Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:48
And for how many a city did I prolong enjoyment while it was committing wrong. Then I seized it, and to Me is the [final] destination.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of Allah, the Exalted: وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ
Allah, exalted is His mention, says: وَكَأَيِّنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا — he said: I granted them respite and deferred their punishment, while they were polytheists toward Allah and transgressed His command — that was their wrongdoing with which Allah, exalted is His praise, described them — and I did not hasten their punishment. ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا — he said: then I seized it with the punishment and tormented it in the worldly life by sending down our chastisement upon them. وَإِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ — he said: and to Me is also their return after their destruction, so that they then undergo a punishment that has no end. Allah, exalted is His mention, says: such is the state of those of your people who are the polytheists and who seek to hasten the punishment from you — even though I grant them respite until the terms appointed by Me, I will strike them with punishment and kill them with the sword. Then their return is to Me, so that I then punish them painfully for the sins they have committed.
