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Tafsir of Surah Al-Isra - Verse 58

Surah 17
Verse 58
111 verses
58

وَإِن مِّن قَرۡیَةٍ إِلَّا نَحۡنُ مُهۡلِكُوهَا قَبۡلَ یَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِیَـٰمَةِ أَوۡ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابࣰا شَدِیدࣰاۚ كَانَ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ فِی ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ مَسۡطُورࣰا

And there is no city but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment. That has ever been in the Register inscribed.

Scholarly Interpretations(1)

The Destruction or Torment of all Disbelieving Towns before the Hour begins

Here Allah tells us that He has decreed and it is written in Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz (The Preserved Tablet) which is with Him, that there is no town that He will not destroy by wiping out all its people or by punishing them,

عَذَاباً شَدِيداً

(with a severe torment.) either by killing them or sending calamities upon them as He wills. This will be because of their sins, as Allah says of the past nations:

وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ

(We wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.) 11:101

فَذَاقَتْ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهَا وَكَانَ عَـقِبَةُ أَمْرِهَا خُسْراً

(So it tasted the evil result of its affair (disbelief), and the consequence of its affair (disbelief) was loss.) 65:9

وَكَأِيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ عَتَتْ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهَا وَرُسُلِهِ

(And many a town (population) revolted against the command of its Lord and His Messengers;) 65:8 and many Ayat.