The Holy Quran 14:9 — Surah Ibrahim

Arabic text

أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَبَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ ۛ وَٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ ۛ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا ٱللَّهُ ۚ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَرَدُّوٓا۟ أَيْدِيَهُمْ فِىٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَقَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا كَفَرْنَا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ وَإِنَّا لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَنَآ إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ

Translation

Have (reports of) the incidents of those before you not come to you? (Namely,) The incidents (history) of the nation of Nooh عليه الصلاة والسلام the Aad, the Thamud, and those after them? Only Allaah knows them (only He knows the many nations that came after these people). Their Rusul came to them with clear signs (to prove that they were Rusul), but they placed their hands in their mouths (in an attempt to suppress their unwarranted anger) and said, "Verily we do not believe in what you have been sent with. We so much doubt about that (Allaah) towards which you call us, that it (this doubt) has cast (put) us into uncertainty."

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

Knowledge of the former nations belongs to Allah alone: this is the conclusion of Musa's ﵇ speech. Or else, leaving it, Almighty Allah has addressed this ummah (the community of the Prophet ﷺ). In any case, it is stated here that the detailed traces and circumstances of the countless nations that passed away before are known to no one except Allah.

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