وَعَمَرُوهَآwaʿamarūhāand built (on) it
أَكْثَرَaktharamore
مِمَّاmimmāthan what
عَمَرُوهَاʿamarūhāthey have built (on) it
وَجَآءَتْهُمْwajāathumAnd came (to) them
رُسُلُهُمrusuluhumtheir Messengers
بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ۖbil-bayinātiwith clear proofs
فَمَاfamāSo not
كَانَkānawas
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
لِيَظْلِمَهُمْliyaẓlimahumto wrong them
وَلَـٰكِنwalākinbut
كَانُوٓا۟kānūthey were
أَنفُسَهُمْanfusahumthemselves
يَظْلِمُونَyaẓlimūna(doing) wrong

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً(9. cont - and see what was the end of those before them They were superior to them in strength, ) meaning, `the nations of the past who came before you were stronger than you to whom Muhammad ﷺ has been sent; they had more wealth and more sons. You have not been given one-tenth of what they were given. They stayed longer in this world than you will stay.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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