Quran Universe
30:9

أَوَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۚ كَانُوٓاْ أَشَدَّ مِنۡهُمۡ قُوَّةٗ وَأَثَارُواْ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ وَعَمَرُوهَآ أَكۡثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِۖ فَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡ وَلَٰكِن كَانُوٓاْ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَظۡلِمُونَ

Awalam yaseeroo fee alardi fayanthuroo kayfa kana AAaqibatu allatheena min qablihim kanoo ashadda minhum quwwatan waatharoo alarda waAAamarooha akthara mimma AAamarooha wajaathum rusuluhum bialbayyinati fama kana Allahu liyathlimahum walakin kanoo anfusahum yathlimoona

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 the earth and built it up more than they have built it up, and their messengers came to them with clear evidences. And Allah would not ever have wronged them, but they were wronging themselves.

Word by word
  1. أَوَلَمۡHave not
  2. يَسِيرُواْthey traveled
  3. فِيin
  4. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  5. فَيَنظُرُواْand observed
  6. كَيۡفَhow
  7. كَانَwas
  8. عَٰقِبَةُ(the) end
  9. ٱلَّذِينَ(of) those
  10. مِنbefore them
  11. قَبۡلِهِمۡۚbefore them
  12. كَانُوٓاْThey were
  13. أَشَدَّmightier
  14. مِنۡهُمۡthan them
  15. قُوَّةٗ(in) strength
  16. وَأَثَارُواْand they dug
  17. ٱلۡأَرۡضَthe earth
  18. وَعَمَرُوهَآand built (on) it
  19. أَكۡثَرَmore
  20. مِمَّاthan what
  21. عَمَرُوهَاthey have built (on) it
  22. وَجَآءَتۡهُمۡAnd came (to) them
  23. رُسُلُهُمtheir Messengers
  24. بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِۖwith clear proofs
  25. فَمَاSo not
  26. كَانَwas
  27. ٱللَّهُAllah
  28. لِيَظۡلِمَهُمۡto wrong them
  29. وَلَٰكِنbut
  30. كَانُوٓاْthey were
  31. أَنفُسَهُمۡthemselves
  32. يَظۡلِمُونَ(doing) wrong
Ar-Rum · 30:9Makkah

Stronger nations came before. Their power did not save them.

Travel and look at the ruins

The nations before
more strengthmore wealth, more sons
built moretilled and filled the land
rejected
their messengersand wronged themselves
Who did the wrong
Allah was harshunfair to them
they wronged themselvesAllah wrongs no one

Ibn Kathir explains: nations before Quraysh were stronger, richer, longer-lived, more developed. Messengers came to them with clear signs. They rejected them, and their wealth and sons could not protect them. Allah did not wrong them. They wronged themselves.

You walk past the ruins on holiday and take photos. Or you scroll the story of a huge company that collapsed. You assume it could never happen to you. The verse asks you to look at your own life: what am I relying on that they relied on too?

I am strong and set up enough to be safe.

Strength never protected anyone who ignored Allah. Only turning to Him does.

Try this

Ask yourself one question today: what warning in my life am I ignoring because I feel secure?

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

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: