Surah Yusuf 12:109 — translation and meaning

يوسف · Verse 109 / 111 · Page 248

ۗ ۗ ۗ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ إِلَّا رِجَالًا نُّوحِي إِلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَدَارُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ لِّلَّذِينَ اتَّقَوْا أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

Word by Word

ۗ
ۗ
ۗ
وَمَا
wama
And not
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalna
We sent
مِن
min
before you
قَبْلِكَ
qablika
before you
إِلَّا
illa
but
رِجَالًا
rijalan
men
نُّوحِي
nuhi
We revealed
إِلَيْهِم
ilayhim
to them
مِّنْ
min
from (among)
أَهْلِ
ahli
(the) people
الْقُرَى
al-qura
(of) the townships
أَفَلَمْ
afalam
So have not
يَسِيرُوا
yasiru
they traveled
فِي
fi
in
الْأَرْضِ
al-ardi
the earth
فَيَنظُرُوا
fayanzuru
and seen
كَيْفَ
kayfa
how
كَانَ
kana
was
عَاقِبَةُ
aqibatu
(the) end
الَّذِينَ
alladhina
(of) those who
مِن
min
(were) before them
قَبْلِهِمْ
qablihim
(were) before them
وَلَدَارُ
waladaru
And surely the home
الْآخِرَةِ
al-akhirati
(of) the Hereafter
خَيْرٌ
khayrun
(is) best
لِّلَّذِينَ
lilladhina
for those who
اتَّقَوْا
ittaqaw
fear Allah
أَفَلَا
afala
Then will not
تَعْقِلُونَ
ta'qiluna
you use reason

Transliteration

Wa maaa arsalnaa min qablika illaa rijaalan nooheee ilaihim min ahlil quraa; afalam yaseeroo fil ardi fa yanzuroo kaifa kaana 'aaqibatul lazeena min qablihim; wa la Daarul Aakhirati Khairul lillazeenat taqaw; afalaa ta'qiloon

Translation

And We sent not before you [as messengers] except men to whom We revealed from among the people of cities. So have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? And the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah; then will you not reason?

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

Allah only sent men, not angels, before the Messenger (peace be upon him), whom He gave revelation as He does to the Messenger, and they were from the people of the towns and not the desert. Their peoples denied them and Allah destroyed them. Do those who deny the Messenger not travel through the earth and think about what the end was of those who denied the truth before them, learning from their example? The bliss in the home of the Afterlife is better for those who are Mindful in this world. Do they not realise that is better, and so become mindful of Allah by following what He instructs (with faith being the most important instruction) and staying away from what He has prohibited (with not associating others with Allah being the most important prohibition)?

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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