Surah al-Ahqaf (Sand Dunes) 46 : 28

Explanatory Note

This part of the surah concludes by drawing people's attention to the lessons learnt from the fates suffered by the communities in the areas not far from around Makkah.

God destroyed the communities who rejected the messengers sent to them, such as the 'Ad in the Valley of the Sand Dunes in the south of Arabia, the Thamad at Hijr in the north, the people of Sheba in Yemen, the Madyan whose former homes the Makkans passed on their way to Syria and the people of Lot whose dwellings were along the route the Arabs took on their summer journey to the north. God gave His message to these people in different ways so as to give such erring communities a chance to repent and change their ways. They, however, persisted with their errors and so incurred God's punishment, which was inflicted on them in various ways. What happened to them was so serious that it became part of the history one generation reports to the next. The idolaters in Makkah were aware of this, given they passed by these areas on their travels.

Their attentions are thus drawn to the real facts. God destroyed the unbelievers before them while their deities, whom they claimed drew them nearer to God, were utterly unable to save them: "Why did those whom they had set up as deities beside God, hoping that they would bring them nearer to Him, give them no help?" They could not furnish them with any support. "Indeed, they utterly failed them." They left them to their fate. Indeed, they did not know how to reach them, let alone spare them God's punishment. "Such were their lies and such their false inventions. (Verse 28) All their claims about so-called deities are lies and fabrications. These too will inevitably be destroyed. What end, then, did those Arabs who took false deities for themselves expect?