Quran Universe
11:100

ذَٰلِكَ مِنۡ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّهُۥ عَلَيۡكَۖ مِنۡهَا قَآئِمٞ وَحَصِيدٞ

Thalika min anbai alqura naqussuhu AAalayka minha qaimun wahaseedun

That is from the news of the cities, which We relate to you; of them, some are [still] standing and some are [as] a harvest [mowed down].

Word by word
  1. ذَٰلِكَThat
  2. مِنۡ(is) from
  3. أَنۢبَآءِ(the) news
  4. ٱلۡقُرَىٰ(of) the cities
  5. نَقُصُّهُۥ(which) We relate
  6. عَلَيۡكَۖto you
  7. مِنۡهَاof them
  8. قَآئِمٞsome are standing
  9. وَحَصِيدٞand (some) mown
Hud · 11:100Makkah

Some towns still stand, some were mown down.

Looking back at the ruins as a lesson

The news of the towns
stories told to youof the past nations
of them
some still standingtraces remain
some reapedwiped out entirely
Why these stories
old historyinteresting but distant
a mirrorfor how I live now

After the stories of the prophets and their nations, Allah tells the Prophet ﷺ these are news of the towns We relate to you. Of them, some still stand, and some have been reaped, totally destroyed, like a harvested field.

You watch a documentary about an ancient city in ruins, then switch to the next show. Or you walk past a closed-down factory that once employed half the town. Pause on it. Every ruin is a question about how its people lived.

Stories of destroyed nations are just history.

These stories are told so I look at my own life while there is still time.

Try this

Next time you see ruins or an abandoned building, ask yourself one honest question about your own habits.

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

That is some of the news of the (population of) towns which We relate unto you; of them, some are (still) standing, and some have been (already) reaped (100)We wronged them not, but they wronged themselves. So their gods whom they call upon besides Allah, profited them naught when there came the command of your Lord, nor did they add aught to them but destruction (101)

The Lesson taken from the Destroyed Towns

When Allah mentioned the story of the Prophets and what happened with them and their nations – how He destroyed the disbelievers and saved the believers – He goes on to say,

ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنبَاءِ الْقُرَىٰ

(That is some of the news of the (population of ) towns) meaning, news of them

نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ ۖ مِنْهَا قَائِمٌ

(which We relate unto you; of them, some are (still) standing,) This means still remaining.

وَحَصِيدٌ

(and some have been (already) reaped.) This means totally destroyed.

وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ

(We wronged them not,) This means, "When We destroyed them."

وَلَٰكِن ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ

(but they wronged themselves.) their rejecting their Messengers and disbelieving in them.

فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ آلِهَتُهُمُ

(So their gods, profited them [not]...) This is referring to their idols that they used to worship and invoke.

مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ

(other than Allah naught) the idols did not benefit them, nor did they save them when Allah's command came for their destruction.

وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيبٍ

(nor did they add aught to them but destruction.) Mujahid, Qatadah and others said, "This means loss. Because the reason for their destruction and their ruin was that they followed those false gods. Therefore, they were losers in this life and the Hereafter."