Verse no. 1
No time is devoid of one who guides people by the command of Allah.
قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:
﴿إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرٌ ۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾[1]
Translation:
Allah Almighty has said:
“You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.”
Consideration
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْهَرَوِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ هَادٍ﴾، فَقَالَ: مَا أَبْيَنَ ذَلِكَ! لَا يَخْلُو قَوْمٌ مِمَّنْ يَهْدِيهِمْ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ، قُلْتُ: وَمَا الْقَوْمُ؟ قَالَ: الْقَرْنُ -يَعْنِي أَهْلَ زَمَانٍ وَاحِدٍ.
Translation:
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Harawi informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor about the statement of Allah Almighty, where He says: “There is a guide for every people.” So, he said: “How obvious it is! No people are empty of one who guides them by the command of Allah.” I said: “What does ‘people’ refer to?” He said: “Qarn—that is, generation; people of the same time.”[2]
: ‘The best of you are my Qarn,’ meaning the Sahabah, ‘then those who come after them,’ meaning the Tabi‘un, ‘then those who come after them,’ meaning those who learn from the Tabi‘un.” Al-Raghib al-Asfahani (d. 502 AH) has said in al-Mufradat (p. 667): «الْقَرْنُ الْقَوْمُ الْمُقْتَرِنُونَ فِي زَمَنٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَجَمْعُهُ قُرُونٌ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ [Yunus/ 13]، ﴿وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُونِ﴾ [Al-Isra/ 17]، ﴿وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُمْ مِنْ قَرْنٍ﴾ [Maryam/ 98]، ﴿وَقُرُونًا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا﴾ [Al-Furqan/ 38]، ﴿ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ﴾ [Al-Mu’minun/ 31]»; “The term Qarn refers to the people living in the same period, and its plural is Quroon (generations). Allah Almighty has said: ‘And indeed, We destroyed the Quroon before you,’ and: ‘And how many Quroon We destroyed,’ and: ‘And how many Quroon We destroyed before them,’ and: ‘And many Quroon between them,’ and: ‘Then We created after them another Qarn.’” Also, in the hadith of Khabbab, it has been stated: «هَذَا قَرْنٌ قَدْ طَلَعَ»; “This is a Qarn that has emerged,” and by Qarn, he referred to a group of young people who appeared after they previously did not exist. (See al-Nihayah Fi Gharib al-Hadith Wa al-Athar by ibn al-Athir, vol. 4, p. 52)
