The Believers — Verse 31
23:31 · al-Mu`minun
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ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قَرۡنًا ءَاخَرِینَ ٣١
thumma anshanā min baʿdihim qarnan ākharīn
The Believers / al-Mu`minun (23:31)
Connections 2 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 (2) cited by only one commentator
By commentator who cites how many verses on this ayah
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Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged) 2 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.
Then We raised another generation after them
thumma anshanā min baʿdihim qarnan ākharīn
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Tafsir Commentary
The Story of `Ad or Thamud
Allah tells us that after the people of Nuh, He created another nation. It was said that this was `Ad, because they were the successors of the people of Nuh. Or it was said that they were Thamud, because Allah says:
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, the Sayhah overtook them in truth.) Allah sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, and he called them to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate, but they belied him, opposed him and refused to follow him because he was a human being like them, and they refused to follow a human Messenger. They did not believe in the meeting with Allah on the Day of Resurrection and they denied the idea of physical resurrection. They said:
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتٌّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَاباً وَعِظـماً أَنَّكُمْ مُّخْرَجُونَ - هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ
(Does he promise you that when you have died and have become dust and bones, you shall come out alive (resurrected) Far, very far is that which you are promised!) meaning, very unlikely.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ افتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً
(He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allah,) meaning, `in the Message he has brought to you, and his warnings and promise of resurrection.'
وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَقَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ
(and we are not going to believe in him. He said: "O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.") meaning, the Messenger ﷺ prayed against his people and asked his Lord to help him against them. His Lord answered his prayer:
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَـدِمِينَ
((Allah) said: "In a little while, they are sure to be regretful.") meaning, `for their opposition towards you and their stubborn rejection of the Message you brought to them.'
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, The Sayhah overtook them in truth,) meaning, they deserved that from Allah because of their disbelief and wrongdoing. The apparent meaning is that the Sayhah was combined with the furious cold wind,
تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا فَأْصْبَحُواْ لاَ يُرَى إِلاَّ مَسَـكِنُهُمْ
(Destroying everything by the command of its Lord! So they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings!) 46:25
فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ غُثَآءً
(and We made them as rubbish of dead plants.) means, they are dead and destroyed, like the scum and rubbish left by a flood, i.e., something insignificant and useless that is of no benefit to anyone.
فَبُعْداً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ
(So, away with the people who are wrongdoers.) As Allah's statement:
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ هُمُ الظَّـلِمِينَ
(We wronged them not, but they were the wrongdoers.) 43:76 means, who are wrongdoers because of their disbelief and stubborn opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so let those who hear this beware of disbelieving in their Messengers.
Then after them We brought forth another generation another people namely and these were the people of ‘Ād.
ثم أنشأنا من بعد قوم نوح جيلا آخر هم قوم عاد.
يخبر تعالى أنه أنشأ بعد قوم نوح قرنا آخرين قيل المراد بهم عاد فإنهم كانوا مستخلفين بعدهم وقيل المراد بهؤلاء ثمود لقوله " فأخذتهم الصيحة بالحق ".
ثم تمضى السورة فى حديثها عن قصص الأولين ، فتحكى لنا قصة أقوام آخرين مع نبى من أنبيائهم فتقول : ( ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا . . . ) .أى : ثم أنشأنا من بعد أولئك القوم المغرقين الذين كذبوا نبيهم نوحاً - عليه السلام - ، ( قَرْناً آخَرِينَ ) غيرهم ، وهم على الأرجح - قوم هود - عليه السلام - بدليل قوله - تعالى - فى آية أخرى فى شأنهم : ( واذكروا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِن بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ . . ) كما أن قصة هود مع قومه ، كثيراً ما تأتى بعد قصة نوح مع قومه .وقيل : هم قوم صالح - عليه السلام - .وعلى أية حال فإن سورة " المؤمنون " فى عرضها لقصص الأنبياء تحرص على بيان أن استقبال المكذبين لأنبيائهم كان متشابهاً فى القبح والتكذيب .وقال - سبحانه - ( قَرْناً آخَرِينَ ) للإشعار بأنهم كانوا يعيشون فى زمان واحد مع نبيهم ، وأنهم كانوا معاصرين له ، ومشاهدين لأحواله قبل البعثة وبعدها .
