Tafseer of The Heights · Al-A'raaf · 7:94
And We sent to no city a prophet [who was denied] except that We seized its people with poverty and hardship that they might humble themselves [to Allah].
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 His word: وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلا أَخَذْنَا أَهْلَهَا بِالْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَضَّرَّعُونَ (94) ("And We did not send a prophet into any town except that We seized its people with adversity (al-baʾsāʾ) and affliction (al-ḍarrāʾ), that they might humble themselves in submission.") (7:94)
Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, instructing him in His established practice (sunna) with the communities that have passed away before his community, and admonishing those of the Quraysh who disbelieved in him, so that they might refrain from ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) and from denying His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in which they persisted: "And We did not send a prophet into any town" — before you = "except that We seized its people with adversity and affliction," and that is misery, the harshness of livelihood and its straitness = and "al-ḍarrāʾ," that is harm and the bad state in the affairs of their worldly life = "that they might humble themselves in submission" — He says: We did that so that they might turn humbly to their Lord, submit themselves to Him, and return to Him by abandoning their disbelief and showing repentance for the denial of their prophets.
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And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
14872 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me; he said: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us; he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "We seized its people with adversity and affliction" — he says: with poverty and hunger.
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And we have already, in what preceded, adduced the proofs for the correctness of what we have said concerning the meaning of "al-baʾsāʾ" and "al-ḍarrāʾ," to a degree that suffices without needing to be repeated here.
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And it is said: "yaḍḍarraʿūn," where the meaning is: "yataḍarraʿūn" (they humble themselves in submission), but the "tāʾ" has been assimilated (idghām) into the "ḍād" because of the closeness of their place of articulation.
