The Prophets — Verse 12
21:12 · al-Anbiya`
Verse display
فَلَمَّاۤ أَحَسُّوا۟ بَأۡسَنَاۤ إِذَا هُم مِّنۡهَا یَرۡكُضُونَ ١٢
falammā aḥassū basanā idhā hum min'hā yarkuḍūn
The Prophets / al-Anbiya` (21:12)
Connections 3 single-source 1 commentator
Multi-source connections
No verses on this ayah are cited by 2 or more commentators using numeric S:A notation. All extracted references come from a single source's commentary.
Single-source mentions (3) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 3 verses
Note: these connections are extracted from numeric S:A references inside the commentary text and are therefore biased toward mufassirun who use that notation. Prose-style references (e.g. "Surat al-Baqarah verse 30") will be added later, which should surface additional multi-source consensus.
When they felt Our might coming upon them, see how they tried to escape it
falammā aḥassū basanā idhā hum min'hā yarkuḍūn
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Tafsir Commentary
The Virtue of the Qur'an Here
Allah points out the noble status of the Qur'an and urges them to recognize its worth:
لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَآ إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَـباً فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ
(Indeed, We have sent down for you a Book in which there is Dhikrukum). Ibn `Abbas said: "Honor for you."
أَفَلاَ تَعْقِلُونَ
(Will you not then understand) means, will you not understand this blessing, and accept it This is like the Ayah:
وَإِنَّهُ لَذِكْرٌ لَّكَ وَلِقَوْمِكَ وَسَوْفَ تُسْـَلُونَ
(And verily, this is indeed a Reminder for you and your people, and you will be questioned.) 43:44
How the Evildoers were destroyed
وَكَمْ قَصَمْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍ كَانَتْ ظَـلِمَةً
(How many a town given to wrongdoing, have We destroyed,) meaning, they were very many. This is like the Ayah:
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن بَعْدِ نُوحٍ
(And how many generations have We destroyed after Nuh!) 17:17
فَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـهَا وَهِىَ ظَالِمَةٌ فَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا
(And many a township did We destroy while they were given to wrongdoing, so that it lie in ruins) 22:45.
وَأَنشَأْنَا بَعْدَهَا قَوْماً ءَاخَرِينَ
(and raised up after them another people!) means, another nation which came after them.
فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّواْ بَأْسَنَآ
(Then, when they sensed Our torment,) when they realized that the torment would undoubtedly come upon them, just as their Prophet had warned them,
إِذَا هُمْ مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ
(behold, they (tried to) flee from it.) they tried to run away.
لاَ تَرْكُضُواْ وَارْجِعُواْ إِلَى مَآ أُتْرِفْتُمْ فِيهِ وَمَسَـكِنِكُمْ
(Flee not, but return to that wherein you lived a luxurious life, and to your homes,) This is a way of ridiculing them. It will be said to them by way of ridicule: "Do not run away from the coming torment; go back to the delights and luxuries and fine homes in which you were living." Qatadah said, "Mocking them."
لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ
(in order that you may be questioned) about whether you gave thanks for what you had.
قَالُواْ يوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـلِمِينَ
(They cried: "Woe to us! Certainly we have been wrong- doers.") They will confess their sins when it will be of no benefit to them.
فَمَا زَالَت تِلْكَ دَعْوَاهُمْ حَتَّى جَعَلْنَـهُمْ حَصِيداً خَـمِدِينَ
(And that cry of theirs ceased not, till We made them as a field that is reaped, extinct.) meaning, "they will keep on saying that, admitting their wrong- doing, until We harvest them as it were, and their movements and voices come to a stop."
And when they felt Our might when the inhabitants of the town sensed destruction to be near behold they ran away from it they flee hastily therefrom.
فلما رأى هؤلاء الظالمون عذابنا الشديد نازلا بهم، وشاهدوا بوادره، إذا هم من قريتهم يسرعون هاربين.
" فلما أحسوا بأسنا " أي تيقنوا أن العذاب واقع بهم لا محالة كما وعدهم نبيهم " إذا هم منها يركضون " أي يفرون هاربين.
ثم صور - سبحانه - حال هؤلاء الظالمين عندما أحسوا بالعذاب وهو نازل بهم فقال : ( فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّواْ بَأْسَنَآ إِذَا هُمْ مِّنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ ) .وقوله : ( أَحَسُّواْ ) من الإحساس . وهو إدراك الشىء بالحاسة . يقال : أحس فلان الشى ، إذا علمه بالحس ، وأحس بالشىء ، إذا شعر به بحاسته .وقوله : ( يَرْكُضُونَ ) من الركض وهو السير السريع ، وأصله : أن يضرب الرجل دابته برجله ليحثها على الجرى والسرعة فى المشى . والمقصود به هنا : الهرب بسرعة .أى : فلما أحس هؤلاء الظالمون عذابنا المدمر ، وأيقنوا نزوله بهم ، وعلموا ذلك علما مؤكدا ، إذا هم يخرجون من قريتهم ( يَرْكُضُونَ ) أى : يهربون بسرعة وذعر ، حتى لكأنهم من اضطرابهم وخوفهم يظنون أن ذلك سينجيهم .وإذا هنا فجائية ، والجملة بعدها جواب " لما " .
