Civilizations were destroyed by Divine wrath for not only following the Commandments of the Lord of the universe, but as a consequence of persistent rebellion, injustice, cruelty, and moral corruption after repeated warnings through prophets. The history is replete with examples when the affluent defied Divine commandments brought to them by prophets, like people of Noah, Lot, ‘Ād, Thamūd, and the Pharaohs of Egypt.
Some of the Underlying Reasons for Divine Wrath included:
- Persistent rejection of truth despite repeated reminders.
- Arrogance and oppression by elites.
- Moral corruption and open immorality.
- Economic injustice (cheating, hoarding wealth, exploitation).
- Shirk (associating partners with Allah).
In this backdrop, we share the 16th verse of Surah 17 Al Isra which reads:
وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَن نُّهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا۟ فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا ٱلْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَـٰهَا تَدْمِيرًۭا
“And when We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent ones, but they defiantly disobey therein; so the word comes into effect upon it, and We destroy it with [complete] destruction.”
In this verse, a definite form of divine procedure for the destruction of a people has been stated. When the affluent people of a habitation become disobedient, it is a portent that it is doomed to destruction. After their persistent and continuous transgression, the affluent people become so obdurate in their disobedience that they begin to discard the instinctive dictates of their conscience.
The same thing has been stated in this Ayat: And when We intend to destroy a town, We give commands to its affluent people and they show disobedience. This is because Allah has created conscience for the guidance of man. Therefore, the dictates of conscience are really the commands of Allah. Thus it has become quite obvious that by “And when We intend to destroy a town” is not meant that Allah intends to destroy it without any reason. It is destroyed because after their disobedience that habitation incurs Our just wrath and We totally exterminate it.
The habitation deserves such a punishment because its common people follow the affluent people who are the factual leaders of a community and are mainly responsible for the corruption of the community. At first the affluent people commit acts of disobedience, wickedness, mischief, cruelty and tyranny and then the common people follow them and incur the torment of Allah. Incidentally, this is a warning for every community that it should be very discreet and prudent in choosing and electing its leaders and rulers, for if the latter are mean and wicked, they will inevitably lead the community to destruction.
In nutshell, here is what the verse means:
- Affluent ones (mutrafeehā): The rich, powerful, and leaders of society, who usually set the cultural and moral tone of the community.
- Test of prosperity: Instead of gratitude, they indulge in arrogance, corruption, and immorality.
- Result: When corruption spreads from the top down, destruction becomes inevitable as Allah’s decree of justice comes into effect.
- Method: The downfall may occur through natural disasters, social collapse, or external invasions — all under Allah’s will.
Themes in This Verse
- Moral responsibility of leaders and elites.
- Luxury often leads to corruption if not balanced with faith and humility.
- Destruction is not random but a result of persistent defiance.
- Communal accountability — corruption spreads and affects everyone.
Cross-References from Qur'an and Hadith
- Qur'an:
- 11:116–117 – Allah does not destroy towns unjustly while their people are reformers.
- 28:58 – How many towns were destroyed for exulting in their luxury.
- Hadith: The Prophet ﷺ said: “When immorality appears among a people and they commit it openly, plagues and diseases that were never known before will spread among them.” (Ibn Mājah 4019, authenticated by Albani).
Lessons for Today
The lessons of the Divine wrath are not restricted to history books only. We, much too often, witness typhoons, floods and quakes hitting parts of the world as warners so that people may abstain from sin and injustice. The governments, the affluent, the wealthy and those in positions that wield power, know exactly well what happened to those who defied God. Yet, they continue to usurp rights of the ordinary, commit atrocities and take pride for subduing the weak and meek.
The lesson remain the same and we despite knowing too much, tend to remain ignorant. Here are some lessons from us from this verse:
- Societies fall not only by poverty but also by arrogance, extravagance, and corruption at the top.
- Leadership carries great responsibility before Allah.
- Collective reform and justice are key to survival and prosperity.
- Prosperity should lead to gratitude and service, not rebellion against God.
Let those who have wisdom, intellect and fear of God think over this verse and ponder over our actions that continue to be tangent to the Divine commandments.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 17. Al-Isra'ʾ (The Night Journey) already published from Sürah 17. Al-Isra'ʾ.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references given above. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment