Tafsir of An-Najm 53:52

Surah An-Najm (The Star): Verse 52

{وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ}

i.e., He destroyed them, {مِنْ قَبْلُ} (before).

The issue of qabl (before) and ba'd (after) when they are detached from iḍāfah (genitive construction) and become like a limit (ghāyah), is that they become mabnī (indeclinable) upon the ḍammah (the vowel 'u').

The reason for their being mabnī is that they imply iḍāfah.

As for being built upon the ḍammah: If they were built upon the fatḥah (the vowel 'a'), it would mean affirming what they deserve through inflection (i'rāb), as they are adverbs of time (ẓurūf zamān) and thus merit the accusative case (naṣb) and the fatḥah. If they were built upon the kasrah (the vowel 'i'), the situation would follow what inflection requires, which is the genitive case (jarr) due to the preceding preposition. Therefore, they are built upon a form that contradicts both of their inflectional states.

{إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَظْلَمَ وَأَطْغَى} (Indeed, they were more unjust and more insolent.)

As for injustice (ẓulm): This is because they were the originators and pioneers in it. (Whoever establishes a bad precedent bears the burden of it and the burden of whoever acts upon it.) The initiator is more unjust.

As for insolence (iṭghā): This is because they heard the admonitions, and a long time passed over them, yet they did not refrain until their Prophet supplicated against them. A Prophet does not supplicate against his people except after immense persistence.

The unjust person places a thing in a position other than its proper place, and the insolent one is one who exceeds the limit. Thus, the insolent (aṭghā) is more comprehensive than the unjust (aẓlam), making it seem different and contrary. The contrary (mughāyir) has an additional descriptive quality, as do the opposing (mughāyir) and the antagonistic (muḍādd). Every opposite is different, but not everything different is an opposite.

A question arises regarding this: The purpose of mentioning {وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ} (and the people of Noah) is to warn the unjust person of destruction. If it is said, "They were the most unjust and most insolent, so they were destroyed," the unjust person might argue, "They were more unjust, so they were destroyed due to their extreme injustice, but we have not been extreme, so we will not be destroyed." However, if it were said, "They were destroyed because they were unjust," every unjust person would be afraid. So, what is the benefit of saying {أَظْلَمَ} (more unjust)?

We reply: The purpose is to clarify their strength and physical power. They did not commit such severe injustice and insolence except through their persistence and long lifespans. Despite this, none of them were saved. Therefore, what is the state of those who are lesser than them in age and strength? This is like His saying: {أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ بَطْشًا} (mightier than them in power) (Surah Az-Zukhruf: 8).

{وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى} (And He overthrew the cities that were overturned.)