Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 112

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah gives an example: There was a town, secure and content with its sustenance coming in plenty from every place. Then, it turned ungrateful to the bounties of Allah; so, Allah made it to taste hunger and terror (that covered it) like a garment, as recompense of what its people used to do.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And Allah sets forth the example of a society which was safe and at ease, receiving its provision in abundance from all directions. But its people met Allah’s favours with ingratitude, so Allah made them taste the clutches of hunger and fear for their misdeeds.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Allah presents an example of a town which was safe and secure, receiving its provision in abundance from all directions. Yet its people showed ingratitude to Allah’s favors, so Allah made them taste the overwhelming hunger and fear for what they used to do.

A. J. Arberry

God has struck a similitude: a city that was secure, at rest, its provision coming to it easefully from every place, then it was unthankful for the blessings of God; so God let it taste the garment of hunger and of fear, for the things that they were working.

Abdul Haleem

God presents the example of a town that was secure and at ease, with provisions coming to it abundantly from all places. Then it became ungrateful for God’s blessings, so God afflicted it with the garment of famine and fear, for what its people had done.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Allah propoundeth a similitude: a town which was secure and at rest, to which came the provision thereof plenteously from every place; then it ungratefully denied the favours of Allah; wherefore Allah made it taste the extreme of hunger and fear because of that which they were wont to perform.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah sets forth a Parable; a city enjoying security and quiet, abundantly supplied with sustenance from every place; Yet was it ungrateful for the favours of Allah; so Allah made it taste of hunger and terror (in extremes) (closing in on it) like a garment (from every side), because of the (evil) which (its people) wrought.

Abul Ala Maududi

Allah sets forth the parable of (the people of) a town who were secure and content and whose sustenance came in abundance from every quarter. But then the people of the town showed ingratitude towards Allah for His bounties, so Allah afflicted them with hunger and fear in punishment for their evil deeds.

Ahmed Ali

God presents the example of a town which enjoyed peace and security, its provisions coming from everywhere in abundance, but it denied the favours of God; so God acquainted it with intimate hunger and fear (as punishment) for what they had done.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And Allah has illustrated an example of a township – which dwelt in peace and security, its provisions coming in abundance from every side – in response the township started being ungrateful of Allah’s favours, therefore Allah made it taste the punishment by covering it with a cloak of starvation and fear, on account of their deeds.

Ali Quli Qarai

Allah draws a parable: There was a town secure and peaceful, its provision coming abundantly from every place. But it was ungrateful toward Allah’s blessings. So Allah made it taste hunger and fear because of what they used to do.

Ali Ünal

God strikes a parable of a township which was secure and at ease, with its provision coming to it in abundance from all quarters. But it showed ingratitude to God (its people disbelieved, attributed their apparent well-being to other than God and so fell into the habit of making up partners with Him in belief and worship, and daily life); and so God caused it to taste the garment of famine and fear because of what they habitually contrived.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And Allâh sets-forth an excellent description of a township (-Makkah). It enjoyed a state of security and peace. It received its provision in plenty from every quarter. But (it so happened) that it began to show ingratitude for the bounties of Allâh. So Allâh made (the citizens of) it taste a pall of hunger and fear (which covered it like a garment -the conditions of famine and war prevailed there) because of what its citizens had wrought.

English Literal

And God gave an example/proverb (of) a village/urban city (that) was safe/secure assured/tranquillised/secured, its provision comes to it easily/comfortably from every place, so it disbelieved with Gods` blessings/goodnesses , so God made it taste/experience the starvation`s/hunger`s cover/dress/mixture and the fear/fright, because (of) what they were making/producing/manufacturing.

Faridul Haque

And Allah has illustrated an example of a township - which dwelt in peace and security, its provisions coming in abundance from every side - in response the township started being ungrateful of Allah’s favours, therefore Allah made it taste the punishment by covering it with a cloak of starvation and fear, on account of their deeds.

Hamid S. Aziz

Allah coins a similitude (parable): a city which was safe and content, its provision came to it in plenty from every place, and then it denied (was ungrateful for) Allah´s favours, and Allah made it feel the garb of dearth and fear, because of that which the used to do.

Hilali & Khan

And Allah puts forward the example of a township (Makkah), that dwelt secure and well content; its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the Favours of Allah (with ungratefulness). So Allah made it taste the extreme of hunger (famine) and fear, because of that (evil, i.e. denying Prophet Muhammad SAW) which they (its people) used to do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

On the day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be paid in full what it has done, and they will not be dealt with unjustly.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Allah sets forth a parable: (Consider) a town safe and secure to which its means of subsistence come in abundance from every quarter; but it became ungrateful to Allah's favors, therefore Allah made it to taste the utmost degree of hunger and fear because of what they wrought.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Allah coineth a similitude: a township that dwelt secure and well content, its provision coming to it in abundance from every side, but it disbelieved in Allah's favours, so Allah made it experience the garb of dearth and fear because of what they used to do.

Muhammad Sarwar

God tells a parable about a secure and peaceful town surrounded by abundant sustenance. Its inhabitants rejected the bounties of God and He caused them to suffer hunger and fear as a result of their deeds.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah strikes a parable of the village which was safe and peaceful. Its provisions came in abundance from everywhere; but it was thankless for the favors of Allah. Therefore, for what they were doing, Allah let it taste the garment of hunger and fear.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Allah gives the example of a township (Makkah), it was secure and peaceful: its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the favors of Allah. So Allah made it taste extreme hunger (famine) and fear, because of what they did.

