Tafseer of The Dunes · Al-Ahqaf · 46:26
And We had certainly established them in such as We have not established you, and We made for them hearing and vision and hearts. But their hearing and vision and hearts availed them not from anything [of the punishment] when they were [continually] rejecting the signs of Allah; and they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
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 statement of the Exalted: وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِيمَا إِن مَّكَّنَّاكُمْ فِيهِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًا وَأَبْصَارًا وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْئِدَتُهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ إِذْ كَانُوا يَجْحَدُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (And indeed, We had established them in that in which We have not established you, and We had given them hearing and eyes and hearts; but neither their hearing nor their eyes nor their hearts availed them anything, because they used to reject the signs of Allah; and that which they used to mock encompassed them.) (46:26)
The Exalted, whose praise is sublime, says to the unbelievers of the Quraysh: And indeed, O people, We had given to ʿĀd — whom We destroyed because of their unbelief — a power in this world which We have not given to you, and We had given them thereof what We have not given you of abundance of possessions, largeness of stature, and strength of bodies.
And in line with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to me, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِيمَا إِن مَّكَّنَّاكُمْ فِيهِ (And indeed, We had established them in that in which We have not established you) — he says: We have not given you power.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِيمَا إِن مَّكَّنَّاكُمْ فِيهِ (And indeed, We had established them in that in which We have not established you): He has informed you that He gave to that people what He has not given you.
And His statement وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعًا (and We had given them hearing) — by which they could hear the admonitions of their Lord, and eyes by which they could see the proofs of Allah, and hearts by which they could understand what gladdens and benefits them. فَمَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُهُمْ وَلَا أَفْئِدَتُهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ (But neither their hearing nor their eyes nor their hearts availed them anything) — He says: that which He gave them of hearing, sight, and heart did not avail them, because they did not use them for that for which they were given to them, and did not employ them for what could save them from the punishment of Allah; rather, they used them for what brought them nearer to His displeasure. إِذْ كَانُوا يَجْحَدُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ (Because they used to reject the signs of Allah) — He says: because they denied the proofs of Allah, namely His messengers, and rejected their prophethood. وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ (And that which they used to mock encompassed them) — He says: and that which they used to mock came back upon them, and what they ridiculed and the hastening of which they sought, namely the punishment, descended upon them. And this is a threat from Allah, whose praise is sublime, to the Quraysh; He says to them: beware lest there descend upon you of punishment — because of your unbelief in Allah and your denial of His messengers — what descended upon ʿĀd, and hasten to repentance before the chastisement.
