Surah 46 Al-Ahqaf — Ayah 26
وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّٰهُمْ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّٰكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًۭا وَأَبْصَٰرًۭا وَأَفْـِٔدَةًۭ فَمَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَآ أَبْصَٰرُهُمْ وَلَآ أَفْـِٔدَتُهُم مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُوا۟ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
Kuma lalle ne, haƙĩƙa, Mun ba su ĩko ga abin da ba Mubã ku ĩko gare shi ba, kuma Muka sanya musu wani irin jĩ da gani dazukãta. Sai dai jnsu bai amfãne su ba, kuma zukãtansu ba su amfãne su ba ga kõme, dõmin sun kasance sunã musu game da ãyõyin Allah, kuma abin da suka kasance sunã aikatãwa na izgili game da shi ya wajaba a gare su.
walaqad makkannāhum fīmā in makkannākum fīhi wajaʿalnā lahum samʿan wa-abṣāran wa-afidatan famā aghnā ʿanhum samʿuhum walā abṣāruhum walā afidatuhum min shayin idh kānū yajḥadūna biāyāti l-lahi waḥāqa bihim mā kānū bihi yastahziūna
Word by word
- وَلَقَدْ walaqad And certainly
- مَكَّنَّـٰهُمْ makkannāhum We had established them
- فِيمَآ fīmā in what
- إِن in not
- مَّكَّنَّـٰكُمْ makkannākum We have established you
- فِيهِ fīhi in it
- وَجَعَلْنَا wajaʿalnā and We made
- لَهُمْ lahum for them
- سَمْعًۭا samʿan hearing
- وَأَبْصَـٰرًۭا wa-abṣāran and vision
- وَأَفْـِٔدَةًۭ wa-afidatan and hearts
- فَمَآ famā But not
- أَغْنَىٰ aghnā availed
- عَنْهُمْ ʿanhum them
- سَمْعُهُمْ samʿuhum their hearing
- وَلَآ walā and not
- أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ abṣāruhum their vision
- وَلَآ walā and not
- أَفْـِٔدَتُهُم afidatuhum their hearts
- مِّن min any
- شَىْءٍ shayin thing
- إِذْ idh when
- كَانُوا۟ kānū they were
- يَجْحَدُونَ yajḥadūna rejecting
- بِـَٔايَـٰتِ biāyāti (the) Signs
- ٱللَّهِ l-lahi (of) Allah
- وَحَاقَ waḥāqa and enveloped
- بِهِم bihim them
- مَّا mā what
- كَانُوا۟ kānū they used to
- بِهِۦ bihi [at it]
- يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ yastahziūna ridicule
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
(We also gave them hearing, vision, and hearts. But their hearing, vision, and hearts availed them nothing when they used to deny Allah's signs, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to ridicule!) meaning, they were encircled by the torment and exemplary punishment that they denied and whose occurrence they doubted. This means, you listeners must beware of being like them lest a punishment similar to theirs strikes you in this life and the Hereafter. Allah then says,
(And indeed We have destroyed towns round about you, ) This is addressed to the people of Makkah. Allah destroyed the nations who disbelieved in the Messengers who lived around Makkah, such as `Ad who were at Al-Ahqaf in Hadramawt near Yemen, Thamud whose dwellings were between Makkah and Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), Saba' who were in Yemen, the people of Madyan who were on the route and passage to Ghazzah (Western Palestine), and the people of Lut who dwelt by the lake (the Dead Sea) which they used to pass by (on the way to Jordan) as well. Allah then says,
(and We have shown (them) the signs in various ways) meaning, `We explained and clarified them.'
(so that perhaps they might return. As for those whom they had taken for gods besides Allah, as the means of approach to Him, why then did they not aid them) meaning, did they help them when they were in the greatest need for them
(but they vanished completely from them.) Rather, they completely left them alone when they needed them the most.
(And that was their falsehood, ) meaning, their lie.
(and what they were fabricating.) which means that they fabricated lies by taking them as gods, and they lost and failed in their worship of them and their reliance upon them -- and Allah knows best.