Tafseer of The Believers · Al-Muminoon · 23:43
No nation will precede its time [of termination], nor will they remain [thereafter].
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.
Imam al-Ṭabarī says in his exposition of the words of the Exalted: مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا — that is to say: none of those communities that We brought into being after Thamūd will outstrip the destruction that We have appointed for them, nor will their destruction be postponed beyond the term that We have fixed for their annihilation and the time that We have designated for their perishing — rather they perish when that term arrives. This is a warning from Allah to the polytheists among the people of our Prophet ﷺ, and a notification to them that His granting them respite — despite their disbelief in Him and their denial of His Messenger — serves only so that they may reach the term appointed for them, after which His vengeance descends upon them, just as His way had been with the former communities before them.
