40:31

مِثۡلَ دَأۡبِ قَوۡمِ نُوحٖ وَعَادٖ وَثَمُودَ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡۚ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلۡمٗا لِّلۡعِبَادِ

Mithla dabi qawmi noohin waAAadin wathamooda waallatheena min baAAdihim wama Allahu yureedu thulman lilAAibadi

Like the custom of the people of Noah and of 'Aad and Thamud and those after them. And Allah wants no injustice for [His] servants.

Word by word
  1. مِثۡلَLike
  2. دَأۡبِ(the) plight
  3. قَوۡمِ(of the) people
  4. نُوحٖ(of) Nuh
  5. وَعَادٖand Aad
  6. وَثَمُودَand Thamud
  7. وَٱلَّذِينَand those
  8. مِنۢafter them
  9. بَعۡدِهِمۡۚafter them
  10. وَمَاAnd Allah (does) not
  11. ٱللَّهُAnd Allah (does) not
  12. يُرِيدُwant
  13. ظُلۡمٗاinjustice
  14. لِّلۡعِبَادِfor (His) slaves
Ghafir · 40:31Makkah

Nuh, Ad, Thamud: Allah wants no injustice for His servants.

What happened before was justice, not cruelty


The pattern he names
people of Nuh
Ad
Thamud
and
no injusticeAllah wills none
Why they fell
bad luck, cruel fateit just happened
their own choicessins and rejection

The believer names the nations who rejected their messengers. Ibn Kathir explains Allah destroyed them for their sins and rejection, and He wants no injustice for His servants. What happened was His just decree.

When something goes wrong, it is easy to say life is cruel or I am cursed. This verse asks a harder, kinder question: what part did my own choices play, and what can I change?

Bad outcomes just happen to people; it is fate.

Allah wants no injustice for anyone. I can look honestly at my own part.

Try this

Think of one recent setback. Write one choice of yours that fed it and one you can change.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 40:30)

And he who believed said: "O my people! Verily, I fear for you an end like that day (of disaster) of the groups (of old)! (30)"Like the end of the people of Nuh, and 'Ad, and Thamud and those who came after them. And Allah wills no injustice for (His) servants. (31)"And, O my people! Verily, I fear for you the Day when there will be mutual calling. (32)A Day when you will turn your backs and flee having no protector from Allah. And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide (33)And indeed Yusuf did come to you, in times gone by, with clear signs, but you ceased not to doubt in that which he did bring to you, till when he died, you said: "No Messenger will Allah send after him." Thus Allah leaves astray him who is a transgressor and a skeptic (34)Those who dispute about the Ayat of Allah, without any authority that has come to them, it is greatly hateful and disgusting to Allah and to those who believe. Thus does Allah seal up the heart of every arrogant, tyrant (35)

Here Allah tells us that this righteous man, the believer from among the family of Fir'awn, warned his people of the punishment of Allah in this world and the Hereafter, saying,

 يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِثْلَ يَوْمِ الْأَحْزَابِ

(O my people! Verily, I fear for you an end like that day (of disaster) of the groups (of old)!) meaning, those of the earlier nations who disbelieved the Messengers of Allah, such as the people of Nuh, 'Ad, Thamud and the disbelieving nations who came after them, how the punishment of Allah came upon them and they had no one to protect them or ward off that punishment.

وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعِبَادِ

(And Allah wills no injustice for (His) servants.) means, Allah destroyed them for their sins and for their disbelief in and rejection of His Messengers; this was His command and His decree concerning them that was fulfilled. Then he said:

وَيَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَوْمَ التَّنَادِ

(And, O my people! Verily, I fear for you the Day when there will be mutual calling.) meaning, the Day of Resurrection.

يَوْمَ تُوَلُّونَ مُدْبِرِينَ

(A Day when you will turn your backs and flee) means, running away.

كَلَّا لَا وَزَرَ - إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمُسْتَقَرُّ

(No! There is no refuge! Unto your Lord will be the place of rest that Day.)(75:11-12) Allah says:

مَا لَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ

(having no protector from Allah.) meaning, 'you will have no one to protect you from the punishment and torment of Allah.'

وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ

(And whomsoever Allah sends astray, for him there is no guide.) means, whomever Allah sends astray will have no other guide except Him. Allah's saying:

وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ يُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ

(And indeed Yusuf came to you, in times gone by, with clear signs,) refers to the people of Egypt. Allah sent a Messenger to them before the time of Musa, peace be upon him, in the person of Yusuf, peace be upon him, who attained a high position in the government of the people of Egypt. He was a Messenger who called his people to Allah with justice, but they did not obey him in matters of worshipping Allah, they only obeyed him in worldly matters that pertained to his position in the government. Allah says:

فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا هَلَكَ قُلْتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا ۚ 

(but you ceased not to doubt in that which he brought to you, till when he died, you said: "No Messenger will Allah send after him.") means, 'you despaired, and said by way of wishful thinking,'

لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا

(No Messenger will Allah send after him.) This was because of their disbelief and rejection (of the Messengers).

كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ مُرْتَابٌ

(Thus Allah leaves astray him who is a transgressor and a skeptic.) means, this is the state of the one whom Allah sends astray because of his sinful actions and the doubts in his heart.

الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ ۖ 

(Those who dispute about the Ayat of Allah, without any authority that has come to them,) means, those who attempt to refute truth with falsehood and who dispute the proof without evidence or proof from Allah, Allah will hate them with the utmost loathing. Allah says:

كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَعِنْدَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ 

(it is greatly hateful and disgusting to Allah and to those who believe.) meaning, the believers too will despise those who are like this, and whoever is like this, Allah will put a seal on his heart so that after that he will not acknowledge anything good or denounce anything evil. Allah says:

كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ 

(Thus does Allah seal up the heart of every arrogant.) meaning, so that they cannot follow the truth.

جَبَّارٍ

(tyrant.)