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Tafheem ul Quran
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كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِالنُّذُرِ﴿58:23﴾
(54:23) Thamud rejected the warnings,
فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرًا مِّنَّا
وَاحِدًا نَّتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَّفِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ﴿58:24﴾
(54:24) and said, "A solitary man he is from among ourselves. Shall we
now follow him? *17 If we did
so, we should indeed be gone astray and have committed folly.
*17 In other words, there were three reasons for their refusal to obey
and follow the Prophet Salih: (1) "He is a human being and not a
super-human person so that we may regard him as superior to ourselves. "
(2) "He is a member of our own nation: he is in no way superior to us."
(3) `He is a single man, one from among ourselves. He is not a prominent
chief with a large following, or an army of soldiers. Or a host of
attendants so that we may acknowledge his superiority." They wanted that
a Prophet should either be a superman, or if he be a common man, he
should not have been born in their own land and nation, but should have
descended from above, or sent from another land, and if nothing else, he
should at least have been a rich man, whose extraordinary splendour
should make the people believe why AIIah had selected him alone for the
leadership of the nation. This same was the error of ignorance in which
the disbelievers of Makkah were involved. They also refused to
acknowledge the Prophet Muhammad (UpOn Whom be Allah's peace and
blessings) as a Prophet on the ground that he was a man who moved about
in the streets like the common men, had been born among them only . the
other day and now was claiming that God had appointed him as a Prophet.
أَؤُلْقِيَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ
مِن بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ﴿58:25﴾
(54:25) Was he the only person among us to have God's Reminder sent down
to him? Nay, but he is an utter liar and a conceited person." *18
*18 The word ashir of the original means a conceited, insolent person
given to bragging of his own superiority over others.
سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَدًا مَّنِ
الْكَذَّابُ الْأَشِرُ﴿58:26﴾
(54:26) (We said to Our Messenger: Tomorrow they shall know who is an
utter liar and a conceited person.
إِنَّا مُرْسِلُو النَّاقَةِ
فِتْنَةً لَّهُمْ فَارْتَقِبْهُمْ وَاصْطَبِرْ﴿58:27﴾
(54:27) We are sending the she-camel as a trial for them. Now watch with
patience what end they meet.
وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَاء
قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُّحْتَضَرٌ﴿58:28﴾
(54:28) Tell them that the water will be divided between them and the
she-camel, and each will have water on his own Turn." *19
*19 This explains the verse: "We are sending the she-camel as a trial
for them." The trial was that suddenly a she-camel was produced before
them and they were told that one day she would drink the water aII by
herself and the next. day they would be allowed to have water for
themselves and their cattle. On the day of her turn neither would any of
them himself come to any of the springs and wells to take water nor
bring his cattle for watering. This challenge was given on behalf of the
person about whom they themselves admitted that he had no army and no
hosts to support him.
فَنَادَوْا صَاحِبَهُمْ
فَتَعَاطَى فَعَقَرَ﴿58:29﴾
(54:29) At last, they called out to their companion, who took up the
responsibility and killed her. *20
*20 These words by themselves indicate that the she-camel roamed at will
in their settlements for along period of time. No one could dare
approach a source of water on the day of her turn. At last, they called
out to a haughty chief of theirs who was well known for his courage and
boldness, and urged him to put an end to her Emboldened by the false
encouragement he took up the responsibility and killed the she-camel.
This clearly means that the people were very frightened. They felt that
she had extraordinary power, and so they dared not touch her with .m
evil intention. That is why the killing of a mere she-camel especially
when the Prophet who had presented her, did not possess any army that
could be a deterrent for them. amounted to undertaking a dangerous and
difficult task. (For further details. see E.N 58 of Surah AI-A'raf and
E.N.'s 104. 105 of Surah AshShua'ra' ).
فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي
وَنُذُرِ﴿58:30﴾
(54:30) Then see how severe was My punishment and how true My warnings!
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ
صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَكَانُوا كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ﴿58:31﴾
(54:31) We let loose on them a single blast and they became as the
trampled twigs of the fence of a foldbuilder. *21
*21 The crushed and rotten bodies of the people of Thamud have been
compared to the trampled and trodden twigs and pieces of bush Iying
around an enclosure for cattle.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ
لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ﴿58:32﴾
(54:32) We have made this Qur'an an easy means of admonition. Then, is
there any who would take admonition?
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ
بِالنُّذُرِ﴿58:33﴾
(54:33) Lot's people denied the warnings.
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ
حَاصِبًا إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ نَّجَّيْنَاهُم بِسَحَرٍ﴿58:34﴾
(54:34) We sent on them a wind charged with stones, which spared none
but Lot's household, whom we saved in the last hours of the night
نِعْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا
كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي مَن شَكَرَ﴿58:35﴾
(54:35) through Our grace. Thus do We reward him who is grateful.
وَلَقَدْ أَنذَرَهُم بَطْشَتَنَا
فَتَمَارَوْا بِالنُّذُرِ﴿58:36﴾
(54:36) Lot did warn his people of Our scourge but they doubted all the
warnings and paid no heed.
وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَن
ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَا أَعْيُنَهُمْ فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ﴿58:37﴾
(54:37) Then they sough to prevent him from guarding his guests.
Consequently, We blinded their eyes (and said), "Taste now My torment
and My warnings! " *22
*22 The details of this story have been given in Surah Hud: 77-83 and
Surah AI-Hijr: 61-74 above, a resume of which is as follows:
When AIIah decided to punish those people with a torment, He sent a few angels in the guise of handsome boys as guests in the house of the Prophet Lot. When the people saw such handsome guests in Lot's house they rushed to it and demanded that they be handed over to them for tile gratification of their lust. The Prophet Lot implored them to desist from their evil intention, but they did not listen and tried to enter his house to take hold of the guests forcibly. At this stage suddenly their eyes were blinded. Then the angels told Lot that he and his Household should leave the city before dawn; then as soon as they had Ieft a dreadful torment descended on the people. In the Bible also this event has been described. The words are: 'And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men (i.e. the angels) put forth their Hand and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the nun that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door." (Gen., 19: 9-11),
وَلَقَدْ صَبَّحَهُم بُكْرَةً
عَذَابٌ مُّسْتَقِرٌّ﴿58:38﴾
(54:38) Early in the morning they were overtaken by a lasting torment.
فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ﴿58:39﴾
(54:39) Taste now My torment and My warnings.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ
لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ﴿58:40﴾
(54:40) We have made this Qur'an an easy means of admonition. Then, is
there any who would take admonition ?
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