وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ
إِذَآ أَخَذَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ
وَهِىَ ظَـٰلِمَةٌ ۚ إِنَّ
أَخْذَهُۥٓ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ
وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ
إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى
وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ إِنَّ
أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ
Such is the punishment
of your Lord when
He seizes (population
of) towns while they
are doing wrong.
Verily, His punishment
is painful (and) severe.
It is as though Allah is saying, “Just as We have destroyed these wicked generations who rejected their Messengers, We will do the same to any who are like them.”
إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ
Verily, His punishment is painful (and) severe.
In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Musa said that the Messenger of Allah said,
إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي
لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا
أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه
Verily, Allah gives respite to a wrongdoer until He seizes him and he cannot escape.
Then the Messenger of Allah recited,
وَكَذلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ
إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى
وَهِىَ ظَـلِمَةٌ
Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong.