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mā tasbiqu min ʾummatin ʾajalahā wa-mā yastaʾkhirūna
No nation can advance its time nor can it defer it.
— Ali Quli Qarai
23Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنونVerse 43 of 118
The Believers23. Al-Mu’minūnالمؤمنون
Al Mu’minūn
The Believers
MeccanVerse 43 of 118
Surah al-Mu’minun - Verses 42-43
42.“Then after them We brought forth other generations.”
43. “No nation may outstrip its term, nor do they postpone (it).”
Raising another generation when the previous one passes away is Allah’s way.
(“Then ... We brought forth...”)
Historical change is under the sovereignty of Allah. Every society and nation has a wisely specified term and a defined end. Do not become self-confidant when the Divine punishment is delayed, for Divine programs are not cancelled with the clamor of people, and historical changes are governed by the Divine discipline. History has some stable and well-established traditions. Thus, in this noble verse, after the end of the story of the people of Thamud, the Holy Qur’an indicates that other nations were brought forth after them and before Moses (as).
The Qur’an says:
“Then after them We brought forth other generations.”
It is Allah’s grand rule and way of treatment that He does not terminate His constant outpouring of grace and emanation, and if a group of people becomes a barrier to human perfection, He will cause them to perish and will continue to lead this caravan on its way. In the next verse Allah implies that each of these various nations and tribes had a fixed time, nations could neither hasten nor forestall their terms and whenever the decisive command for their extinction is issued, they will perish forthwith, neither sooner nor later.
The Arabic word /’ajal/ means the period and lifetime of an object, or it can sometimes mean an end or a termination. For example, we say that the due date (’ajal) of a particular debt is on such and such a day. As we also said before, there are two kinds of /’ajal/ (termination):
A) Unavoidable: This is the fixed date of a person, a thing, or a people’s extinction, and it cannot be changed.
B) Conditional or pending: This can be increased or decreased as circumstances change.
This verse obviously refers to ‘the unavoidable kind of /’ajal/’.