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Surah Al-Qasas, Verse 59

سورة القصص، الآية ٥٩

28:59 Juz 20 Hizb 40 Page 392 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 28:59

وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يَبْعَثَ فِىٓ أُمِّهَا رَسُولًا يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتِنَا وَمَا كُنَّا مُهْلِكِى ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ إِلَّا وَأَهْلُهَا ظَٰلِمُونَ ۝٥٩

Transliteration

wamā kāna rabbuka muh'lika l-qurā ḥattā yabʿatha fī ummihā rasūlan yatlū ʿalayhim āyātinā wamā kunnā muh'likī l-qurā illā wa-ahluhā ẓālimūna

Translation

And never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother [i.e., principal city] a messenger reciting to them Our verses. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.

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

Verse 59 of Surah Al-Qasas (28:59), a Meccan surah, is in juz 20, on page 392 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.

Listen to verse 59 of Surah Al-Qasas

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Tafsir of verse 59

Al-Mukhtasar

O Messenger, your Lord did not destroy the cities until he had given opportunity to their inhabitants by sending Messengers to their main cities, just as He sent you to the Mother of Cities. And I was not one to destroy the people of the cities when they were firm on the truth. I only destroy them when they are unjust through disbelief and committing sins.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Al-Qasas

Other translations of verse 59

Your Lord would never destroy towns without first sending to their main city a messenger, reciting to them Our verses. Nor would We destroy towns unless their people were wrongdoers.

And never will your Lord destroy the towns (populations) until He sends to their mother town a Messenger reciting to them Our Verses. And never would We destroy the towns unless the people thereof are Zâlimûn (polytheists, wrong-doers, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh, oppressors and tyrants).

And never did thy Lord destroy the townships, till He had raised up in their mother(-town) a messenger reciting unto them Our revelations. And never did We destroy the townships unless the folk thereof were evil-doers.

Nor was thy Lord the one to destroy a population until He had sent to its centre a messenger, rehearsing to them Our Signs; nor are We going to destroy a population except when its members practise iniquity.

And your Lord never destroyed the towns until He raised in their metropolis a messenger, reciting to them Our communications, and We never destroyed the towns except when their people were unjust.

And in no way would your Lord be causing towns to perish until He sends forth in their Mother-Town a Messenger, to recite Our ayat (Verses, signs) to them; and in no way would We be causing towns to perish except that their population are unjust.

Verse 59 word by word

  1. وَمَا wamā And not
  2. كَانَ kāna was ك و ن
  3. رَبُّكَ rabbuka your Lord ر ب ب
  4. مُهْلِكَ muh'lika (the) one to destroy ه ل ك
  5. ٱلْقُرَىٰ l-qurā the towns ق ر ي
  6. حَتَّىٰ ḥattā until
  7. يَبْعَثَ yabʿatha He (had) sent ب ع ث
  8. فِىٓ fī in
  9. أُمِّهَا ummihā their mother (town) أ م م
  10. رَسُولًا rasūlan a Messenger ر س ل
  11. يَتْلُوا۟ yatlū reciting ت ل و
  12. عَلَيْهِمْ ʿalayhim to them
  13. ءَايَٰتِنَا āyātinā Our Verses أ ي ي
  14. وَمَا wamā And not
  15. كُنَّا kunnā We would be ك و ن
  16. مُهْلِكِى muh'likī (the) one to destroy ه ل ك
  17. ٱلْقُرَىٰٓ l-qurā the towns ق ر ي
  18. إِلَّا illā except
  19. وَأَهْلُهَا wa-ahluhā while their people أ ه ل
  20. ظَٰلِمُونَ ẓālimūna (were) wrongdoers ظ ل م

Hadiths that cite this verse

Authentic Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim) Sahih al-Bukhari 4772

O uncle, say: La ilāha illallāh (there is no god but Allah), a word with which I can defend you before Allah

When Abu Tālib was about to die, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to him and found Abu Jahl and 'Abdullah ibn Abi' Umayyah ibn al-Mughīrah with him. He said: "O uncle, say: La ilāha illallāh (there is no god but Allah), a word with which I can defend you…

"‏ أَىْ عَمِّ قُلْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، كَلِمَةً أُحَاجُّ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ أَتَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ…

Narrator: المسيب بن حزن القرشي + 7 other versions Explained

Verses related to verse 59

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Ash-Shuraa 42:7

    وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَيْكَ قُرْءَانًا عَرَبِيًّا لِّتُنذِرَ أُمَّ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنذِرَ يَوْمَ ٱلْجَمْعِ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَرِيقٌ فِى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِى ٱلسَّعِيرِ

    And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qur’ān that you may warn the Mother of Cities [i.e., Makkah] and those around it and warn of the Day of Assembly, about which there is no doubt. A party will be in Paradise and a party in the Blaze.

  • Al-A’raf 7:158

    قُلْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

    Say, [O Muḥammad], "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allāh to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death." So believe in Allāh and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allāh and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.

  • Al-An’am 6:19

    قُلْ أَىُّ شَىْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهَٰدَةً قُلِ ٱللَّهُ شَهِيدٌۢ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكُمْ وَأُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ هَٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانُ لِأُنذِرَكُم بِهِۦ وَمَنۢ بَلَغَ أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَشْهَدُونَ أَنَّ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ ءَالِهَةً أُخْرَىٰ قُل لَّآ أَشْهَدُ قُلْ إِنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَٰهٌ وَٰحِدٌ وَإِنَّنِى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ

    Say, "What thing is greatest in testimony?" Say, "Allāh is witness between me and you. And this Qur’ān was revealed to me that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches. Do you [truly] testify that with Allāh there are other deities?" Say, "I will not testify [with you]." Say, "Indeed, He is but one God, and indeed, I am free of what you associate [with Him]."

  • Hud 11:17

    أَفَمَن كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ وَيَتْلُوهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ وَمِن قَبْلِهِۦ كِتَٰبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِۦ وَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْأَحْزَابِ فَٱلنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهُۥ فَلَا تَكُ فِى مِرْيَةٍ مِّنْهُ إِنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

    So is one who [stands] upon a clear evidence from his Lord [like the aforementioned]? And a witness from Him follows it, and before it was the Scripture of Moses to lead and as mercy. Those [believers in the former revelations] believe in it [i.e., the Qur’ān]. But whoever disbelieves in it from the [various] factions - the Fire is his promised destination. So be not in doubt about it. Indeed, it is the truth from your Lord, but most of the people do not believe.

  • Al-Isra 17:58

    وَإِن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا كَانَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْكِتَٰبِ مَسْطُورًا

    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.

  • Al-Isra 17:15

    مَّنِ ٱهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِى لِنَفْسِهِۦ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَىٰ وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّىٰ نَبْعَثَ رَسُولًا

    Whoever is guided is only guided for [the benefit of] his soul. And whoever errs only errs against it. And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another. And never would We punish until We sent a messenger.

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