Study the Quran

Tafsir

Scholarly commentary explaining a verse — its context, its meaning and how the scholars have understood it.

Al-Qalam 68:19

Word by word

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَآئِفٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَهُمْ نَآئِمُونَ

So there came upon it [i.e., the garden] an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep.

Ibn Kathir (Abridged) English Ma'arif al-Qur'an English Tafsir Muyassar Arabic Tafsir Ibn Kathir Arabic All sources

Ibn Kathir (Abridged)

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

قَالُواْ سُبْحَـنَ رَبّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا ظَـلِمِينَ- فَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ يَتَلَـوَمُونَ- قَالُواْ يوَيْلَنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـغِينَ- عَسَى رَبُّنَآ أَن يُبْدِلَنَا خَيْراً مّنْهَآ إِنَّآ إِلَى رَبّنَا رغِبُونَ- كَذَلِكَ الْعَذَابُ وَلَعَذَابُ الاْخِرَةِ أَكْبَرُ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ-

Ma'arif al-Qur'an

Mufti Muhammad Shafi

فَطَافَ عَلَيْهَا طَائِفٌ مِّن رَّ‌بِّكَ (Then, there whirled around it a whirl (of calamity) from your Lord, while they were asleep….68:19). The word 'whirl' refers to 'a whirl of calamity' as a result of which Divine punishment overtook the garden in a sudden and swift sweep. Some narratives report that it was a fire which burnt every standing crop, and reduced it to black ashes.وَهُمْ نَائِمُونَ (...while they were asleep.... 68:19). In other words, the devastating disaster overtook the entire garden while its owners were asleep.

Tafsir Muyassar

Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Saudi Arabia

فأنزل الله عليها نارًا أحرقتها ليلا وهم نائمون، فأصبحت محترقة سوداء كالليل المظلم.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Hafiz Ibn Kathir

ولهذا حنثهم الله في أيمانهم فقال تعالى "فطاف عليها طائف من ربك وهم نائمون" أي أصابتها آفة سماوية.

Tafsir is provided for educational reference. Paragraph breaks are added for readability — the wording of each commentary is unchanged. For religious guidance, consult a qualified scholar.