النص المفهرس

630
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 65 - 72
-And remember when He made you successors af) فَاذْكُرُؤُاَ الَءَ اللهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِكْرُنَ
ter the people of Nuh and gave you increased strength in physique).
Remembering these blessings would have been for their own good,
but wicked and intoxicated with power and wealth as they were, they
paid no heed and gave a reply which was no different from what is
generally given by people who have gone astray. They said that if
Sayyidna Hud >JI ul was trying to wean them away from the faith of
their ancestors and hoping that they would abandon their idols and
come around to believing in just one God, then, this they would never
be able to do. As for the warning of punishment he was giving to them,
they would say: go ahead and bring it upon us, if you are telling the
truth.
(4) The sixth verse (70) contains the answer given by Sayyidna Hud
WIue. He told them that, in view of their contumacy and lack of
good sense, the wrath and punishment of Allah would have not re-
mained far and may come sooner than they expect. So, this was a mat-
ter of waiting. Let them wait for it, so shall he do. It would be noticed
that the provoking reply given by his people prompted Sayyidna Hud
to give a suitable answer which included the news that the punish-
ment they were looking for was to come soon. But, he was a prophet.
His paternal affection and the desire to do good to them forced him to
say during the course of his reply that he regretted that his people had
taken things without sense and life as objects of worship without hav-
ing any proof from reason or revelation to support their position. Now
they had become so staunch in their devotion to the false that they had
started quarreling with him, a prophet of Allah.
(5) In the last verse (72) it was said that the final outcome of the en-
tire struggle of Sayyidna Hud JI u against the contumacy of the
people of 'Ad was that Allah Ta'ala kept Sayyidna Hud >JI and
those who had believed in him safe from the punishment and cut off
the root of those who had belied him - and they were not of those who
would have believed.
This story leaves a trail of good counsel. It reminds heedless hu-
man beings to keep remembering Allah and take to a life style which
is marked with obedience to Him. Then, to those who elect to reject
honest advice and refuse to learn a lesson, it shows what to expect in

631
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
the end. And, as for preachers and reformers, it is a mirror of the pro-
phetic method of communication in Tabligh and Islah.
Verses 73 - 76
وَإِى تَهُدَ آَخَاهُمْ صَلِحًا مِقَالَ يُقَوُمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَالَكُمُ قِّنُ
◌ِلُهٍ غَيْرُهُ، قَدْجَاءَتْكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِنْ تَيِّكُمْدَ هَذِهٍ نَاقَهُ اللَّهِ لَكُمُ آيَةً
فَذَرُوُهَا تَأْكُلُ فِىَّ ارُضِ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَُُّهَا بِسُؤٌٍّ فَيَأْخُذَكُمُ
عَذَابٌ آلِيْمَّ ﴿٧٣﴾ وَاذْكُواْرَإِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَقََّءَ مِنْ بَعُدٍ عَادٍ
وَبَوَّاكُمُ فِى الْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُوُّنَ مِنْ سُهُوُلِهَا قُصُُرًا وَتَنُحِتُوُنَ
الْجِبَالَ بُيُؤْتًّا، فَاذْكُرُوا الْآَءَ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعُثَوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ
مُفْسِدِيْنَ ﴿٧٤﴾ قَالَ الملاُ الَّذِيْنَ اسْتَكْبُرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهْ لِلَّذِيْنَ
اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِمَهُ أُمَنَ مِنْهُمْ آَتَغْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صُلِحًا ◌ُرُّسَلٌّ ◌ِنُ ◌َِّّهِ﴾
قَالُؤَّا إِنَّا بِمَا أُرُسِلَ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٧٥﴾ قَالَ الَّذِيُنَ اسْتَكُبُرُواْ إِنَّا
بِالَّذِىَ امَنُمُ بِهُ كُفِرُونَ ﴿٧٦﴾
And to Thamud, (We sent) their brother, Salih. He said,
"O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other
than Him. There has come to you a clear sign from your
Lord. This is the she-camel of Allah, a sign for you. So,
leave her to eat on the earth of Allah and do not touch
her with mischief, lest a painful punishment should
seize you. [73] And remember when He made you suc-
cessors after 'Ad and lodged you on earth (whereby)
you make castles in its plains and hew out the moun-
tains into houses. So be mindful of the bounties of Al-
lah, and do not go about the earth spreading disorder."
[74]
The chiefs of his people, who were arrogant, said to the
weakened, to those of them who believed, "Are you
sure that Salih is a messenger from his Lord?" They
said, "Surely, we believe in what he has been sent
with." [75] Those who were arrogant said, "Surely, we
disbelieve in what you believe in." [76]

