Surah Al-Qamar 54:36
ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ
And he had already warned them of Our assault, but they disputed the warning.
Tafsir of Al-Qamar 54:36
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 54:36
| Al-Qamar (The Moon): (36) And certainly, We had warned them of Our might...
This verse serves as an exoneration for Lot (peace be upon him), clarifying that he fulfilled his duty. Since the Almighty decreed punishment contingent upon denial, it was an act of mercy to delay it and precede it with comprehensive warnings.
Thus, He stated: "We destroyed them, and indeed, We had warned them beforehand."
Regarding His saying, **{of Our might}** (*bi-bashtinā*), there are two interpretations:
- The intended meaning is the might (punishment) that actually occurred, which He had been warning them about. This is supported by His saying: {Indeed, We sent against them a storm of stones} (Al-Qamar: 34). It is as if He is saying: "We sent against them what preceded [the destruction], mentioning it for the purpose of warning and frightening them."
- It refers to the might in the Hereafter, as in His saying: {The Day He will seize them with the Great Seizure} (Ad-Dukhan: 16). This is because all messengers warned their people about the punishment of the Hereafter, as He said: {And I have warned you of a blazing Fire} (Al-Layl: 14), and {And warn them of the Approaching Day} (Ghafir: 18), and {Indeed, We have warned you of a near punishment} (An-Naba: 40), and so on.
Based on this second view, there is a subtle point: Allah Almighty said, **{Indeed, the might of your Lord is severe}** (Al-Buruj: 12), but here He said, **{Our might}** (*bi-bashtinā*) and did not say, "Our might" (*bashtunā*). This is because His saying **{Indeed, the might of your Lord is severe}** is a description of the *genus* of His might. If the genus itself is severe, how much more so the greatest instance of it?
As for Lot (peace be upon him), he mentioned the Great Seizure to ensure he was not deficient in delivering the message.
His saying, **{and they disputed the warnings}** (*fa-tamārū bi-n-nudhur*), indicates that the warnings (*nudhur*) are indeed the admonitions.
[The text continues]: Then the Almighty said: