ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْقُرَىٰ نَقُصُّهُۥ عَلَيْكَ ۖ مِنْهَا قَآئِمٌ وَحَصِيدٌ
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـٰهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن ظَلَمُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ ۖ فَمَآ أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ ءَالِهَتُهُمُ ٱلَّتِى يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ لَّمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ ۖ وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيبٍ
ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا قَآئِمٌ وَحَصِيدٌ – وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ ءَالِهَتَهُمُ الَّتِى يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِن شَىْءٍ لَّمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيبٍ
That is some of
the news of the towns
which We relate
unto you; of them,
some are (still)
standing, and some
have been (already
reaped. We wronged
them not, but they
wronged themselves.
So their gods whom
they call upon
besides Allah,
profited them not
when there came
the command of your
Lord, nor did they
add aught to them
but destruction.
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,
ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرَى
That is some of the news of the (population of ) towns
meaning, news of them
نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا قَآئِمٌ
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 ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ
We wronged them not
This means, “When We destroyed them.”
وَلَـكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ
but they wronged themselves
their rejecting their Messengers and disbelieving in them.
فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ ءَالِهَتَهُمُ
So their gods, profited them not
This is referring to their idols that they used to worship and invoke.
مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
مِن شَىْءٍ
other than Allah not
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.”