ﲺ ﲻ ﲼ ﲽ ﲾ ﲿ ﳀ ﳁ ﳂ ﳃ ﳄ ﳅ ﳆ ﳇ ﳈ ﳉ ﳊ ﳋ ﳌ ﳍ ﳎ
Those before them had already plotted, but Allah came at their building from the foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
Tafsir
Verse range: 16:26
"The foundations": The pillars of the structure upon which it rests. It is also said: the base. This is a metaphor, meaning: they set up schemes to plot against Allah and His Messenger, so Allah placed their destruction within those very schemes. It is like the case of a people who built a structure and supported it with pillars, then the structure was attacked from the foundations, causing it to weaken, so the roof collapsed upon them and they perished. Similar to this is the saying: "Whoever digs a pit for his brother falls into it headlong."
It is said: This refers to Nimrod bin Canaan when he built the tower in Babylon, five thousand cubits high—or, it is said, two leagues—so Allah sent the wind, and it collapsed upon him and his people, and they perished.
"Allah came upon their building from the foundations": Meaning, His command came from the direction of the foundations.
"From where they did not perceive": From where they did not expect or anticipate. It is recited: "So Allah came upon their house." And "The roof collapsed upon them" (saqfun), with two ḍammas.
"He will disgrace them": He will humiliate them with the punishment of disgrace. "Our Lord, indeed whoever You admit to the Fire, You have disgraced him" (Al-Imran: 192). This refers to their disgrace in this world, followed by the punishment in the Hereafter.
"My partners": In the genitive case (possessive), as a narration of their attribution, to rebuke them by way of mockery.
"You used to contend regarding them": You used to show enmity and dispute with the believers regarding their status and meaning. It is recited: "You contend" (tushāqqūnī), with a kasra on the nun, meaning: "You contend against Me," because contending against the believers is as if one is contending against Allah.
"Those who were given knowledge said": They are the prophets and the scholars from their nations who used to call them to faith and admonish them, while they would pay them no heed, act arrogantly toward them, and contend with them. They say this to gloat over them, and Allah narrated this from their speech to serve as a warning to those who hear it. It is also said: They are the angels.
It is recited: "The angels take them in death" (tatawaffāhum), with both ta and ya. It is also recited: "Those whom the angels take" (alladhīna tawaffāhum), with the assimilation of the ta into the ta.
"Then they offered submission": They made peace and humbled themselves, acting contrary to the contention and arrogance they held in the world. They said: "We were not doing any evil," denying the disbelief and aggression that had proceeded from them. The people of knowledge refuted them: "Indeed, Allah is Knowing of what you used to do," and He will recompense you for it. This is also a form of gloating, as is: "So enter the gates of Hell."
"And it was said to those who feared Allah, 'What did your Lord send down?' They said, '[That which is] good.' For those who do good in this world is good; and the home of the Hereafter is better. And excellent is the home of the righteous—Gardens of perpetual residence, which they will enter, beneath which rivers flow. They will have therein whatever they wish. Thus does Allah reward the righteous—The ones whom the angels take in death, [being] good and pure; [the angels] will say, 'Peace be upon you. Enter Paradise for what you used to do.'"
