Al-Qur'an Surah Al-A'raf Verse 96

Mufti Taqi Usmani

If the people of the towns believed and feared Allah, We would have opened for them blessings from the heavens and the earth, but they disbelieved. So, We seized them because of what they used to earn for themselves.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Had the people of those societies been faithful and mindful ˹of Allah˺, We would have overwhelmed them with blessings from heaven and earth. But they disbelieved, so We seized them for what they used to commit.

Ruwwad Translation Center

If only the people of the towns had believed and feared Allah, We would have certainly opened for them blessings from the heaven and earth. But they disbelieved, so We seized them for what they earned.

A. J. Arberry

Yet had the peoples of the cities believed and been godfearing, We would have opened upon them blessings from heaven and earth; but they cried lies, and so We seized them for what they earned.

Abdul Haleem

If the people of those towns had believed and been mindful of God, We would have showered them with blessings from the heavens and earth, but they rejected the truth and so We punished them for their misdeeds.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And had the people of those townships believed and feared, We would of a surety have opened up to them blessings from the heavens and the earth; but they belied, wherefore We laid hold of them for that which they had been earning.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (All kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth; but they rejected (the truth), and We brought them to book for their misdeeds.

Abul Ala Maududi

Had the people of those towns believed and been God-fearing, We would certainly have opened up to them blessings from the heavens and the earth; but they gave the lie [to their Prophets] and so We seized them for their deeds. so.

Ahmed Ali

But if the people of these regions had believed and feared God, We would surely have showered on them blessings of the heavens and the earth; but they only denied, and We punished them for their deeds.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And had the people of the dwellings believed and been pious, We would have surely opened for them the blessings from the sky and from the earth, but in fact they denied, and We therefore seized them on account of their deeds.

Ali Quli Qarai

If the people of the towns had been faithful and Godwary, We would have opened to them blessings from the heaven and the earth. But they denied; so We seized them because of what they used to earn.

Ali Ünal

If the peoples of those townships had but believed and, in order to deserve His protection, had kept from disobedience to God in reverence for Him and piety, We would surely have opened up for them blessings from heaven and earth; but they denied (the Messengers and the Divine Message they brought), and so We seized them for what they habitually earned (through their deeds).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And if the people of the townships had believed and guarded against transgression, We would invariably have opened for them (the gates of) blessings of the heaven and the earth, but they cried lies (to the Prophets), so We punished them on account of what they used to accomplish.

English Literal

And if that the villages`/urban cities` peoples believed and feared and obeyed, We would have opened/eased on them blessings from the sky/space and the earth/Planet Earth, and but they denied/falsified , so We took/punished them because (of)what they were acquiring/gathering .

Faridul Haque

And had the people of the dwellings believed and been pious, We would have surely opened for them the blessings from the sky and from the earth, but in fact they denied, and We therefore seized them on account of their deeds.

Hamid S. Aziz

Had the people of the town but believed and feared, We would have opened up for them blessings from the heavens and from the earth; but they said it was a lie, so We overcame them for that which they had earned.

Hilali & Khan

And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn (polytheism and crimes, etc.).

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then We changed the evil for the good, till they became affluent and said: Distress and happiness did indeed touch our fathers. So We took them by surprise while they perceived not.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And if the people of the towns had believed and guarded (against evil) We would certainly have opened up for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they rejected, so We overtook them for what they had earned.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And if the people of the townships had believed and kept from evil, surely We should have opened for them blessings from the sky and from the earth. But (unto every messenger) they gave the lie, and so We seized them on account of what they used to earn.

Muhammad Sarwar

Had the people of the towns believed (in Our revelations) and maintained piety, We would have certainly showered on them Our blessings from the sky and the earth. But they called Our revelations lies, thus Our torment struck them for their evil deeds.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Had the people of the villages believed and been cautious, We would have opened upon them the blessings from heaven and earth. But they belied, and We seized them for what they earned.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And if the people of the towns had believed and had Taqwa, certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth, but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn.

Wahiduddin Khan

Had the people of those towns believed in and feared God, We would have showered upon them blessings from heaven and earth, but they rejected the truth. So We seized them on account of their misdeeds.

Talal Itani

Had the people of the towns believed and turned righteous, We would have opened for them the blessings of the heaven and the earth; but they rejected the truth, so We seized them by what they were doing.

Tafsir jalalayn

Yet had the people of the towns, the deniers, believed, in God and the messengers [sent] to them, and been fearful, of unbelief and acts of disobedience, We would have indeed opened upon them (read la-fatahn or la-fattahn) blessings from the heaven, by way of rain, and earth, by way of vegetation; but they denied, the messengers, and so We seized them, We punished them, on account of what they used to earn.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Blessings come with Faith, while Kufr brings Torment

Allah mentions here the little faith of the people of the towns to whom He sent Messengers. In another instance, Allah said,

فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ ءَامَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَأ إِيمَانُهَا إِلاَّ قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّأ ءَامَنُواْ كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الخِزْىِ فِى الْحَيَوةَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَى حِينٍ

Was there any town (community) that believed (after seeing the punishment), and its faith (at that moment) saved it (from the punishment) -- Except the people of Yunus; when they believed, We removed from them the torment of disgrace in the life of the (present) world, and permitted them to enjoy for a while. (10;98)

This Ayah indicates that no city believed in its entirety, except the city of Prophet Yunus, for they all believed after they were stricken by punishment.

Allah said (about Prophet Yunus),

وَأَرْسَلْنَـهُ إِلَى مِاْيَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ

فَـَامَنُواْ فَمَتَّعْنَـهُمْ إِلَى حِينٍ

And We sent him to a hundred thousand (people) or even more. And they believed; so We gave them enjoyment for a while. (37;147-148)

Allah said in another Ayah,

وَمَأ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ

And We did not send a warner to a township.... (34;34)

Allah said here,

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى امَنُواْ وَاتَّقَواْ

And if the people of the towns had believed and had Taqwa...

meaning their hearts had faith in what the Messenger brought them, believed and obeyed him, and had Taqwa by performing the acts of obedience and abstaining from the prohibitions,

لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِم بَرَكَاتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَاء وَالَارْضِ

We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth,

in reference to the rain that falls from the sky and the vegetation of the earth.

Allah said,

وَلَـكِن كَذَّبُواْ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ



but they belied (the Messengers). So We took them (with punishment) for what they used to earn.

They denied their Messengers, so that We punished them and sent destruction on them as a result of the sins and wickedness that they earned.

Allah then said, while warning and threatening against defying His orders and daring to commit His prohibitions