632
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
Commentary
These verses tell us about Sayyidna Salih WILL and his people,
the Thamud. The account of the people of Sayyidna Nuh ->Jude and
Sayyidna Hud WILL has appeared earlier. Similar introductions of
past prophets and their peoples, highlighting the call of truth given by
prophets and the disbelief and denial of their peoples, and the terrible
consequences that overtook them continue to be the main subject as
far as the end of Surah al-A'raf.
In the first of the four verses cited above (73), it was said: 361 325 95
Lu' (And to Thamud, [We sent] their brother, Salih). Earlier, in the ac-
count given about the people of 'Ad, it was stated that 'Ad and Thamud
is the name of two persons who are among the progeny of the same
grandfather. The children of these two also came to be known by their
name and their two groups became two separate peoples. One of them
was called the people of 'Ad and the other, the people of Thamud. They
lived in the north-western part of Arabia. Their main city was called
Hijr which is now known as Madain Salih. Like the people of 'Ad, the
people of Thamud were also wealthy, powerful, brave and artistically
inclined. They were skilled in sculpture and architecture. Besides
making palaces on open grounds, they were known to hew out moun-
tains and create living spaces and structures on and inside them. In
his book, 'Ard al-Qur'an, Maulana Sayyid Sulaiman Nadvi has said
that their architectural momentos still exist. They have Iramic and
Thamudic inscriptions carved on them.
It generally happens that worldly wealth and high living would es-
trange people away from the remembrance of their Creator and the ul-
timate encounter with Him in the Hereafter and push them on to the
ways of error - as was the case with the people of Thamud.
Not forgotten by the world of the time, though, was the punish-
ment of Flood that came upon the people of Sayyidna Nuh Mulade.
Then, for them, the destruction of their brethren, the people of 'Ad was
current history. But, wealth and power have a pull of their own. No
sooner does one affluent structure collapse on its foundation, there
comes another person, another group who would raise a higher struc-
ture on the same foundation totally ignoring what had happened be-
fore. When the people of 'Ad were destroyed, the people of Thamud in-

633
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
herited their mansions and lands and it was at the same places they
erected their venues of luxury, places where their own brethren had
faced destruction. And as if this was not enough, they started indulg-
ing in the same deeds as were done by the people of 'Ad. They too be-
came heedless of their Creator and unmindful of the Hereafter only to
stoop to the level of worshiping idols and associating others in the Di-
vinity of Allah. Then, Allah Ta'ala - in accordance with His constant
practice - sent Sayyidna Salih WJud as His messenger so that he
would guide them on to the straight path. Sayyidna Salih WILde, in
terms of his lineage and country, was one of the people of Thamud as
he too came from the progeny of Sam. Therefore, the Qur'an has called
him a brother of the people of Thamud - as in: Gul ski (their brother,
Salih - 73). The call given by Sayyidna Salih Mull ale to his people is no
different from the call messengers from Sayyidna Adam W_JI u- to the
last of them have been giving all along - as mentioned in the Qur'an:
-We have sent to every commu) وَلَقَدُ بَعُثْنَا فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُوْلًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الَّطَّاغُوتَ
nity a messenger so that he tells them to worship Allah and shun idols
- 16:36). This is what Sayyidna Salih JI ale said to his people, just as it
was done by past prophets: : يُقَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَالَكُمُ مِّنُ الهٍ غَير (Omy people, wor-
ship Allah. You have no god other than Him).
Then, along with it, he also said: Kg; "'& & that is, now there
has come to you from your Lord a very clear sign. This 'sign' refers to
the unusual she-camel which finds a brief mention in the present
verse while details appear in different Surahs of the Qur'an. The back-
ground of this event concerning the she-camel goes back to the time
when Sayyidna Salih JILde started preaching as a young man. He
kept doing his duty until marks of old age started showing on him. He
still did not seem to give up. His people became impatient with his re-
peated efforts to make them believe in one God. So they decided to
come up with a demand which it would be impossible for him to fulfill
and, as a result, they would prevail as winners of the confrontation.
The demand that they made was: If you are really a messenger of Al-
lah, make a she-camel come out from Katibah, this hill of ours, and it
has to be in its tenth month of pregnancy while being strong and
healthy.
The first thing Sayyidna Salih W JIude did was to take a pledge

