Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those who disbelieved?

The universe in general and our earth in particular was made by Allah for us to ponder over the why of such creation and also the fate of those who disbelieved in these creations to negate the presence of the Divine Being, the sole Creator and Administrator.

In Qur'an, a number of verses draw the attention of its readers the fate of those who were once the mightiest, towering in stature and considered them as so powerful that could not be subdued. If we travel around the world, we find man made structures that leave us in awe as these structures could not have been made by ordinary humans. Those who built these were given extraordinary powers and built to structure mighty columns cutting through rocky mountains. Yet their arrogance made them vanish as the Divine wrath fell on them for disbelieving their Creator.

In the Qur'an, it has been reminded to man a number of times to travel through land and see how arrogance of people of earlier times led them to destruction, leaving only traces of their giant structures as a warning for the people who would follow to learn a lesson and believe in their Creator. These were the people who denied the messengers sent to them and mocked them as was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was mocked. One such verse is shared herein under:

اَوَلَمۡ يَسِيۡرُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ فَيَنۡظُرُوۡا كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِيۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِمۡ​ؕ كَانُوۡۤا اَشَدَّ مِنۡهُمۡ قُوَّةً وَّاَثَارُوا الۡاَرۡضَ وَعَمَرُوۡهَاۤ اَكۡثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوۡهَا وَجَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُمۡ بِالۡبَيِّنٰتِ​ ؕ فَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡ وَلٰـكِنۡ كَانُوۡۤا اَنۡفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُوۡنَ ؕ‏

“Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? They were greater than them in strength, and they cultivated the earth and built it up more than they have built it up. And their messengers came to them with clear proofs. And Allah would not ever have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.” (Surah Ar-Rum, 30:9)

The verse is found in multiple places in the Qur'an, such as in Surah Yusuf (12:109), Surah Al-Hajj (22:46), and others, with slight variations. 

"Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? " As per historians and scholars, this is a reference to the ‘Ād, the Thamūd, the people of Lot (sws) and Madyan who continued to persist on their denial even after the truth had been conclusively conveyed to them by God’s messengers and were ultimately destroyed. After directing attention to the arguments found within human beings and those outside them, the Qur’ān generally directs attention to the incidents of worldly reward and punishment which were faced by ancient nations of Arabia.

This verse serves as a reminder to reflect upon history and the fate of past nations who disobeyed Allah's commands, rejected His messengers, and lived in arrogance. Through this reflection, the Qur'an calls people to recognize the consequences of disbelief, arrogance, and heedlessness.

Key Points of Reflection

• Travel and Observation: The Qur'an encourages people to travel and observe the remnants of past civilizations, such as the ruins of Aad, Thamud, and Pharaoh’s empire. These civilizations were advanced, powerful, and prosperous, but their arrogance and disobedience to Allah led to their downfall.
• Arrogance and Disobedience: The verse emphasizes that the destruction of these nations was due to their own actions—arrogance, corruption, and rejection of divine guidance. Despite being more powerful and resourceful, their might could not save them from Allah's punishment.
• Role of Messengers: The messengers were sent with clear signs and warnings, but these nations chose to ignore them, leading to their ultimate ruin. This is a warning to contemporary and future generations to heed the message of the Qur'an and follow its guidance.
• Allah’s Justice: The verse stresses that Allah does not wrong anyone. Instead, people bring about their own ruin through their actions and choices. “And your Lord is not unjust to His servants.” (Surah Fussilat, 41:46)

Relevance and Lessons

• Learning from History: History is filled with examples of civilizations that rose and fell. Observing their rise and fall reminds us of the transient nature of worldly power and wealth. This teaches humility and submission to Allah.
• Warning Against Arrogance: No amount of strength, knowledge, or wealth can protect against Allah’s decree. True success lies in obedience and submission to Him.
• Accountability: The verse reminds believers that everyone will be accountable for their actions, just as past nations were.
• Encouragement to Travel and Reflect: Exploring historical ruins and understanding their lessons fosters a deeper connection with Allah’s guidance and the reality of His justice.

Hadith Connection

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized learning from the past. He said:

“The wise person is the one who holds himself accountable and works for what comes after death, and the foolish person is the one who allows his desires to control him and places false hope in Allah.” (Tirmidhi)

This hadith complements the verse by urging reflection on consequences and accountability, encouraging believers to act wisely.

The verse serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of rejecting Divine guidance and the importance of humility and faith in Allah. It invites reflection on the signs of history, urging humanity to avoid the mistakes of past nations and turn to Allah for guidance and success.

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.

