Surah Ar-Room Verse 9

أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُوا فِي أَنفُسِهِمْ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى وَإِنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنَ النَّاسِ بِلِقَاء رَبِّهِمْ لَكَافِرُونَ - أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَأَثَارُوا الْأَرْضَ وَعَمَرُوهَا أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا عَمَرُوهَا وَجَاءتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَكِن كَانُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ - ثُمَّ كَانَ عَاقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاؤُوا السُّوأَى أَن كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُوا بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُون

(8. Do they not reflect on themselves

Allah has create not the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, except with truth and for an appointed term. And indeed many of mankind deny meeting with their Lord.)

(9. Do they not travel in the land, and see what was the end of those before them

They were superior to them in strength, and they tilled the earth and populated it in greater numbers than these have done, and there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs. Surely, Allah wronged them no, but they used to wrong themselves.)

(10. Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they denied the Ayat of Allah and made a mockery of them.)

Signs of Tawhid

Allah tells us that pondering His creation will show that He exists and that He is Unique in creating it, and that there is no god nor lord besides Him. So He says:

أَوَلَمْ يَتَفَكَّرُواْ فِى أَنفُسِهِمْ

(Do they not reflect upon themselves) Thinking and pondering how Allah created various things in the upper and lower realms and in the space between, realizing that this was not created in jest or in vain, but in truth, and that it will continue until an appointed time, the Day of Resurrection, as Allah says:

وَإِنَّ كَثِيراً مِّنَ النَّاسِ بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ لَكَـفِرُونَ

(And indeed many of mankind deny meeting with their Lord.) Then Allah tells us of the truth of the Message brought by the Messengers and how He supported them with miracles and clear signs, such as when He destroyed those who disbelieved in them and saved those who believed in them.

أَوَلَمْ يَسيرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(Do they not travel in the land) means, `do they not understand and think and see and hear about the people of the past' Allah says:

فَيَنظُرُواْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُواْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً

(and see what was the end of those before them They were superior to them in strength, ) meaning, `the nations of the past who came before you were stronger than you to whom Muhammad has been sent; they had more wealth and more sons. You have not been given one-tenth of what they were given. They stayed longer in this world than you will stay. They were more civilized than you and were more prosperous in the land than you.' Yet despite all that, when their Messengers came to them with clear signs, while they were enjoying their life of luxury, Allah punished them for their sins and they had no one who could protect them from Allah. Their wealth and sons could not protect them from the wrath of Allah in the slightest, and Allah was not at all unjust towards them when He sent His punishment upon them.

وَلَـكِن كَانُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ

(but they used to wrong themselves.) They brought destruction upon themselves, when they rejected and mocked the signs of Allah. All of this only happened because of their previous sins and their rejection (of the Messengers). Allah says:

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَـقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ السُّوءَى أَن كَذَّبُواْ بِـَايَـتِ اللَّهِ وَكَانُواْ بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

(Then evil was the end of those who did evil, because they denied the Ayat of Allah and made a mockery of them.) This is like the Ayat:

وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَـرَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُواْ بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِى طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ

(And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away, as they refused to believe therein for the first time, and We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly.) (6:110),

فَلَمَّا زَاغُواْ أَزَاغَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ

(So when they turned away, Allah turned their hearts away.) (61:5),

فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْ فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُصِيبَهُم بِبَعْضِ ذُنُوبِهِمْ

(And if they turn away, then know that Allah's will is to punish them for some sins of theirs) (5:49). It was said that the meaning of the phrase

ثُمَّ كَانَ عَـقِبَةَ الَّذِينَ أَسَاءُواْ السُّوءَى

(Then evil was the end of those who did evil,) is that evil was their inevitable end, because they rejected the signs of Allah and made fun of them. This is the view of Ibn Jarir, which he recorded from Ibn `Abbas and Qatadah. Ibn Abi Hatim also recorded it from them and from Ad-Dahhak bin Muzahim. This is the apparent meaning -- and Allah knows best -- of the phrase:

وَكَانُواْ بِهَا يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ

(and made a mockery of them.)