Transliteration:( Wa kam ahlaknaa min qaryatim batirat ma'eeshatahaa fatilka masaakinuhum lam tuskam mim ba'dihim illaa qaleelaa; wa kunnaa Nahnul waariseen )
"And how many a city have We destroyed [149] that behaved boastfully in their luxurious life [150]. And these are their homes [151], which were inhabited after them only briefly [152], and We are the inheritors. [153]"
This verse emphasizes that true peace and security lies in obeying the Holy Prophet ﷺ. The disbelievers wrongly believed that following him would bring destruction, and opposing him would bring safety.
However, history testifies the opposite—many past nations were destroyed due to rebellion, not obedience.
These were proud and luxurious nations, and traces of their ruins are still visible. Their downfall is a reminder to those who witness their remains while travelling.
Their homes are now abandoned, sometimes used by wayfarers for temporary shelter. This does not mean those nations returned—only that strangers may briefly dwell in their ruins before moving on.
There were no heirs left among them to reconstruct or restore their cities. Their destruction led to total instability and abandonment.
Two key points emerge:
Divine punishment does not descend without a Prophet’s warning and their curse upon rejection.
A Prophet’s message to one major region is sufficient for neighbouring towns and cities. A separate Prophet is not required for each individual locality.
Ultimately, Allah is the true inheritor—when arrogant nations perish, only He remains.
58. And how many a town have We destroyed, which was thankless for its means of livelihood! And those are their dwellings, which have not been inhabited after them except a little. And verily, We have been the heirs. 59. And never will your Lord destroy the towns until He sends to their mother town a Messenger reciting to them Our Ayat. And never would We destroy the towns unless the people thereof are wrongdoers.
Referring to the people of Makkah, Allah says:
(And how many a town have We destroyed, which was thankless for its means of livelihood!) They were arrogant transgressors who denied Allah’s blessing of giving them ample provision. This is like the Ayah, o
(And Allah puts forward the example of a township, that dwelt secure and well-content: its provision coming to it in abundance from every place) until:
(So the torment overtook them while they were wrongdoers.) (16:112-113) Allah said:
(And those are their dwellings, which have not been inhabited after them except a little.) Their land became empty and desolate, and you can see nothing but their dwellings.
(And verily, We have been the heirs.) Their towns became ruins, with none remaining. Then Allah tells us of His justice and that He does not destroy anyone unjustly; on the contrary, He destroys those whom He destroys after establishing proof against them. So, he says:
(And never will your Lord destroy the towns until He sends to their mother town) i.e., Makkah —
(a Messenger reciting to them Our Ayat.) This indicates that the Unlettered Prophet, Muhammad was sent from the Mother of Cities as a Messenger to all cities and towns, Arab and non-Arab alike. This is like the Ayat:
(so that you may warn the Mother of Towns and all those around it) (6:92).
(Say: “O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah.”) (7:158),
(That I may therewith warn you and whomsoever it may reach.) (6:19)
(but those of the sects that reject it, the Fire will be their promised meeting place.) (11:17).
(And there is not a town but We shall destroy it before the Day of Resurrection, or punish it with a severe torment.) (17:58). Allah tells us that He will destroy every town before the Day of Resurrection, as He says:
(And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.) (17:15). Allah has sent the Unlettered Prophet to all the towns (all of mankind), because he has been sent to the Mother of Cities, their source to which they all return. It was recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Prophet said:
(I have been sent to the red and the black.) Prophethood ended with him, and there is no Prophet or Messenger to come after him, but his way will remain as long as night and day remain, until the Day of Resurrection.
(28:58) And how many a town did We destroy whose inhabitants exulted on account of their affluence. These are their dwellings in which very few dwelt after them. Eventually it is We Who inherited them.[82]
82. This is the second answer to their excuse. It means to imply this: The worldly wealth and prosperity of which you are so proud and whose probable danger of loss makes you stick to falsehood and turn away from the truth. This was also possessed once by Aad and Thamud and Saba and the people of Lot. Then, did it save them from destruction? After all, a high standard of living is not the only aim in life that man should endeavor to pursue it regardless of every consideration for truth and falsehood, and refuse to accept the right way only because there was a risk of losing it if one did so. Do you have any guarantee that if you persisted in the errors and evils that ruined the prosperous peoples of the past, you would remain safe and never meet the doom that they met?
[1114]- By travelers seeking temporary shelter. The reference is to the ruins which were visible to the Quraysh during their journeys.
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