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.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

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.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages  and Understanding Al Qur'an for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Tafsir References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | Input has also been taken from ChatGPT for expanding the meaning of the verse

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of the Qur'ān 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, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. 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.

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When does Evil become rife on land and sea

This universe was created by Allah and well provisioned for man to live in peace and thank Allah for being blessed with so much around him to live a comfortable life in complete gratitude to Allah. But the machinations of Evil are too lucrative for the man to sway away from the path shown by Allah and get distracted to lewdness and sinful life. It is because of these bad deeds of the man that Evil becomes strife on land and sea and man drown in depths of ignorance, self damage and nuisance for others.

We share today the 41st verse of Surah 30 Ar Rum which explains how evil spreads due to man's own deeds:

ظَهَرَ الۡفَسَادُ فِى الۡبَرِّ وَالۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ اَيۡدِى النَّاسِ لِيُذِيۡقَهُمۡ بَعۡضَ الَّذِىۡ عَمِلُوۡا لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُوۡنَ‏ 

(30:41) Evil has become rife on the land and at sea because of men's deeds; this in order that He may cause them to have a taste of some of their deeds; perhaps they will turn back (from evil).

Here "Man's own doings" mean the wickedness and oppression and tyranny, which inevitably appear in human conduct and character as a result of adopting shirk and atheism and ignoring the Hereafter. "Maybe they mend their ways" means that Allah shows the evil consequences of some of the acts of men in this world before the punishment of the Hereafter so that they understand the reality, feel the error of their conjectures and turn to the righteous belief, which the Prophets of Allah have been presenting before man since the earliest times, and besides adopting which there is no other way of ordering human conduct on sound foundations. This subject has been presented at several places in the Qur'an, e.g. in At-Taubah: 126, Ar-Ra'd: 31, As-Sajdah: 21, Al-Tur: 47, reproduced here in under:

[At-Taubah: 126] Do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice? Yet they neither repent nor take heed.

(Ar-Ra'd: 31) And what would have happened were a Qur'an to be revealed wherewith mountains could be set in motion, or the earth cleft, or the dead made to speak? (To show such signs is not at all difficult for) everything rests entirely with Allah. So, do not the people of faith (still look forward to such a sign in response to the demand of the unbelievers and) despair as a result of knowing that had Allah so willed, He could have guided all to the Truth. Misfortune continues to afflict the unbelievers on account of their misdeeds, or to befall on locations close to their habitation. This will continue until Allah's promise (of chastisement) is fulfilled. Indeed Allah does not go back upon His promise.

(As-Sajdah: 21) We shall certainly have them taste some chastisement in this world in addition to the greater chastisement (of the Hereafter); perhaps they will retract (from their transgression).

(Al-Tur: 47,) Surely a chastisement awaits the wrong-doers even before the coming of that Day; but most of them do not know 

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: ( ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ Evil has appeared) "The rain is withheld from the land and this is followed by famine, and it is withheld from the sea, adversely affecting the animals which live in it.'' 

This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim, who said: "Muhammad bin `Abdullah bin Yazid Al-Muqri' told us, from Sufyan from Humayd bin Qays Al-A`raj from Mujahid: ( ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِى الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ Evil has appeared on land and sea) "Evil on land means the killing of the son of Adam, and evil on the sea means piracy.'' 

According to the first opinion, the phrase, ( ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِى الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى النَّاسِ Evil has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned, ) means the shortfall in the crops and fruits is because of sins. Abu Al-`Aliyah said: "Whoever disobeys Allah in the earth has corrupted it, because the good condition of the earth and the heavens depends on obedience to Allah.'' 

Hence it says in the Hadith which was recorded by Abu Dawud:

(Any prescribed punishment which is carried out in the land is better for its people than if it were to rain for forty days.) The reason for that is that if the prescribed punishments are carried out, this will deter the people -- most or many of them -- from violating the prohibitions of Allah. If they give up sin, this will be a cause of blessings in the skies and on the earth. So, when `Isa bin Maryam, peace be upon him, comes down at the end of time, he will judge according to this Shari`ah at that time, and will kill the pigs and break the cross and abolish the Jizyah. He will accept nothing except Islam or the sword. When Allah destroys the Dajjal and his followers, and Ya'juj and Ma'juj during his time, it will be said to the earth, bring forth your blessing. Then groups of people will eat from one pomegranate, and will seek shade beneath its skin, and the milk of one pregnant camel will be sufficient for a group of people. This will only be because of the blessings that will result from application of the Shari`ah of Muhammad . The more justice is established, the more the blessings and good things will increase. 

