الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ ﴿۴۱﴾ وَإِنْ يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدْ كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَعَادٌ وَثَمُودُ ﴿۴۲﴾ وَقَوْمُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَقَوْمُ لُوطٍ ﴿۴۳﴾

﴾41﴿ Allazeena im makkan naahum fil ardi aqaamus Salaata wa aatawuz Zakaata wa amaroo bilma'roofi wa nahaw 'anil munkar; wa lillaahi 'aaqibatul umoor
﴾42﴿ Wa iny yukazzibooka faqad kazzabat qablahum qawmu Noohinw wa Aadunw wa Samood
﴾43﴿ Wa qawmu Ibraaheema wa qawmu Loot

﴾41﴿ They are people who, if We grant them power in the land, establish prayer, give zakat, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. And to Allah alone belongs the outcome of all matters
﴾42﴿ And if they deny you, indeed those before them also denied [their messengers], the people of Noah, 'Ad, and Thamud
﴾43﴿ And the people of Abraham and the people of Lot

[41] This verse describes a key quality of the mujahidīn. According to a narration from Ḍaḥḥāk (may Allah have mercy on him), this condition is obligatory upon anyone to whom Allah grants leadership or kingship.
It is also a condition for the continuation of divine support (naṣr).
The phrases “أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ” and “آتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ” are not limited to personal worship here; rather, they refer to the implementation of Sharī‘ah rulings in governance—that is, ensuring that prayer and zakāh are established throughout the state.
The phrase “وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ” emphasizes that the outcome and continuation of authority and establishment are entirely in Allah’s control—just as the beginning of all matters is.
[42] This verse serves as consolation for the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace) and his followers. It means that if the disbelievers deny the rulings and promises mentioned earlier in this Sūrah, then Allah will punish them, just as He punished the previous nations who rejected their prophets.
The People of Madyan (Aṣḥāb Madyan) are not mentioned directly as the nation of Shu‘ayb, because Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) was also sent to another group called Aṣḥāb al-Aykah.
Their destruction was less widely known among the Arabs, so it wasn’t emphasized.
As for “وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَى”, the people of Mūsā (peace be upon him)—the Children of Israel—are not mentioned as his deniers, because they did not reject him in the same way that would have brought collective destruction upon them.
Hence, the structure of the verse aligns with the type and scope of each nation’s rejection.
[43,44] This mention of the rejecting nations follows a specific order, the same order found in Surah Hūd.
The rejection of the people of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) is also mentioned in Surah al-An‘ām and Surah al-Anbiyā’.
The word “نَكِيرِ” comes from “inkār”, meaning to reject or change.
Here, it refers to punishment, because with punishment, blessings are replaced with hardship.