Tafseer of The Ant · An-Naml · 27:46
He said, "O my people, why are you impatient for evil instead of good? Why do you not seek forgiveness of Allah that you may receive mercy?"
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.
His statement قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ ('he said: O my people, why do you seek to hasten the evil before the good?'): Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: Ṣāliḥ said to his people: O my people, why do you seek to hasten the punishment of Allah before the mercy?
As Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both of them together — on the authority of Ibn Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his statement لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ: he said: the evil is the punishment, before the good: before the mercy.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ: he said: with the punishment before the good — he said: well-being.
His statement لَوْلا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ('why do you not ask Allah for forgiveness, that you may be shown mercy?'): he says: why do you not turn to Allah in repentance for your unbelief, that your Lord may forgive your great crime and remit for you your punishment for the grave sin you have committed?
His statement لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ means: that your Lord may show you mercy through your seeking forgiveness for your unbelief.
