The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 488
CH. 6 AL-AN'ĀM PT. 8 وَيُنْذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا قَالُوا and who warned you of the شَهِدْنَا عَلَى أَنْفُسِنَا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيوةُ الدُّنْيَا will say, “We bear witness وَشَهِدُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كَفِرِينَ. worldly life deceived them meeting of this your day?' They against ourselves. ' And the "And they will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers. 871 ذلِكَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَّبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرى That is because thy Lord. 132 بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا غُفِلُونَ would not destroy the towns unjustly while their people were unwarned. 872 871. Commentary: a7:38. 11:118; 20:135; 26:209; 28:60. The words, Messengers from among yourselves, supply further evidence of the fact that the word jinn does not here refer to a separate creation but to only a section of human beings. We learn from the Quran that Moses and the Holy Prophet were sent as Messengers to jinn also (46:30-33; 72:2-16) and we find no trace of any separate Messengers having ever been raised from among jinn, which shows that the word jinn here refers only to a special class of men. It may also be noted here that this word when applied to the great and powerful persons from among men is generally used in a bad sense, being applied to the wicked among them. 872. Commentary: The word (towns) refers to all those cities, towns and villages to which a Prophet of God is sent. As 928 the Holy Prophet was raised for all mankind, the word would, in his case, apply to the whole world. The expression (unjustly) also means, "by reason of their iniquity. " The verse would then be translated: "That is because thy Lord would not destroy the towns on account of their iniquity, while their people were unwarned. " The verse gives an important law of God that He never sends general calamities upon cities on account of their iniquities, unless He first warns them of the impending punishment by sending a warner. If God had destroyed cities without first raising a Messenger, the people might have excused themselves by saying that, being unwarned, they were following their own reason. After receiving a warner, however, they have no excuse left to them. The world has been visited with widespread calamities in the present