وقوله ( فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا ) يقول: فلما عاينوا عذابنا قد حلّ بهم ورأوه قد وجدوا مسه، يقال منه: قد أحسست من فلان ضعفا، وأحسته منه ( إِذَا هُمْ مِنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ ) يقول: إذا هم مما أحسوا بأسنا النازل بهم يهربون سراعا عَجْلَى، يَعْدُون منهزمين، يقال منه: ركض فلان فرسه: إذا كَدَّه سياقته.
فلما أحسوا بأسنا ) أي [ رأوا ] عذابنا بحاسة البصر ، ( إذا هم منها يركضون ) أي يسرعون هاربين .
فَلَمَّا أَحَسُّوا بَأْسَنَا إِذَا هُمْ مِنْهَا يَرْكُضُونَ (12) والإحساس : الإدراك بالحس فيكون برؤية ما يزعجهم أو سماع أصوات مؤذنة بالهلاك كالصواعق والرياح .والبأس : شدة الألم والعذاب . وحرف ( مِن ) في قوله منها يركضون } يجوز أن يكون للابتداء ، أي خارجين منها ، ويجوز أن يكون للتعليل بتأويل ( يركضون ) معنى ( يهربون ) ، أي من البأس الذي أحسوا به فلا بدّ من تقدير مضاف ، أي من بأسنا الذي أحسوه في القرية .وذلك بحصول أشراط إنذار مثل الزلازل والصواعق .والركض : سرعة سير الفرس ، وأصله الضرب بالرّجل فيسمى به العدو ، لأن العدو يقتضي قوة الضرب بالرّجل وأطلق الركض في هذه الآية على سرعة سير الناس على وجه الاستعارة تشبيهاً لسرعة سيرهم بركض الأفراس .و { منها } ظرف مستقر في موضع الحال من الضمير المنفصل المرفوع .ودخلت ( إذا ) الفجائية في جواب ( لما ) للدلالة على أنهم ابتدروا الهروب من شدة الإحساس بالبأس تصويراً لشدة الفزع . وليست ( إذا ) الفجائية برابطة للجواب بالشرط لأن هذا الجواب لا يحتاج إلى رابط ، و ( إذا ) الفجائية قد تكون رابطة للجواب خَلفاً من الفاء الرابطة حيث يحتاج إلى الرابط لأن معنى الفجاءة يصلح للربط ولا يلازمه .
وأن هؤلاء المهلكين، لما أحسوا بعذاب الله وعقابه، وباشرهم نزوله، لم يمكن لهم الرجوع ولا طريق لهم إلى النزوع وإنما ضربوا الأرض بأرجلهم، ندما وقلقا، وتحسرا على ما فعلوا وهروبا من وقوعه
فلما أحسوا أي رأوا عذابنا ؛ يقال : أحسست منه ضعفا . وقال الأخفش : أحسوا خافوا وتوقعوا . إذا هم منها يركضون أي يهربون ويفرون . والركض العدو بشدة الوطء . والركض تحريك الرجل ؛ ومنه قوله تعالى : اركض برجلك وركضت الفرس برجلي استحثثته ليعدو ثم كثر حتى قيل ركض الفرس إذا عدا وليس بالأصل ، والصواب ركض الفرس على ما لم يسم فاعله فهو مركوض .
The Book of God is not a mere book in the ordinary sense of the word. It is in fact a reminder. It is to remind man that the creation of mankind in the present world was not an accident. It took place in accordance with a divine plan, by which man was to be given temporary freedom for the purpose of putting him to the test, and thereafter rewarding him according to his deeds in this world. A partial manifestation of this fact has been given time and again in the shape of the destruction of transgressing communities. Its full manifestation will take place on the Day of Reckoning, when all past and present human beings will be re-created and gathered together in God’s court. As long as man possesses material means of support, he is not prepared to come out of his slumber of carelessness. But when the process of God’s reckoning starts, all the material props on the strength of which the individual dared to ignore the call for Truth, will appear to be so burdensome that he would like to get rid of them. And it is only when he has to part company with his props that his eyes are opened. However, the opening of his eyes at that juncture will be of no avail, because at that time all things will have lost their power. Thereafter, only God and not the false deities—will have the power to help.
Commentary
These verses describe the destruction of those settlements which some exegesists have taken as Fladhura' ) حضُوراء) and Qilabah (قلابہ) of Yemen. Allah Ta` ala had sent there a prophet about whose name there are different versions. Some say he was Musa Ibn Misha while others say his name was Shu` aib, in which case he was a different prophet from the one who lived in Madyan. This Prophet was killed by his people, who were, as a punishment annihilated by the infidel King Nabucad Nazzar.
This King was placed in authority over them just as he was used as an instrument for the punishment of Bani Isra'i1 when they strayed from the righteous path in Palestine. In fact, Qur'an has not identified any specific settlement. Hence it will be apt to leave the subject open, so that these settlements of Yemen may also come in its ambit. واللہ (Only Allah knows best).
(And, when they felt Our might) when they saw Our chastisement which was to destroy them, (behold them fleeing from it) they run away from Our might!