What is the interpretation of the verse in Surat Al-Hajj: "And how many a city have We destroyed while it was committing wrongdoing, so it is [now] overturned on its roofs, and [how many] an abandoned well and a lofty palace?" along with an explanation of the meanings of its vocabulary?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Explanation of the words: "خاوية على عروشها" (khawiyah ala urooshiha) means fallen upon their roofs. And "بئر معطلة" (bi'rin muattalah) means an abandoned well from which no water is drawn because its people have perished. And "قصر مشيد" (qasrin masheed) means a tall palace built with plaster. The meaning of the verse is: Allah destroyed many villages that were oppressive, so their walls fell upon their roofs, their wells became abandoned, and their lofty palaces were deserted after their inhabitants perished.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/109816
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 109816
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy