Surah Saba ayat 45 Tafsir Quran 34:45

﴿وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَمَا بَلَغُوا مِعْشَارَ مَا آتَيْنَاهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوا رُسُلِي ۖ فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ﴾
[ سبأ: 45]

34:45 And those before them denied, and the people of Makkah have not attained a tenth of what We had given them. But the former peoples denied My messengers, so how [terrible] was My reproach.

And those who were before them also denied and they these ones the Meccans have not received even a tenth of what We gave those others in the way of might long life and abundance of wealth. Yet they denied My messengers who were sent to them so how was My abhorrence! so how was My rebuttal against them through punishment and destruction in other words it was appropriate.

Similarly acted those who preceded them, they denied Our divine message and they rejected the truth, notwithstanding Allahs grace abounding in them. Affluence inflated them with pride whereas these people have not attained one tenth of what those of old attained: affluence in knowledge, wealth, power and the art of construction. Puffed up, they accused Our Messengers of falsehoods and how evil was the end for which they were destined

The Saying of the Disbelievers about the Prophets, and its refutation Allah tells us that the disbeliever deserve to be severely punished by Him, because when His clear Verses were recited to them, and they heard them fresh from the lips of His Messenger , they said: قَالُواْ مَا هَـذَا إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ ( They say: "This is naught but a man who wishes to hinder you from that which your fathers used to worship." ) meaning, that the religion of their fathers was the truth and that what the Messenger brought to them was false -- may the curse of Allah be upon them and their fathers! وَقَالُواْ مَا هَـذَآ إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ( And they say: "This is nothing but an invented lie." ) referring to the Qur'an.
l وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ( And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them: "This is nothing but evident magic!" ) Allah says: وَمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ مِّنْ كُتُبٍ يَدْرُسُونَهَا وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَكَ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ ( And We had not given them Scriptures that they could study, nor sent to them before you any warner ) meaning, Allah did not reveal any Book to the Arabs before the Qur'an, and He did not send any Prophet to them before Muhammad ﷺ .
They used to wish for that and say, `if only a warner comes to us or a Book is revealed to us, we would be more guided than others,' but when Allah blessed them with that, they disbelieved him and stubbornly rejected him.
Then Allah says: وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبلِهِمْ ( And those before them denied; ) meaning, other nations. وَمَا بَلَغُواْ مِعْشَارَ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ ( these have not received even a tenth of what We had granted to those (of old );) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Of the power of this world." This was also the view of Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.
This is like the Ayat: وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَـهُمْ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّـكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلاَ أَفْئِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you! And We had assigned them the hearing, seeing, and hearts; but their hearing, seeing, and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to mock at! ) ( 46: 26 ) أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَكْـثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً ( Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength ) ( 40:82 ).
but that did not protect them from the punishment of Allah, and Allah destroyed them because they denied His Messengers.
Allah says: فَكَذَّبُواْ رُسُلِى فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ( yet they denied My Messengers.
Then how (terrible ) was My denial!) meaning, `how severe was My wrath and how great was My avenging of My Messengers.'

(34:45) Those who went before them also denounced (Allah's Messengers) as liars. They have not attained even a tenth of what We had given them. But when they rejected My Messengers, calling them liars, how terrible was My chastisement! *65

And those before them denied, and the meaning

*65) That is, " The people of Makkah have not attained even one-tenth of the power and grandeur and prosperity that was possessed by those people.
But just see how they went to their doom ultimately and their power and wealth could not avail them anything, when they refused to believe in the realities presented before them by the Prophets, and founded their system of life on falsehood. "
 

The Saying of the Disbelievers about the Prophets, and its refutation Allah tells us that the disbeliever deserve to be severely punished by Him, because when His clear Verses were recited to them, and they heard them fresh from the lips of His Messenger , they said: قَالُواْ مَا هَـذَا إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ يُرِيدُ أَن يَصُدَّكُمْ عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُكُمْ ( They say: "This is naught but a man who wishes to hinder you from that which your fathers used to worship." ) meaning, that the religion of their fathers was the truth and that what the Messenger brought to them was false -- may the curse of Allah be upon them and their fathers! وَقَالُواْ مَا هَـذَآ إِلاَّ إِفْكٌ مُّفْتَرًى ( And they say: "This is nothing but an invented lie." ) referring to the Qur'an.
l وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِلْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ إِنْ هَـذَآ إِلاَّ سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ ( And those who disbelieve say of the truth when it has come to them: "This is nothing but evident magic!" ) Allah says: وَمَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ مِّنْ كُتُبٍ يَدْرُسُونَهَا وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَكَ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ ( And We had not given them Scriptures that they could study, nor sent to them before you any warner ) meaning, Allah did not reveal any Book to the Arabs before the Qur'an, and He did not send any Prophet to them before Muhammad ﷺ .
They used to wish for that and say, `if only a warner comes to us or a Book is revealed to us, we would be more guided than others,' but when Allah blessed them with that, they disbelieved him and stubbornly rejected him.
Then Allah says: وَكَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبلِهِمْ ( And those before them denied; ) meaning, other nations. وَمَا بَلَغُواْ مِعْشَارَ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ ( these have not received even a tenth of what We had granted to those (of old );) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Of the power of this world." This was also the view of Qatadah, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd.
This is like the Ayat: وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَـهُمْ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّـكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلاَ أَفْئِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ ( And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you! And We had assigned them the hearing, seeing, and hearts; but their hearing, seeing, and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to mock at! ) ( 46: 26 ) أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَكْـثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً ( Have they not traveled through the earth and seen what was the end of those before them They were more in number than them and mightier in strength ) ( 40:82 ).
but that did not protect them from the punishment of Allah, and Allah destroyed them because they denied His Messengers.
Allah says: فَكَذَّبُواْ رُسُلِى فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ( yet they denied My Messengers.
Then how (terrible ) was My denial!) meaning, `how severe was My wrath and how great was My avenging of My Messengers.'

( Those before them denied ) before your people, the Quraysh, denied the messengers, ( and these have not attained a tithe of that which We bestowed on them (of old )) i.e. on the disbelievers of old; it is also said that this means: their wealth and children have not reached even a tithe of the wealth and children that which We bestowed upon the disbelievers of old; ( yet they denied My messengers. How intense then was My abhorrence (of them )) how intense was My chastisement when they disbelieved!

And those before them belied; these have not received one tenth (1/10th) of what We had granted to those (of old), yet they belied My Messengers, then how (terrible) was My denial (punishment)!

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