634
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
from them. He asked them if he fulfilled this demand of theirs, would
they all believe in him and in his Da'wah. When all of them made a
compact, Sayyidna Salih >JI u made two raka'at of Salah and made a
Du'a' before Allah Ta'ala: For You nothing is difficult. Let their de-
mand be fulfilled. Soon after the Du'a', there was a rumble in the hill,
a big rock blasted out, and out came a she-camel as demanded.
Seeing this mind-boggling miracle of Sayyidna Salih >JI Le, some
from among those people became believers instantly. As for the rest of
them, they too decided to enter the fold of faith they have been reject-
ing upto that time. But, some of their chiefs who were the real promot-
ers of idol-worship, talked them out of it. When Sayyidna Salih >JIde
saw that his people had broken the pledge, he was concerned for them.
The danger was that they might be subjected to punishment for hav-
ing done that. Thus, feeling for them, he advised them not to harm the
she-camel in any way, and keep protecting it, in which case, they may
stay safe against the danger of punishment, otherwise, they might be
seized in punishment immediately. This is the subject matter of what
هذِهٍ نَاقَةُ اللهِ لَكُمْ أيّةٌ فَذَرُوُهَا:73 has been said in the following sentences of verse
This is the she-camel of Allah, a) تَأْكُلُ فِىَّ أَرْضِ اللّهِ وَلَا تَسُوُهَا بِسُؤٌٍ فَيَاخُذُكُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيُمُّ
sign for you. So, leave her to eat on the earth of Allah and do not touch
her with mischief, lest a painful punishment should seize you). This
she-camel has been called 'the she-camel of Allah' because it was a
proof of the perfect power of Allah and had appeared in an extra-
ordinary manner as a miracle of Sayyidna Salih > _. The expres-
sion :ِتَأكُلُ فِىٌ أَرْضِ اللَّه (to eat on the earth of Allah) indicates that the she-
camel should be left free to eat and drink because what she would eat
and drink was not owned by them. The earth belonged to Allah and He
was the creator of the produce it yielded. So, she was to be left free to
eat from the natural grazing grounds of the earth of Allah.
The well from which the people of Thamud got their water was the
one from which this she-camel got her share of water to drink. But,
when this she-camel, an extra ordinary creation of Allah, drank her
share of water, she would drink up all the water in the well. Sayyidna
Salih >JI ale had, following the Divine will, given the verdict that the
she-camel would drink water from the well one day and the next day
the rest of Thamud people will have water from the well for them-