Wahiduddin Khan

God makes an example of a town that was secure and at ease, with provisions coming to it abundantly from every quarter. Then it showed ingratitude for God's blessings and God afflicted it with hunger and fear because of what they did.

Talal Itani

And God cites the example of a town that was secure and peaceful, with its livelihood coming to it abundantly from every direction. But then it turned unappreciative of God’s blessings, so God made it taste the robe of hunger and fear, because of what they used to craft.

Tafsir jalalayn

And God strikes a similitude (mathalan is substituted by [the following, qaryatan]) a town, Mecca -- meaning its inhabitants -- secure, from any raids, never becoming agitated, and peaceful, without anyone ever needing to emigrate from it, on account of anxiety or fear, its provision coming to it plenteously, abundantly, from every place. But it rejected God's graces, by denying the Prophet (s), so God made it taste the garb of hunger, and so they suffered seven years of drought, and fear, as a result of the raiding parties of the Prophet (s), [all] because of what they used to do.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Example of Makkah

Allah says;

وَضَرَبَ اللّهُ مَثَلً قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ امِنَةً مُّطْمَيِنَّةً

And Allah gives the example of a township (Makkah), it was secure and peaceful;its provision coming to it in abundance from every place, but it (its people) denied the favors of Allah. So Allah made it taste extreme hunger (famine) and fear, because of what they did.

This example refers to the people of Makkah, which had been secure, peaceful and stable, a secure sanctuary while men were being snatched away from everywhere outside of it. Whoever entered Makkah, he was safe, and he had no need to fear, as Allah said;

وَقَالُواْ إِن نَّتَّبِعِ الْهُدَى مَعَكَ نُتَخَطَّفْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَأ أَوَلَمْ نُمَكِّن لَّهُمْ حَرَماً ءَامِناً يُجْبَى إِلَيْهِ ثَمَرَاتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ رِّزْقاً مِّن لَّدُنَّا

And they say;"If we follow the guidance with you, we would be snatched away from our land."

Have We not established a secure sanctuary (Makkah) for them, to which are brought fruits of all kinds, a provision from Ourselves. (28;57)

Similarly, Allah says here;

يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا

its provision coming to it in abundance,

meaning, with ease and in plenty,

مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ اللّهِ

from every place, but it (its people) denied the favors of Allah.

meaning, they denied the blessings of Allah towards them, the greatest of which was Muhammad being sent to them, as Allah said;

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ بَدَّلُواْ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ كُفْرًا وَأَحَلُّواْ قَوْمَهُمْ دَارَ الْبَوَارِ

جَهَنَّمَ يَصْلَوْنَهَا وَبِيْسَ الْقَرَارُ

Have you not seen those who have changed the favors of Allah into disbelief, and caused their people to dwell in the abode of destruction; Hell, in which they will burn, - and what an evil place to settle in! (14;28-29).

Hence Allah replaced their former blessings with the opposite, and said;

فَأَذَاقَهَا اللّهُ لِبَاسَ الْجُوعِ وَالْخَوْفِ

So Allah made it taste extreme hunger (famine) and fear,

meaning, He inflicted it and made them taste of hunger after fruits of all kinds and provision in abundance from every place had been brought to it.

This was when they defied the Messenger of Allah and insisted on opposing him, so he supplicated against them, asking Allah to send them seven years like the seven years of Yusuf (i.e., seven years of famine), and they were stricken with a year in which everything that they had was destroyed, and they ate `Alhaz', which is the hair of the camel mixed with its blood when it is slaughtered.

بِمَا كَانُواْ يَصْنَعُونَ



because of what they did.

وَالْخَوْفِ
(and fear),

This refers to the fact that their sense of security was replaced with fear of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions after they had migrated to Al-Madinah. They feared the power and the attack of his armies, and they started to lose and face the destruction of everything that belonged to them, until Allah made it possible for His Messenger to conquer Makkah. This happened because of their evil deeds, their wrongdoing and their rejection of the Messenger that Allah sent to them from among themselves.

He reminded them of this blessing in the Ayah;

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُومِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ

Indeed, Allah blessed the believers when He sent Messenger from among themselves to them. (3;164)

and,

فَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ يأُوْلِى الَالْبَـبِ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قَدْ أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكُمْ ذِكْراًرَسُولاً

So have Taqwa of Allah! O men of understanding who have believed, Allah has indeed revealed to you a reminder (this Qur'an). (And has also sent to you) a Messenger. (65;10-11)

and,

كَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولاً مِّنْكُمْ يَتْلُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ ايَـتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ الْكِتَـبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ

Similarly (as a blessing), We have sent a Messenger to you from among you, reciting Our Ayat to you, and purifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur'an) and the Hikmah (i.e. Sunnah).) Until
وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ
(and do not be ungrateful). (2;151-152)
Allah changed the situation of the disbelievers and made it the opposite of what it had been, so they lived in fear after being secure, they were hungry after having plenty of provisions. After the believers lived in fear, Allah granted them security, giving them ample provisions after they lived in poverty, making them rulers, governors and leaders of mankind.

This is what we say about the example that was given of the people of Makkah.

It was also the opinion of Al-Awfi and Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam, and Malik narrated it from Az-Zuhri as well.

May Allah have mercy on them all.

وَلَقَدْ جَاءهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْهُمْ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