Surah Adh-Dhariyat, Ayah 60

All Messengers met the Same Type of Denial from Their Nations

Allah comforts His Prophet by saying to Him, `just as these idolators denied you, the disbelievers of old used the same words with their Messengers,'

كَذَلِكَ مَآ أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ قَالُواْ سَـحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ

(Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman!") Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,

أَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِهِ

(Have they transmitted this saying to these), meaning, have those of the past taught these words to the people of the present

بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَـغُونَ

(Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds!) They are tyrannical people whose hearts are the same. Therefore, the latter said the same as those before them have said. Allah the Exalted said,

The word ذُنُوب dhanub in verse 59 is with lath on the letter [ dh ] which means a large bucket that is kept at the common wells of a locality for the purpose of drawing and filling water. A turn is designated for each of the persons using the large common bucket to draw out water from the well, so that he is conveniently able to fill it in his own private bucket in his turn. Thus the word here is employed in the sense of turn, share or portion. Hence it is translated above as follows: "So, those who did wrong deserve a share (in the punishment) like the share of their companions." The verse purports to warn the disbelievers that the past communities were given an opportunity to work. When each of these communities did not take advantage of the opportunity in their respective time and persisted in their evil course, they were punished and destroyed. Likewise, the present pagans of Makkah are designated a time and opportunity. If they do not take advantage of the allocated time and opportunity and persist in their paganism, they will be punished in this world; otherwise the punishment of the Hereafter is most certain. They will thus meet with a fate similar to that of the opponents of former Prophets. Like them they will come to a sad end. This verse, in which the word dhanuban occurs, indicates that they will receive their due share of the torment, and it will surely come in due time; so they should not ask for it to be hastened on or rushed to them.

Al-hamdulillah

The Commentary on

Surah Adh-Dhariyat

Ends here

A pail when being filled with water sinks in water the moment it is full. Similarly, when the time given to a man to perform his life’s work is over, he dies immediately. One who reforms himself before the overflowing of the pail may save himself, but one who remains careless and negligent till the last moment faces destruction. If transgressors are not immediately seized upon, they should not imagine that they have been left free to do as they choose. They go free because it is not God’s way to catch hold of human beings in haste. It is certainly not because God has no plan ever to bring them to book.