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Surah Al-Ahqaf, Verse 21

سورة الأحقاف، الآية ٢١

46:21 Juz 26 Hizb 51 Page 505 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 46:21

وَٱذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُۥ بِٱلْأَحْقَافِ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ ٱلنُّذُرُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦٓ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ ۝٢١

Transliteration

wa-udh'kur akhā ʿādin idh andhara qawmahu bil-aḥqāfi waqad khalati l-nudhuru min bayni yadayhi wamin khalfihi allā taʿbudū illā l-laha innī akhāfu ʿalaykum ʿadhāba yawmin ʿaẓīmin

Translation

And mention, [O Muḥammad], the brother of ʿAad,1484 when he warned his people in [the region of] al-Aḥqāf - and warners had already passed on before him and after him - [saying], "Do not worship except Allāh. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day."1485

Notes

[1484] i.e., the prophet Hūd.
[1485] Upon the earth. It could also refer to "a tremendous Day," i.e., that of resurrection.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 21 of Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:21), a Meccan surah, is in juz 26, on page 505 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.

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Tafsir of verse 21

Al-Mukhtasar

O Messenger, remember Hud, the brother of Ad in lineage, when he warned his people of Allah’s punishment befalling them, when they were in their homes in Ahqaf in the south of the Arabian Peninsula, and messengers to warn their people had already passed before Hud and after him, saying to their people: “Do not worship anyone except Allah alone; do not worship anything besides Him. O people, I fear for you the punishment of a great day, which is the day of judgment”.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Al-Ahqaf

Other translations of verse 21

Remember [Hūd]8 the brother of ‘Ād, when he warned his people in the [land of] sand dunes9 – and indeed there came warners before him and after him – [saying], “Worship none but Allah. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a horrible day.”

Notes

[8] i.e., Prophet Hūd.
[9] The people of ‘Ād were the inhabitants of the sand dunes (sand hills) in the southern part of Arabia.

And remember (Hûd) the brother of ‘Âd, when he warned his people in Al-Ahqâf (the curved sand-hills in the southern part of Arabian Peninsula). And surely, there have passed away warners before him and after him (saying): "Worship none but Allâh; truly, I fear for you the torment of a mighty Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)."

And make mention (O Muhammad) of the brother of A'ad when he warned his folk among the wind-curved sandhills - and verily warners came and went before and after him - saying: Serve none but Allah. Lo! I fear for you the doom of a tremendous Day.

Mention (Hud) one of 'Ad's (own) brethren: Behold, he warned his people about the winding Sand-tracts: but there have been warners before him and after him: "Worship ye none other than Allah: Truly I fear for you the Penalty of a Mighty Day."

And mention the brother of Ad; when he warned his people in the sandy plains,-- and indeed warners came before him and after him-- saying Serve none but Allah; surely I fear for you the punishment of a grievous day.

And remember the brother of Aad, as he warned his people beside (i.e., in the valley of) the Sand Dunes and already warnings had passed away even before him, and even behind him, (saying), "Do not worship anybody except Allah! Surely I fear for you the torment of a tremendous Day."

Verse 21 word by word

  1. وَٱذْكُرْ wa-udh'kur And mention ذ ك ر
  2. أَخَا akhā (the) brother أ خ و
  3. عَادٍ ʿādin (of) Aad ع و د
  4. إِذْ idh when
  5. أَنذَرَ andhara he warned ن ذ ر
  6. قَوْمَهُۥ qawmahu his people ق و م
  7. بِٱلْأَحْقَافِ bil-aḥqāfi in the Al-Ahqaf ح ق ف
  8. وَقَدْ waqad and had already passed away
  9. خَلَتِ khalati and had already passed away خ ل و
  10. ٱلنُّذُرُ l-nudhuru [the] warners ن ذ ر
  11. مِنۢ min before him
  12. بَيْنِ bayni before him ب ي ن
  13. يَدَيْهِ yadayhi before him ي د ي
  14. وَمِنْ wamin and after him
  15. خَلْفِهِۦٓ khalfihi and after him خ ل ف
  16. أَلَّا allā That not
  17. تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ taʿbudū you worship ع ب د
  18. إِلَّا illā except
  19. ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
  20. إِنِّىٓ innī Indeed, I
  21. أَخَافُ akhāfu [I] fear خ و ف
  22. عَلَيْكُمْ ʿalaykum for you
  23. عَذَابَ ʿadhāba a punishment ع ذ ب
  24. يَوْمٍ yawmin (of) a Day ي و م
  25. عَظِيمٍ ʿaẓīmin Great ع ظ م

