Surah Nahl >> Currently viewing Surah Nahl Ayat 45 (16:45)

Surah Nahl Ayat 45 in Arabic Text

أَفَأَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مَكَرُواْ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ أَن يَخۡسِفَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ أَوۡ يَأۡتِيَهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابُ مِنۡ حَيۡثُ لَا يَشۡعُرُونَ
Afa aminal lazeena makarus saiyi aati ai yakhsifal laahu bihimul arda aw yaaa tiyahumul ‘azaabu min haisu laa yash’uroon

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 45

Sahih International
Then, do those who have planned evil deeds feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them or that the punishment will not come upon them from where they do not perceive?

Yusuf Ali
Do then those who devise evil (plots) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up, or that the Wrath will not seize them from directions they little perceive?-

Abul Ala Maududi
Do those who have been devising evil plans (against the mission of the Messenger) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that chastisement will not come upon them from a direction that they will not even be able to imagine;

Muhsin Khan
Do then those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah will not sink them into the earth, or that the torment will not seize them from directions they perceive not?

Pickthall
Are they who plan ill-deeds then secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them, or that the doom will not come on them whence they know not?

Dr. Ghali
So, are the ones who have schemed odious (deeds) secure that Allah will (not) cause the earth to cave in with them? Or that the torment will not come up to them from where they are not aware?

Abdel Haleem
Are those who plan evil so sure that God will not make the earth swallow them up, that punishment will not come on them from some unimagined direction,

Muhammad Junagarhi
بدترین داؤ پیچ کرنے والے کیا اس بات سے بے خوف ہوگئے ہیں کہ اللہ تعالیٰ انہیں زمین میں دھنسا دے یا ان کے پاس ایسی جگہ سے عذاب آجائے جہاں کا انہیں وہم وگمان بھی نہ ہو

Quran 16 Verse 45 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Nahl ayat 45, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(16:45) Do those who have been devising evil plans (against the mission of the Messenger) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that chastisement will not come upon them from a direction that they will not even be able to imagine;


There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.

Ibn-Kathir

45. Do then those who devise evil plots feel secure that Allah will not cause them to sink into the earth, or that torment will not seize them from where they do not perceive it 46. Or that He may punish them in the midst of their going to and fro (in their livelihood), so that there be no escape for them (from Allah’s punishment) 47. Or that He may punish them where they fear it most Indeed, Your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.


How the Guilty can feel Secure

Allah informs us about His patience, and how He delays the punishment for the sinners who do evil things and call others to do likewise, plotting to call others to do evil – even though He is able to make the earth swallow them or to bring His wrath upon them.

﴿مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ﴾

(from where they do not perceive it), meaning in such a way that they do not know where it comes from. As Allah says:

﴿أَءَمِنتُمْ مَّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يَخْسِفَ بِكُمُ الاٌّرْضَ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَمُورُ – أَمْ أَمِنتُمْ مِّن فِى السَّمَآءِ أَن يُرْسِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ حَـصِباً فَسَتَعْلَمُونَ كَيْفَ نَذِيرِ ﴾

(Do you feel secure that He Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not cause you to sink into the earth, when it quakes Or do you feel secure that He Who is over the heaven (Allah), will not send a storm of stones upon you Then you shall know how My warning really is.) (67:16-17).

﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ فِى تَقَلُّبِهِمْ﴾

(Or that He may punish them in the midst of their going to and fro) meaning, when they are busy with their daily business, travel, and other distracting activities. Qatadah and As-Suddi said:

﴿تَقَلُّبِهِمْ﴾

(Their going to and fro) means their journeys.” As Allah says:

﴿أَفَأَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُم بَأْسُنَا بَيَـتاً وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ – أَوَ أَمِنَ أَهْلُ الْقُرَى أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ بَأْسُنَا ضُحًى وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ ﴾

(Did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our punishment by night while they were asleep Or, did the people of the towns feel secure against the coming of Our punishment in the forenoon while they were playing) (7:97-98)

﴿فَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ﴾

(so that there be no escape for them (from Allah’s punishment)) meaning, it is not impossible for Allah, no matter what their situation.

﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ﴾

(Or that He may punish them where they fear it most) meaning, or Allah will take from them what they most fear, which is even more frightening, because when the thing you most fear to happen does happen, this is even worse. Hence Al-`Awfi reported that Ibn `Abbas said that,

﴿أَوْ يَأْخُذَهُمْ عَلَى تَخَوُّفٍ﴾

(Or that He may punish them where they fear it most) means that Allah is saying: If I wish, I can take him after the death of his companion and after he has become frightened of that.’ This was also reported from Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and others. Then Allah says:

﴿فَإِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ لَرَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ﴾

(Indeed your Lord is full of kindness, Most Merciful.) meaning, because He does not hasten to punish, as was reported in the Two Sahihs:

«لَا أَحَدَ أَصْبَرُ عَلَى أَذًى سَمِعَهُ مِنَ اللهِ، إِنَّهُمْ يَجْعَلُونَ لَهُ وَلَدًا وَهُوَ يَرْزُقُهُمْ وَيُعَافِيهِم»

(No one is more patient in the case of hearing offensive speech than Allah, for they attribute to Him a son, while He ﴿alone﴾ is giving them provision and good health.) And it is also recorded in Two Sahihs,

«إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه»

(Allah will let the wrongdoer continue until, when He begins to punish him, He will never let him go.) Then the Messenger of Allah recited:

﴿وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ ﴾

(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) towns while they are doing wrong. Indeed, His punishment is painful, (and) severe) (11:102) And Allah says:

﴿وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ ﴾

(And many a township did I give respite while it was given to wrongdoing. Then I punished it. And to Me is the (final) return (of all).) (22:48)

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surah an-nahl ayat 45
surah an-nahl ayat 46
surah an-nahl ayat 47
surah an-nahl ayat 48
surah an-nahl ayat 49

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