It was reported in the Sahih: (When the evildoer dies, it is a relief for the people, the land, the trees and the animals.) Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal recorded that Abu Qahdham said: "At the time of Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad, a man found a cloth in which were wrapped grains of wheat which were as big as date stones; on it was written: `This grew at a time when justice prevailed.'''

( لِيُذِيقَهُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِى عَمِلُواْ that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done,) means, He tries them with the loss of wealth, souls and fruits as a test and as a punishment for what they have done.

( لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ in order that they may return.) means, from disobedience. This is like the Ayah, (And We tried them with good and evil in order that they might turn.) (7:168).  

Asad Ali Explanation: The growing corruption and destruction of our natural environment, so awesomely - if as yet only partially - demonstrated in our time, is here predicted as "an outcome of what men's hands have wrought", i.e., of that self-destructive - because utterly materialistic - inventiveness and frenzied activity which now threatens mankind with previously unimaginable ecological disasters: an unbridled pollution of land, air and water through industrial and urban waste, a progressive poisoning of plant and marine life, all manner of genetic malformations in men's own bodies through an ever-widening use of drugs and seemingly "beneficial" chemicals, and the gradual extinction of many animal species essential to human well-being. To all this may be added the rapid deterioration and decomposition of man's social life, the all-round increase in sexual perversion, crime and violence, with, perhaps, nuclear annhihilation as the ultimate stage: all of which is, in the last resort, an outcome of man's oblivion of God and, hence, of all absolute values, and their supersession by the belief that material "progress" is the only thing that matters.

Yusuf Ali Explanation: Allah's Creation was pure and good in itself. All the mischief or corruption was introduced by Evil, viz., arrogance, selfishness, etc. As soon as the mischief has come in, Allah's mercy and goodness step in to stop it. The consequences of Evil must be evil, and this should be shown in such partial punishment as 'the hands of men have earned," so that it may be a warning for the future and an invitation to enter the door of repentance.

The ultimate object of Allah's justice and punishment is to reclaim man from Evil, and to restore him to the pristine purity and innocence in which he was created. The Evil introduced by his possession of a limited free-will should be eliminated by the education and purification of man's own will. For, with his will and motives purified, he is capable of much greater heights than a creature not endowed with any free-will.

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:

The war and enmity between Rome and Persia mentioned earlier in the sūrah is referred to here. Such disorder has ensued in human history from time to time. In recent times, the first and second world wars are its examples. It ensues when the vested interests of people and the desire to dominate others makes them totally disregard ethical principles and instead of justice and fairness they resort to oppression and injustice.

( has ensued in the land and the sea ) These words are meant to comprehensively cover all places, the way we say expressions like, day and night and morning and evening.

( [This is inviting God] that He make them taste the flavour of some of their misdeeds so that they pay heed ) It is in the Hereafter that people will taste the flavour of all their misdeeds but at times some of their misdeeds are punished in this world. The purpose is to warn people so that they turn to their Lord before the reward and punishment of the Hereafter.

Tafseer Al Qurthubi: Said in Quran that fasad (damage) shown in land and sea because of the doings of mankind. The what is the meaning of fasad?

The scholars differed in interpreting the meaning of “al fasad (damage) on land and at sea”:

Fasad means shirk: Qotadah and As Suddi say: al fasad is shirk, and it is the greatest damage”.

Fasad means murder: Ibnu Abbas, Ikrimah and Mujahid said: “Al fasad on land is the murder of fellow brothers (believers), including Qobil killing Habil. And the facades in the sea are among the kings who seized the boat arbitrarily”.

Fasad means crisis in land: Other scholars say: “Al fasad is drought and lack of vegetation and loss of blessing”. Similar meaning is also mentioned by Ibn Abbas: “Al fasad is the reduction of blessings from the deeds of the servants, so that they repent”. An Nuhas said: “This is the best opinion about the meaning of this verse”.

Fasad means crisis in sea: Ibn Abbas also said: “al fasad in the sea is the reduction of marine products because of human sins”. Athiyyah said: “If the rainfall is low, it is rare for people to dive into the sea, so that the fishermen also lose and the marine mammals are spread out a lot (so they eat small fish, pent).” Ibn Abbas said: “If the rain falls from the sky, then the shells are opened in the sea, and what is found in it which descends from the sky is the jewel”.

Fasad means monetary crisis: Other scholars say: “Al fasad is a monetary crisis and the difficulty of making a living”

Fasad means immorality: Other scholars say: “Al fasad is immorality, robbery and tyranny. So that these things become obstacles to agriculture, development and business”.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us against the machinations of Evil and help us do good things to be saved of Allah's wrath. Aameen.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

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.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān 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 order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition the references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

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.

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