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wa-ʾidhā ʾaradnā ʾan nuhlika qaryatan ʾamarnā mutrafīhā fa-fasaqū fīhā fa-ḥaqqa ʿalayhā l-qawlu fa-dammarnāhā tadmīran
And when We desire to destroy a town We command its affluent ones [to obey Allah]. But they commit transgression in it, and so the word becomes due against it, and We destroy it utterly.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Isra’ – Verse 16
16. “And once We determine to exterminate a town, We command its luxurious people (to obey Us), but they transgress therein, thus the word proves true against it, then We destroy it with utter destruction.”
The Qur’anic sentence: /’amran a mutrafih a/ signifies that Allah commands the great men of the nation to obey orders, for We must keep in mind the fact that the Almighty will never issue orders as for the commitment of sins and offences. On the contrary, He always issues orders for the establishment of justice and benevolent acts. Allah’s way of extermination consists of issuing orders for obedience. The affluent, who lack conscience, will oppose and the common people also follow them. It is then that the Divine wrath will be decisively actualized and the Divine chastisement and furry will be incumbent.
The verse says:
“And once We determine to exterminate a town, We command its luxurious people (to obey Us), but they transgress therein, thus the word proves true against it, then We destroy it with utter destruction.”
The will to execute by the All-Knowing Allah is based upon the sinful grounds which we provide and the negative attributes which we exhibit, otherwise the compassionate Allah will never seek to exterminate any nation unduely. According to a statement issued by Imam Rida (as), the Divine Will in this verse is conditional upon our sin.11
Explanations
One of the manners by which the Divine chastisement and Wrath is achieved is ‘affluence’ and being immersed in Allah’s blessings. The existence of a luxurious class in every society paves the ground for the Divine Wrath. The moral and social decadence of every society is initiated by and is mainly on the hands of that society’s luxurious chiefs. The affluent who are indifferent stand up to the call of the prophets before all others, for corruption usually has its origins in affluence.
Let us take the Divine threats seriously and reform us, for the executive force behind the Divine threats has its roots in our own performances, and the Divine outrage and chastisement are utterly severe.
“…then we destroy it with utter destruction.”
Footnotes