Tafsir of An-Najm 53:53

Surah An-Najm (53): And the Overturned (Cities) He Overthrew

And the Overturned (Cities) He Overthrew (Wa-l-mu'tafikata ahwā)

There are several issues concerning this verse:

It has been read as {Wa-l-mu'tafikāt} (plural). The famous interpretation is that it refers to the cities of the people of Lot.

However, it is possible that it refers to places whose inhabitants were overturned, meaning their locations were inverted. It can also be interpreted as referring to every place whose dwellings were overturned and whose sites were ruined. This is why the destruction concludes with "the Overturned Cities," similar to saying, "So-and-so died, and so-and-so, and everyone who was like them in kind and form."

{Ahwā} means He caused them to fall down (He cast them down).

1. It is said that He cast them down from the high heavens to the earth, as Gabriel (peace be upon him) carried them on his wing and then inverted them.
2. It is also said that their settlements were elevated, and He cast them down through the earthquake, making their high parts their low parts.

The statement {Wa-l-mu'tafikata ahwā} (And the Overturned Cities He Overthrew) seems like a tautology, similar to saying, "The overturned one, He overturned it," or "He overturned the one that was overturned."

We respond by saying that the meaning is not that the cities overturned by themselves, but rather that Allah caused them to overturn, and thus they were overturned.

What is the wisdom in specifying the location by the name "Al-Mu'tafikah" (The Overturned Cities), while for 'Ād, Thamūd, and the people of Noah, the name of the people was mentioned?

The answer comes from two perspectives:

First Perspective: Thamūd was the name of the place, yet 'Ād was mentioned by the name of the people, and Thamūd by the name of the place, and the people of Noah by the name of the people. Al-Mu'tafikah is mentioned by the name of the place. This is to show that the people cannot protect their places from God's punishment, nor can the place protect the people from it. Usually, sometimes the inhabitant is strong enough to defend his dwelling, and sometimes the dwelling is strong enough to repel harm from its inhabitant. However, God's punishment is unimpeded. This concept is illustrated in two verses concerning the believers:

1. His saying: {And He restrained the hands of the people from you} (Al-Fatḥ: 20), where the inhabitant could not protect his dwelling.
2. His saying: {And they thought that their fortresses would protect them from Allāh} (Al-Ḥashr: 2), where the fortress could not protect the inhabitant.

Second Perspective: The matter of 'Ād, Thamūd, and Noah's people occurred long ago, and their places had already perished. However, their story was famous and widely transmitted. As for the people of Lot, the traces of the overturning of their dwellings were still apparent. Therefore, the most evident aspect of their fate (whether the people or the place) was mentioned for each group.

Then Allah Almighty said:

{So covered them with what covered them.} (Fa-ghashshāhā mā ghashshā)