Al-Qur'an Surah Ad-Dukhan Verse 37

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Are they better or the people of Tubba‘ and those who were before them? We have destroyed them. They were guilty indeed.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Are they superior to the people of Tubba’[[ Tubba’ Al-Ḥimiari was an ancient righteous Yemeni king whose people persisted in disbelief and were destroyed, although they were superior to Meccans in strength and manpower. ]] and those before them? We destroyed them ˹all˺, ˹for˺ they were truly wicked.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Are they better [in power] or the people of Tubba‘ and those who were before them? We destroyed them, for they were truly wicked.

A. J. Arberry

Are they better, or the people of Tubba' and those before them whom We destroyed? They were surely sinners.

Abdul Haleem

Are they better than the people of Tubbaand those who flourished before them? We destroyed them all- they were guilty.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Are they better Or the people of Tubba and those afore them? We destroyed them; verily they were culprits.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

What! Are they better than the people of Tubba and those who were before them? We destroyed them because they were guilty of sin.

Abul Ala Maududi

Are these better or the people of Tubba and those who went before them? We destroyed them for they were a criminal people.

Ahmed Ali

Are they better than the people of Tubba, and those who had lived before them, whom We destroyed as they were sinners?

Ahmed Raza Khan

Are they better, or the people of Tubba? And those who were before them? We destroyed them; they were indeed criminals.

Ali Quli Qarai

Are they better, or the people of Tubba‘, and those who were before them? We destroyed them; indeed, they were guilty.

Ali Ünal

What? Are they better (in wealth and power), or were the people of Tubba‘ and the others (that We destroyed) before them? We destroyed them, for they were disbelieving criminals committed to accumulating sins.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Are they superior to the people of (Yemanite King) Tubba`, and to those (who flourished) even before them? We destroyed them (all) because they were certainly guilty.

English Literal

Are they better or a nation of Tuba (could be from Yemen)/shade and those from before them? We made them die/destroyed them , that they truly were criminals/sinners.

Faridul Haque

Are they better, or the people of Tubba? And those who were before them? We destroyed them; they were indeed criminals.

Hamid S. Aziz

What! Are they better than the people of Tubba and those before them? We destroyed them, for surely they were guilty.

Hilali & Khan

Are they better or the people of Tubba' and those before them? We destroyed them because they were indeed Mujrimun (disbelievers, polytheists, sinners, criminals, etc.).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

So bring our fathers (back), of you are truthful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Are they better or the people of Tubba and those before them? We destroyed them, for surely they were guilty.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Are they better, or the folk of Tubb'a and those before them? We destroyed them, for surely they were guilty.

Muhammad Sarwar

Are they better than the tribe of Tubba (name of a Yemenite tribal chief) and those who lived before them? We destroyed them. They were criminals.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Are they better or the people of Tubba' and those who were before them whom We destroyed? Indeed they were sinners.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Are they better or the people of Tubba` and those before them We destroyed them because they were indeed criminals.

Wahiduddin Khan

Are they better than the people of Tubba' and those who came before them? We destroyed them, because they were guilty of sin.

Talal Itani

Are they better, or the people of Tubba and those before them? We annihilated them. They were evildoers.

Tafsir jalalayn

God, exalted be He, says; Are they better, or the people of Tubba` -- [he was] a prophet or a righteous man -- and those, communities, before them? We destroyed, because of their disbelief. In other words; they are not mightier than those, and yet they were destroyed; indeed they were criminals.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Are they better or the people of Tubba` and those before them? We destroyed them because they were indeed criminals.

Then Allah threatens them and warns them of the irresistible torment other idolators like who denied the resurrection, suffered. Such as the people of Tubba`, i.e., Saba'. Allah destroyed them, wreaked havoc upon their land and scattered them here and there throughout the land, as we have already seen in Surah Saba'.

This was brought about because the idolators denied the Resurrection. Here too, the idolaters are compared to them.

They Tubba` were Arab descendants of Qahtan, just as these people (Quraysh) were Arab descendants of `Adnan. Among the people of Himyar -- who are also known as Saba' -- when a man became their king, they called him Tubba`, just as the title Chosroes was given to the king of Persia, Caesar to the king of the Romans, Fir`awn to the disbelieving ruler of Egypt, Negus to the king of Ethiopia, and so on among other nations.

But it so happened that one of the Tubba` left Yemen and went on a journey of conquest until he reached Samarqand, expanding his kingdom and domain. He is the one who founded Al-Hirah. It is agreed that he passed through Al-Madinah during the days of Jahiliyyah. He fought its inhabitants but they resisted him; they fought him by day and supplied him with food by night, so he felt ashamed before them and refrained from harming them.

He was accompanied by two Jewish rabbis who advised him and told him that he would never prevail over this city, for it would be the place to which a Prophet would migrate towards the end of time. So he retreated and took them (the two rabbis) with him to Yemen.

When he passed by Makkah, he wanted to destroy the Ka`bah, but they told him not to do that either. They told him about the significance of this House, that it had been built by Ibrahim Al-Khalil, peace be upon him, and that it would become of great importance through that Prophet who would be sent towards the end of time. So he respected it, performed Tawaf around it, and covered it with a fine cloth. Then he returned to Yemen and invited its people to follow the religion of guidance along with him.

At that time, the religion of Musa, peace be upon him, was the religion followed by those who were guided, before the coming of the Messiah, peace be upon him. So the people of Yemen accepted the religion of guidance along with him.

Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"The Messenger of Allah said;

مَا أَدْرِي تُبَّعٌ نَبِيًّا كَانَ أَمْ غَيْرَ نَبِي

I do not know whether Tubba` was a Prophet or not."

It was narrated that Tamim bin Abdur-Rahman said;

" `Ata' bin Abi Rabah said, `Do not revile Tubba`, for the Messenger of Allah forbade reviling him."'

And Allah knows best