Surah Ar-Rum, Ayah 9
Quran 30:9 · The Romans · Makki · Para 21 · Page 405
اَوَلَمْ یَسِیْرُوْا فِی الْاَرْضِ فَیَنْظُرُوْا كَیْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِیْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ؕ كَانُوْۤا اَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَّاَثَارُوا الْاَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوْهَاۤ اَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوْهَا وَجَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَیِّنٰتِ ؕ فَمَا كَانَ اللّٰهُ لِیَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلٰكِنْ كَانُوْۤا اَنْفُسَهُمْ یَظْلِمُوْنَ ۟ؕ
Transliteration
Awa lam yaseeroo fee al-ardi fayanthurookayfa kana AAaqibatu allatheena min qablihimkanoo ashadda minhum quwwatan waatharoo al-ardawaAAamarooha akthara mimma AAamarooha wajaat-humrusuluhum bilbayyinati fama kana Allahuliyathlimahum walakin kanoo anfusahumyathlimoon
Saheeh International
Have they not traveled through the earth and observed how was the end of those before them? They were greater than them in power, and they plowed [or excavated] the earth and built it up more than they [i.e., the Makkans] have built it up, and their messengers came to them with clear evidences. And Allāh would not ever have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.
Al-Mukhtasar fi Tafsir
Do these people not travel the earth so that they can ponder over what the outcome of the nations who rejected Allah before them was? Those nations were much stronger than them; they adapted the land for farming and construction, and populated it much more than these people have. Their Messengers brought clear proofs and evidences for the oneness of Allah but they were rejected. So when Allah punished them, He was not oppressive, rather they themselves were oppressive by leading themselves to destruction by disbelief.
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (abridged)
الرَّحِيمُ
(the Most Merciful.) means, towards His believing servants.
وَعْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ لَا يُخْلِفُ اللَّهُ وَعْدَهُ
((It is) a promise of Allah, and Allah fails not in His promise.) means, ‘this that We have told you, O Muhammad, that the Romans will defeat the Persians, is a true promise from Allah, truth which cannot be changed and which will surely come to pass, because Allah has decreed that the one of the two parties that is closer to the truth will prevail and that victory will be theirs.’
وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
(but most men know not) means, they do not know the decree of Allah concerning His creation, but what He does is wise and is based on justice. His saying: