Surah as-Sajdah (The Prostration) 32 : 26

Explanatory Note

Now the sūrah takes those who deny the divine message on a round that looks at the fates suffered by earlier communities who took a similar stance: “Do they not reflect on how many a generation We have destroyed before their time, in whose dwelling places they now walk about? In this there are signs indeed: will they not listen?” 

What happened to past communities clearly indicates the law God has set in operation with regard to those who deny His message. God’s law neither fails nor shows any favouritism. With regard to life, prosperity, weakness and ruin, human communities are subject to constant laws. The Qur’ān alerts us to such consistency and uses the fates of past communities and their ruins as telling reminders to all people so that they reflect and consider. They should be wary lest God’s punishment befalls them. Moreover, these past examples are shown as evidence of the permanent validity of God’s laws, so that people’s understanding and values are raised. No community or generation would then isolate itself within its own time or location, oblivious of the law that remains consistent throughout life. Still, many overlook the lessons until they face the same fate.

The remains of past communities tell a highly effective story that touches sensitive hearts and alert consciences. The Arabs who were the first to be addressed by the Qur’ān used to travel by the remains of the peoples of the `Ād and Thamūd, and they saw the ruins of the townships where Lot’s people lived. The sūrah wonders how these were available to them, and how they pass them by, without feeling the need to avoid a similar fate. It tells them what sort of action is needed to avoid God’s punishment: “In this there are signs indeed: will they not listen?” It is indeed right that they should listen carefully to the histories of those communities through whose townships they pass, and that they should listen to the warnings before they are overwhelmed by a similar punishment.