قQuranulKareem

Surah An-Nahl, Ayah 33 (16:33)

ٱلنَّحْل

هَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّآ أَن تَأْتِيَهُمُ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ …

Quran 16:33 is ayah 33 of Surah An-Nahl (“The Bee”), a Meccan surah of 128 ayahs. It is in Juz 14, on page 270 of the Madani Mushaf.

16:33
هَلْيَنظُرُونَإِلَّآأَنتَأْتِيَهُمُٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُأَوْيَأْتِىَأَمْرُرَبِّكَ ۚكَذَٰلِكَفَعَلَٱلَّذِينَمِنقَبْلِهِمْ ۚوَمَاظَلَمَهُمُٱللَّهُوَلَٰكِنكَانُوٓا۟أَنفُسَهُمْيَظْلِمُونَ٣٣
hal yanẓurūna illā an tatiyahumu l-malāikatu aw yatiya amru rabbika kadhālika faʿala alladhīna min qablihim wamā ẓalamahumu l-lahu walākin kānū anfusahum yaẓlimūna

Do they [i.e., the disbelievers] await except that the angels should come to them or there comes the command of your Lord? Thus did those do before them. And Allāh wronged them not, but they had been wronging themselves.(33)

Word by word

  1. هَلْhalDo
  2. يَنظُرُونَyanẓurūnathey wait
  3. إِلَّآillāexcept
  4. أَنanthat
  5. تَأْتِيَهُمُtatiyahumu(should) come to them
  6. ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُl-malāikatuthe Angels
  7. أَوْawor
  8. يَأْتِىَyatiya(should) come
  9. أَمْرُamru(the) Command
  10. رَبِّكَ ۚrabbika(of) your Lord
  11. كَذَٰلِكَkadhālikaThus
  12. فَعَلَfaʿaladid
  13. ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
  14. مِنmin(were) before them
  15. قَبْلِهِمْ ۚqablihim(were) before them
  16. وَمَاwamāAnd not
  17. ظَلَمَهُمُẓalamahumuwronged them
  18. ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
  19. وَلَٰكِنwalākinbut
  20. كَانُوٓا۟kānūthey were
  21. أَنفُسَهُمْanfusahumthemselves
  22. يَظْلِمُونَyaẓlimūnawronging

Tafsir (commentary) of 16:33

Available in English, Bengali, Urdu, Arabic, Russian.

English · EnglishTafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) — Hafiz Ibn Kathir

This commentary explains ayahs 16:33–34 together.

The Disbelievers' Refrain from Faith means that They were simply awaiting Punishment

Threatening the idolators for their persistence in falsehood and their conceited delusions about this world, Allah says: Are these people waiting only for the angels to come and take their souls Qatadah said:

أَوْ يَأْتِىَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ

(Or there comes the command of your Lord) means the Day of Resurrection and the terror that they will go through."

كَذَلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ

(Thus did those before them.) means, thus did their predecessors and those who were like them among the idolators persist in their Shirk, until they tasted the wrath of Allah and experienced the punishment and torment that they suffered.

وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ

(And Allah did not wrong them.) because by sending His Messengers and revealing His Books He gave them enough warning and clearly demonstrated His proofs to them.

وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they were wronging themselves.) meaning, by opposing the Messengers and denying what they brought. For this reason Allah's punishment tormented them.

وَحَاقَ بِهِم

(they were surrounded) meaning, they were overwhelmed by the painful torment.

مَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ

(by that which they used to mock.) meaning, they used to make fun of the Messengers when they warned them Allah's punishment, and for this it will be said to them on the Day of Resurrection:

هَـذِهِ النَّارُ الَّتِى كُنتُم بِهَا تُكَذِّبُونَ

(This is the Fire which you used to belie.) (52:14).

Read the full Surah An-Nahl