22. Sura al-Hajj

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ ...

22: 42. If they treat thy (mission) as false, so did the Peoples before them (with their Prophets),

C2820. It is nothing new if the Prophet of Allah is accused of imposture. This was done in all ages; e.g.,

- Noah (7:64);

- Hud the prophet of the 'Ad people (7:66);

- Salih the prophet of the Thamud (7:76);

- Abraham ( 21:55);

- Lut (7:82);

- Shu'aib the prophet of the Madyan people (7:85)

- and also of the Companions of the Wood ( 15:78).

The case of Moses is mentioned apart, as his people survived to the time of our Prophet and survive to the present, and they frequently rebelled against Moses (2:49-61).

... قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَثَمُودُ ﴿٤٢﴾

the People of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thamud;

وَقَوْمُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَقَوْمُ لُوطٍ ﴿٤٣﴾

22: 43. Those of Abraham and Lut;

وَأَصْحَابُ مَدْيَنَ...

22: 44. And the Companions of the Madyan people:

C2821. Were they the same as the Companions of the Wood?

See n. 2000 to 15:78.

...وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَى...

and Moses was rejected (in the same way).

...فَأَمْلَيْتُ لِلْكَافِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهُمْ...

But I granted respite to the Unbelievers and (only) after that did I punish them:

...فَكَيْفَ كَانَ نَكِيرِ ﴿٤٤﴾

but how (terrible) was My rejection (of them)!

C2822. My Wrath on them, and the complete reversal of their fortune in consequence.

Asad’s Version:

22:42

AND IF THEY [who are bent on denying the truth] give thee the lie, [O Muhammad,

remember that, long] before their time, the people of Noah and [the tribes of] Ad and Thamud gave the lie [to their prophets],

(22:43) as did the people of Abraham, and the people of Lot,

(22:44) and the dwellers of Madyan; and [so, too,] Moses was given the lie [by Pharaoh] . 60 And [in every case] I gave rein, for a while, to the deniers of the truth: but then I took them to task - and how awesome was My denial [of them]!