Surah Muhammad 47:10
سُورَةُ مُحَمَّدٍ · Medinan · Verse 10 of 38
۞ أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ دَمَّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ وَلِلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْثَٰلُهَا
Translation
Have they not travelled the earth and seen how those before them met their end? God destroyed them utterly: a similar fate awaits the disbelievers.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
Wording
This powerful verse opens with a rhetorical question: "Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them?" (أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ). This isn't merely a question; it's a strong rebuke from Allah to the disbelievers, challenging their lack of contemplation and urging them to learn from history. Ibn Ashur notes this interrogative style highlights how obvious the evidence is, yet they fail to see it. Allah is calling them to look at the fate of past nations who denied the truth.
The Force of Destruction
The verse continues, "Allah destroyed upon them" (دَمَّرَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ). The Arabic word "دَمَّرَ" (dammara) means to utterly annihilate or destroy. What makes this wording particularly potent is the addition of "عَلَيْهِمْ" ('alayhim), meaning "upon them" or "over them." Ibn Ashur explains that while the verb "dammara" can take a direct object, its use with "ʿalayhim" here signifies an overwhelming, encompassing destruction. It implies that Allah didn't just destroy their persons; He destroyed *everything* that concerned them, their homes, their wealth, their families, their very existence, as al-Zamakhshari and al-Razi explain. The object of the destruction is left unsaid, creating a sense of terrifying universality, as if nothing belonging to them was spared. It was a complete wiping out.
The Future Awaits
Finally, the verse warns, "And for the disbelievers are its likes" (وَلِلْكَٰفِرِينَ أَمْثَالُهَا). The pronoun "ها" (ha) refers to the 'āqibah (consequence) or halakah (destruction) suffered by the previous nations. The choice of the plural word "أَمْثَالُهَا" (amthāluhā), meaning "its likes" or "similar consequences," is significant. Ibn Ashur points out that this isn't just about *one* similar punishment, but multiple forms of destruction that Allah brought upon disbelievers across different times. This implies that the disbelievers of Mecca, who are the immediate audience, will face various kinds of devastating ends, not just one single event. Al-Razi suggests that while past nations might have faced earthquakes or floods, the disbelievers of Prophet Muhammad's time could face something equally or even more severe, perhaps through the hands of the believers themselves, which can be even more painful.
This ayah is a stark reminder that Allah's patterns of justice are consistent. The particular wording chosen emphasizes a pervasive, overwhelming destruction, and warns that those who persist in disbelief will inevitably meet similar, if not intensified, fates. It urges us to ponder deeply on the lessons of the past and adjust our path accordingly.
Sources: al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Jalalayn, al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi)
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Muhammad 47:10 is discussed in 5 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Muhammad 47:10 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.