Surah Mulk Verse 18 — Ayat 18

Arabic Text

وَلَقَدۡ كَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ فَكَیۡفَ كَانَ نَكِیرِ

Transliteration

Wa laqad kazzabal lazeena min qablihim fakaifa kaana nakeer

English Translation

And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.

English: Saheeh International (Tanzil.net)

Word-by-Word

• وَلَقَدْ walaqad And indeed
• كَذَّبَ kadhaba denied
• ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those
• مِن min from
• قَبْلِهِمْ qablihim before them
• فَكَيْفَ fakayfa and how
• كَانَ kāna was
• نَكِيرِ nakīri My rejection

Word breakdown from Quran.com API (Uthmani text, Saheeh International gloss per word).

Context in Al-Mulk (Ayah 18)

Wa laqad kazzaba alladhina min qablihim—those before them denied—fakaifa kana nakeer: how was My rejection, My recompense? Tafsir treats nakeer as severe disapproval manifest in destroyed nations and ruined power.

The ayah is compact history lesson: denial is not new; neither is decisive outcome when warnings are exhausted. Meccan elite are placed in same lineage as prior rejecters.

Key Arabic Words

• وَلَقَدْ And indeed This word appears in the ayah text; compare how translators render it and read the full ayah on Quran.com before extending the meaning to other passages.
• كَذَّبَ denied This word appears in the ayah text; compare how translators render it and read the full ayah on Quran.com before extending the meaning to other passages.
• كَانَ was This word appears in the ayah text; compare how translators render it and read the full ayah on Quran.com before extending the meaning to other passages.
• قَبۡلِهِمۡ Word in this ayah Taken from the Uthmani wording of this ayah on this page.

Classical Tafsir (Verified Summary)

Quranic Narratives Connected to This Theme

Before this ayah, chapter 67 already asked who feels secure from calamity from the sky. The Qur'an presents Ad and Thamud as communities that mocked warnings, then were overtaken—Ad by the raging wind (11:50-60; 69:6-8) and Thamud after hamstringing the she-camel of Salih (11:61-68). Kaifa kana nakeer—how was My reproach—points listeners to those narrated outcomes as sobering precedents for anyone dismissing messengers today.

Reflection on Creation

Archaeology uncovers abandoned settlements; the ayah interprets moral causes through revelation while leaving room for scholarly study of ruins without claiming each find maps to one verse. Study ayah 18 with the Arabic on this page and Saheeh International English: “And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.”. In chapter 67’s sequence, this line advances the theme of deniers before them punished—how severe was divine reproach. Read ayah 17 and ayah 19 on their verse pages so you see how the argument builds—Meccan proofs about creation, accountability, and mercy are layered, not repeated as generic slogans. Study ayah 18 with the Arabic on this page and Saheeh International English: “And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.”. In chapter 67’s sequence, this line advances the theme of deniers before them punished—how severe was divine reproach. Read ayah 17 and ayah 19 on their verse pages so you see how the argument builds—Meccan proofs about creation, accountability, and mercy are layered, not repeated as generic slogans. Study ayah 18 with the Arabic on this page and Saheeh International English: “And already had those before them denied, and how [terrible] was My reproach.”. In chapter 67’s sequence, this line advances the theme of deniers before them punished—how severe was divine reproach. Read ayah 17 and ayah 19 on their verse pages so you see how the argument builds—Meccan proofs about creation, accountability, and mercy are layered, not repeated as generic slogans.

Family & Bedtime Practice

Look at a history book image of an ancient city; discuss how only Allah remains when empires fall. Match ayah 18 to one blessing from today that fits the theme (deniers before them punished—how severe …). Match ayah 18 to one blessing from today that fits the theme (deniers before them punished—how severe …).

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Short Tafsir Note

Earlier nations denied their messengers; this ayah asks how severe Allah's reproach (nakeer) was when punishment arrived— a historical warning, not a nature sign about birds.

Read full multi-scholar tafsir →

Key Lessons

• Past denial has documented consequences
• Mocking warners repeats an old pattern
• Take admonition before reproach arrives

Listen to This Verse

Mishary Rashid Alafasy