يقول تعالى ذكره: ثم أحدثنا من بعد مَهْلِك قوم نوح ، قرنا آخرين ، فأوجدناهم .
( ثم أنشأنا من بعدهم ) من بعد إهلاكهم ، ( قرنا آخرين )
ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آَخَرِينَ (31) تعقيب قصة نوح وقومه بقصة رسول آخر ، أي أخرى ، وما بعدها من القصص يراد منه أن ما أصاب قوم نوح على تكذيبهم له لم يكن صدفة ولكنه سنة الله في المكذبين لرسله ولذلك لم يعيَّن القرن ولا القرون بأسمائهم .والقرن : الأمة . والأظهر أن المراد به هنا ثمود لأنه الذي يناسبه قوله في آخر القصة { فأخذتهم الصيحة بالحق } [ المؤمنون : 41 ] ، لأن ثمود أُهلكوا بالصاعقة ولقوله { قال عمَّا قليللٍ لَيُصْبِحُنّ نادمين } [ المؤمنون : 40 ] مع قوله في سورة الحجر ( 83 ) { فأخذتهم الصيحَةُ مصبحين } فكان هلاكهم في الصباح . ولعل تخصيصهم بالذكر هنا دون عاد خلافاً لما تكرر في غير هذه الآية لأن العبرة بحالهم أظهر لبقاء آثار ديارهم بالحِجر كما قال تعالى : { وإنكم لَتَمُرّونَ عليهم مُصْبِحِينَ وَبِاللَّيْللِ أفلا تعقلون } [ الصافات : 137 ، 138 ] .وقوله { فأرسلنا فيهم رسولاً } أي جعل الرسول بينهم وهو منهم ، أي من قبيلتهم . وضمير الجمع عائد إلى { قرناً } لأنه في تأويل ( الناس ) كقوله { وإن طائفتان من المؤمنين اقتتلوا } [ الحجرات : 9 ] .
لما ذكر نوحا وقومه، وكيف أهلكهم قال: { ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ } الظاهر أنهم " ثمود "" قوم صالح عليه السلام، لأن هذه القصة تشبه قصتهم."
قوله تعالى : ثم أنشأنا من بعدهم قرنا آخرين فأرسلنا فيهم رسولا منهم أن اعبدوا الله ما لكم من إله غيره أفلا تتقون قوله تعالى : ثم أنشأنا من بعدهم أي من بعد هلاك قوم نوح . قرنا آخرين قيل : هم قوم عاد .
After being delivered in the Ark from the Great Flood, the generation of believers in Noah flourished, but again, with the passage of the centuries, they plunged into the same evils in which their predecessors had indulged. Here perhaps the community referred to is that which is known as the ‘Ad. These people had neglected and forgotton God and were preoccupied with serving entities other than God. Once again a prophet of God, in this case Hud, appeared among them and made them aware of the Truth. But, like their predecessors, the chiefs of the community ranged themselves against the prophet. These chiefs had assumed leadership of the people and were surrounded by plenty and prosperity. It is a common weakness of those who are fortunate enough to acquire wealth and power to presume that this is ample proof of their being on the path of Truth. This was also true of these chiefs. Their prosperity and power prevented them from thinking that they could be wrong. They observed that the Prophet was not surrounded by heaps of wealth, nor was he seated upon a throne of power. So they considered him to be a lowly person. Due to the importance they attached to worldly glamour, they failed to understand the spiritual mission of the Prophet.
In the earlier verses the story of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was told who was sent to his people to guide them along the path of righteousness and the following verses contain a brief account of some other prophets without mentioning their names and the people for whose guidance they were sent. From certain references and allusions the commentators have concluded that the verses refer to Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) or Sayyidna Salih (علیہ السلام) who were sent for the guidance of the tribes of 'Ad and Thamud respectively. In the present story both these tribes are reported to have perished as a result of صَیحَہ (Cry) from an unseen source, whereas in other verses it has been specifically mentioned that it was the tribe of Thamud which perished from صَیحَہ (Cry) and this had led some scholars to the view that the words قَرناً آخَرِینَ (another generation) refers to Thamud.
An alternative explanation is that the word صَیحَہ (Cry) has been used in the general sense of punishment from Allah in which case it would include the tribe of ` Ad also.
(Then, after them) after the destruction of Noah's people, (We brought forth another generation) different people;