Surah An-Nahl (النحل) • The Bee

Quran 16:26

16:26

قَدْ مَكَرَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى ٱللَّهُ بُنْيَـٰنَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّقْفُ مِن فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَىٰهُمُ ٱلْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

qad makara alladhīna min qablihim fa-atā l-lahu bun'yānahum mina l-qawāʿidi fakharra ʿalayhimu l-saqfu min fawqihim wa-atāhumu l-ʿadhābu min ḥaythu lā yashʿurūna

Those before them had already plotted, but Allāh came at [i.e., uprooted] their building from the foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.

— Saheeh International

Those who went before them also schemed, but God attacked the very foundations of what they built. The roof fell down on them: punishment came on them from unimagined directions.

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

Those before them indeed plotted, but Allâh struck at the foundation of their building, and then the roof fell down upon them, from above them, and the torment overtook them from directions they did not perceive.

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 14Page 269meccan

Word by Word

قَدْqadVerily
مَكَرَmakaraplotted
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīnathose who
مِنmin(were) before them
قَبْلِهِمْqablihim(were) before them
فَأَتَىfa-atābut Allah came
ٱللَّهُl-lahubut Allah came
بُنْيَـٰنَهُمbun'yānahum(at) their building
مِّنَminafrom
ٱلْقَوَاعِدِl-qawāʿidithe foundations
فَخَرَّfakharraso fell
عَلَيْهِمُʿalayhimuupon them
ٱلسَّقْفُl-saqfuthe roof
مِنminfrom
فَوْقِهِمْfawqihimabove them
وَأَتَىٰهُمُwa-atāhumuand came to them
ٱلْعَذَابُl-ʿadhābuthe punishment
مِنْminfrom
حَيْثُḥaythuwhere
لَاlāthey (did) not perceive
يَشْعُرُونَyashʿurūnathey (did) not perceive