Surah Ahqaf >> Currently viewing Surah Ahqaf Ayat 26 (46:26)

Surah Ahqaf Ayat 26 in Arabic Text

وَلَقَدۡ مَكَّنَّـٰهُمۡ فِيمَآ إِن مَّكَّنَّـٰكُمۡ فِيهِ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُمۡ سَمۡعٗا وَأَبۡصَٰرٗا وَأَفۡـِٔدَةٗ فَمَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُمۡ سَمۡعُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَبۡصَٰرُهُمۡ وَلَآ أَفۡـِٔدَتُهُم مِّن شَيۡءٍ إِذۡ كَانُواْ يَجۡحَدُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ
Wa laqad makkannaahum feemaaa im makkannaakum feehi waj’alnaa lahum sam’anw wa absaaranw wa af’idatan famaaa aghnaa ‘anhum sam’uhum wa laaa absaaruhum wa laaa af’idatuhum min shai’in iz kaanoo yajhadoona bi Aayaatil laahi wa haaqa bihim maa kaanoo bihee yastahzi’oon (section 3)

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 26

Sahih International
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.

Yusuf Ali
And We had firmly established them in a (prosperity and) power which We have not given to you (ye Quraish!) and We had endowed them with (faculties of) hearing, seeing, heart and intellect: but of no profit to them were their (faculties of) hearing, sight, and heart and intellect, when they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah; and they were (completely) encircled by that which they used to mock at!

Abul Ala Maududi
We had established them firmly in a manner We have not established you. We had given them ears and eyes and hearts. But nothing availed them — neither their ears, nor their eyes, nor their hearts, for they denied the Signs of Allah. Then what they had mocked at encompassed them.

Muhsin Khan
And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you (O Quraish)! And We had assigned them the (faculties of) hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and hearts, but their hearing (ears), seeing (eyes), and their hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat (Allah’s Prophets and their Prophethood, proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to mock at!

Pickthall
And verily We had empowered them with that wherewith We have not empowered you, and had assigned them ears and eyes and hearts; but their ears and eyes and hearts availed them naught since they denied the revelations of Allah; and what they used to mock befell them.

Dr. Ghali
And indeed We already established them in that wherein We have not established you; (Or: in case We have firmly established you, (you might be like them) and We made for them hearing, and beholdings, (i.e., eyesight (s) and heart-sights; yet in no way did their hearing, and their beholdings and their heart-sights avail them anything whatever, as they used to repudiate the signs of Allah; and whatever they used to mock at redounded on them.

Abdel Haleem
We had established them in a way we have not established you [people of Mecca]; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts, yet their hearing, sight, and hearts were of no use to them, since they denied God’s revelations. They were overwhelmed by the punishment they had mocked.

Muhammad Junagarhi
اور بالیقین ہم نے (قوم عاد) کو وه مقدور دیئے تھے جو تمہیں تو دیئے بھی نہیں اور ہم نے انہیں کان آنکھیں اور دل بھی دے رکھے تھے۔ لیکن ان کے کانوں اور آنکھوں اور دلوں نے انہیں کچھ بھی نفع نہ پہنچایا جبکہ وه اللہ تعالیٰ کی آیتوں کا انکار کرنے لگے اور جس چیز کا وه مذاق اڑایا کرتے تھے وہی ان پر الٹ پڑی

Quran 46 Verse 26 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Ahqaf ayat 26, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(46:26) We had established them firmly in a manner We have not established you.[30] We had given them ears and eyes and hearts. But nothing availed them � neither their ears, nor their eyes, nor their hearts, for they denied the Signs of Allah.[31] Then what they had mocked at encompassed them.


30. That is, you are no match for them as far as wealth, power, authority and other things are concerned: your sphere of authority is restricted to the bounds of the city of Makkah, but they had dominated a large part of the earth.

31. An important truth has been stated in this brief sentence. It is only the revelations of Allah which give the right knowledge and understanding of the truth and reality to man. If man has this understanding and knowledge he sees the right thing with his eyes, hears the right thing with his ears, thinks the right thing with his mind and intellect and takes the right decisions. But when he refuses to believe in the revelations of Allah, he fails to see the truth in spite of the eyes, becomes deaf to every word of admonition in spite of the ears, and misuses the blessings of the mind and intellect that God has granted him, and goes on drawing wrong conclusions one after the other, so much so that he starts using all his capabilities for his own destruction.

Ibn-Kathir

26. And indeed We had firmly established them with that wherewith We have not established you! We also gave them hearing, vision, and hearts. But their hearing, vision, and hearts availed them nothing since they used to deny the Ayat of Allah, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to ridicule! 27. And indeed We have destroyed towns round about you, and We have shown (them) the signs in various ways so that they might return. 28. As for those whom they had taken for gods besides Allah, as the means of approach to Him, why then did they not aid them Nay, but they vanished completely from them. And that was their falsehood, and what they were fabricating.) Allah says, `We have granted the earlier nations wealth and offspring in the worldly life. That which We granted them, we did not give you anything similar or close to it.’ Furthermore,


﴿وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ سَمْعاً وَأَبْصَـراً وَأَفْئِدَةً فَمَآ أَغْنَى عَنْهُمْ سَمْعُهُمْ وَلاَ أَبْصَـرُهُمْ وَلاَ أَفْئِدَتُهُمْ مِّن شَىْءٍ إِذْ كَانُواْ يَجْحَدُونَ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَحَاقَ بِهم مَّا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ﴾

(We also gave them hearing, vision, and hearts. But their hearing, vision, and hearts availed them nothing when they used to deny Allah’s signs, and they were completely encircled by that which they used to ridicule!) meaning, they were encircled by the torment and exemplary punishment that they denied and whose occurrence they doubted. This means, you listeners must beware of being like them lest a punishment similar to theirs strikes you in this life and the Hereafter. Allah then says,

﴿وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا مَا حَوْلَكُمْ مِّنَ الْقُرَى﴾

(And indeed We have destroyed towns round about you, ) This is addressed to the people of Makkah. Allah destroyed the nations who disbelieved in the Messengers who lived around Makkah, such as `Ad who were at Al-Ahqaf in Hadramawt near Yemen, Thamud whose dwellings were between Makkah and Ash-Sham (Greater Syria), Saba’ who were in Yemen, the people of Madyan who were on the route and passage to Ghazzah (Western Palestine), and the people of Lut who dwelt by the lake (the Dead Sea) which they used to pass by (on the way to Jordan) as well. Allah then says,

﴿وَصَرَّفْنَا الاٌّيَـتِ﴾

(and We have shown (them) the signs in various ways) meaning, `We explained and clarified them.’

﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَفَلَوْلاَ نَصَرَهُمُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ قُرْبَاناً ءَالِهَةَ﴾

(so that perhaps they might return. As for those whom they had taken for gods besides Allah, as the means of approach to Him, why then did they not aid them) meaning, did they help them when they were in the greatest need for them

﴿بَلْ ضَلُّواْ عَنْهُمْ﴾

(but they vanished completely from them.) Rather, they completely left them alone when they needed them the most.

﴿وَذَلِكَ إِفْكُهُمْ﴾

(And that was their falsehood, ) meaning, their lie.

﴿وَمَا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ﴾

(and what they were fabricating.) which means that they fabricated lies by taking them as gods, and they lost and failed in their worship of them and their reliance upon them — and Allah knows best.

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