Hadiths that cite this verse

Not graded Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 3344

`Ali sent a piece of gold to the Prophet (ﷺ) who distributed it among four persons: Al-Aqra' bin H`Abis Al-Hanzali from the tribe of Mujashi, 'Uyaina bin Badr Al-Fazari, Zaid at-Ta'i who belonged to (the tribe of) Bani Nahban, and 'Alqama bin Ulatha Al-`Amir who belonged to (the tribe of) Bani…

بِذُهَيْبَةٍ فَقَسَمَهَا بَيْنَ الأَرْبَعَةِ الأَقْرَعِ بْنِ حَابِسٍ الْحَنْظَلِيِّ ثُمَّ الْمُجَاشِعِيِّ، وَعُيَيْنَةَ بْنِ بَدْرٍ الْفَزَارِيِّ، وَزَيْدٍ الطَّائِيِّ ثُمَّ أَحَدِ بَنِي نَبْهَانَ، وَعَلْقَمَةَ بْنِ…

Narrated by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri + 21 other versions

Verses related to verse 21

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Al-Baqarah 2:66

    فَجَعَلْنَٰهَا نَكَٰلًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا وَمَا خَلْفَهَا وَمَوْعِظَةً لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

    And We made it a deterrent punishment for those who were present and those who succeeded [them] and a lesson for those who fear Allāh.

  • Fussilat 41:13–14

    فَإِنْ أَعْرَضُوا۟ فَقُلْ أَنذَرْتُكُمْ صَٰعِقَةً مِّثْلَ صَٰعِقَةِ عَادٍ وَثَمُودَ …

    But if they turn away, then say, "I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt [that struck] ʿAad and Thamūd. …

  • Ash-Shuraa 42:18

    يَسْتَعْجِلُ بِهَا ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهَا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مُشْفِقُونَ مِنْهَا وَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهَا ٱلْحَقُّ أَلَآ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يُمَارُونَ فِى ٱلسَّاعَةِ لَفِى ضَلَٰلٍۭ بَعِيدٍ

    Those who do not believe in it are impatient for it, but those who believe are fearful of it and know that it is the truth. Unquestionably, those who dispute concerning the Hour are in extreme error.

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Ash-Shu’ara 26:135

    إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

    Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a terrible day."

  • Hud 11:26

    أَن لَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ أَلِيمٍ

    That you not worship except Allāh. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a painful day."

  • Al-Jinn 72:27

    إِلَّا مَنِ ٱرْتَضَىٰ مِن رَّسُولٍ فَإِنَّهُۥ يَسْلُكُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ رَصَدًا

    Except whom He has approved of messengers, and indeed, He sends before him [i.e., each messenger] and behind him observers

  • Al-A’raf 7:59

    لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

    We had certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous Day."

  • Hud 11:2

    أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ إِنَّنِى لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ

    [Through a messenger, saying], "Do not worship except Allāh. Indeed, I am to you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings,"

  • Ar-Ra’d 13:11

    لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَٰتٌ مِّنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ يَحْفَظُونَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ سُوٓءًا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ

    For him [i.e., each one] are successive [angels] before and behind him who protect him by the decree of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allāh intends for a people ill, there is no repelling it. And there is not for them besides Him any patron.

All similar verses of Surah Al-Ahqaf

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