Surah 21:13
Show Full Scripture Context (21:10-15) — 6 Verses
لَقَدۡ أَنزَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡكُمۡ كِتَٰبٗا فِيهِ ذِكۡرُكُمۡۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ
Certainly We have sent down to you a Book in which (there is) your reminder. Will you not understand?
وَكَمۡ قَصَمۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةٖ كَانَتۡ ظَالِمَةٗ وَأَنشَأۡنَا بَعۡدَهَا قَوۡمًا ءَاخَرِينَ
How many a town (which) was doing evil have We smashed, and produced another people after it!
فَلَمَّآ أَحَسُّواْ بَأۡسَنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنۡهَا يَرۡكُضُونَ
And when they sensed Our violence, suddenly they began fleeing from it.
لَا تَرۡكُضُواْ وَٱرۡجِعُوٓاْ إِلَىٰ مَآ أُتۡرِفۡتُمۡ فِيهِ وَمَسَٰكِنِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تُسۡـَٔلُونَ
‘Do not flee, but return to what luxury you were given to delight in, and (to) your dwellings, so that you may be questioned.’
قَالُواْ يَٰوَيۡلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَٰلِمِينَ
They said, ‘Woe to us! Surely we have been evildoers.’
فَمَا زَالَت تِّلۡكَ دَعۡوَىٰهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ جَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ حَصِيدًا خَٰمِدِينَ
This cry of theirs did not stop until We cut them down (and) snuffed (them) out.
The Virtue of the Qur’an
Here Allah points out the noble status of the Qur’an and urges them to recognize its worth:
Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Honor for you.”
{Will you not then understand?} means, will you not understand this blessing, and accept it? This is like the Ayah:
{And verily, this is indeed a Reminder for you and your people, and you will be questioned.} [43:44]
How the Evildoers were destroyed
meaning, they were very many. This is like the Ayah:
{And how many generations have We destroyed after Ntlh!} [17:17] -> Wait, no citation given in OCR. I will keep text as is.
{and raised up after them another people!} means, another nation which came after them.
{Then, when they sensed Our torment,} when they realized that the torment would undoubtedly come upon them, just as their Prophet had warned them,
{behold, they (tried to) fee from it.} they tried to run away.
This is a way of ridiculing them. It will be said to them by way of ridicule: “Do not run away from the coming torment; go back to the delights and luxuries and fine homes in which you were living.” Qatadah said, “Mocking them.”
{in order that you may be questioned} about whether you gave thanks for what you had.
They will confess their sins when it will be of no benefit to them.
meaning, “they will keep on saying that, admitting their wrongdoing, until We harvest them as it were, and their movements and voices come to a stop.”