635
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
selves. It so happened that the day the she-camel drank water from
the well, others would get milk from the she-camel, in lieu of water, in
such quantity that they would fill out their water containers with it.
This distribution of water has been referred to elsewhere in the Qur'an
in the following words addressed to Sayyidna Salih (I): 2015145;
that is, the water of the well is to be divided (54:28) قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ تُحْتَضَرْ
between them, one day for the she-camel and the other for his people,
and this distribution will be watched by angels lest anyone does
هذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرُبٌ وَلَكُمُ شِرُبُ يُوم : against it.' In another verse (26:155), it was said
pues that is, 'this is a she- camel of Allah; water for one day is her right
and water for the other day is fixed for you'.
In the second verse (74), concern has been shown for these pledge-
breaking and contumacious people lest they find themselves subjected
to Divine punishment. For this purpose they have been reminded of
the favours and blessings of Allah Ta'ala upon them in the hope that
they would alter their uncompromising stance and abandon their dog-
وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِنْ أَبَعُدٍ عَادٍ رَّبَوَّاَ كُمْ فِى الأَرْضِ :gedness and rebellion. It was said
-And remember when He made you suc) تَّخِذُونَ مِنُ سُهُوْلِهَا قُصُرً اوَتَتْحِتُوْنَ الْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا
cessors after 'Ad and lodged you on earth [whereby] you make castles
in its plains and hew out the mountains into houses). Here, the word:
Es (khulafa') is the plural of khalifah which means deputy or vicere-
gent and: 25 (qusur) is the plural of qasr which means a palace or pa-
latial building. The word: 3 3 (tanhituna) is a derivation from naht
which means sculpture or stone-carving. 'Jibal' is the plural of jabal
meaning a mountain. 'Buyut' is the plural of bayt which denotes a
house or rooms in it. The sense of the verse is that they should remem-
ber the blessing of Allah Ta'ala that He, after the destruction of the
people of 'Ad, brought them to settle in their place, gave their lands
and homes to them as the new owners, and bestowed on them the skill
with which they could raise big palaces on open surfaces and hew out
mountains to make rooms and apartments inside them. Then, at the
end of the verse, it was said : ◌َفَاذْكُرُوا الْآَءَ اللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِين (So be mind-
ful of the bounties of Allah, and do not go about the earth spreading
disorder).
Injunctions and Rulings
Some fundamental and subsidiary rulings emerge from the cited

636
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 73 - 76
verse. These are as follows:
(1) There is a unanimous agreement of all prophets, may peace be
upon them all, on fundamental articles of faith and, similarly, united
stand their religious codes or Shari'ahs. All of them invite towards
Tauhid or absolutely pure monotheism as the basis of worshiping Al-
lah, and they all warn against contravention of this concept which
brings punishment in this world and in the Hereafter.
(2) It has happened in past communities too that the wealthy and
the traditional holders of social prestige have not said yes to the call of
prophets as a result of which they were disgraced and destroyed in
this world and became deserving of punishment in the Hereafter as
well.
(3) According to Tafsir al-Qurtubi, this verse tells us that the bless-
ings of Allah in this world are directed to and shared by disbelievers as
well - as was the case with the people of 'Ad and Thamud to whom Al-
lah Ta'ala had given great wealth and power.
(4) According to Tafsir al-Qurțubi, once again, this verse tells us
that palaces and mansions are blessings of Allah Ta'ala and their mak-
ing is permissible.
However, this is an entirely different matter that the noble proph-
ets and the men of Allah have not favoured them as they make people
heedless. The sayings of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم about high-
rising buildings are of this nature.
The Confrontation Between the Arrogant and the Weakened
The third (75) and the fourth (76) verses carry a dialogue between
two groups of the people of Thamud. One of these was of those who had
come to believe that Sayyidna Salih WJI-Le was a prophet while the
other was that of deniers and disbelievers. Says the verse: (201001 0G
-The chiefs of his people, who were arro) اسْتَكُبَرُوا مِنُ قَوْمِهِ لِلَّذِيْنَ اسْتُضُعِفُوا لِمَنْ أَمَنَ مِنْهُمْ
gant said to the weakened, to those of them who believed).
In Tafsir Kabir, Imam Razi has said: At this place, the Holy Qur'an
identifies two qualities of these two groups, but the quality or trait of
the disbelievers was mentioned in the active voice (('KEL: who were
arrogant) while the quality or state of the believers was identified

637
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 77 - 79
through the passive ( ('half : the weakened). It indicates that the con-
dition of the disbelievers - that they were arrogant - was what they
chose to do at their own discretion which was questionable and blame-
worthy, and which finally became the cause of their punishment. As
for the quality or state of believers which these people put as weak and
low, it was something said by disbelievers. Their description had noth-
ing to do with the actual state and quality of believers, something
which could be considered blameworthy in any manner whatsoever. In
fact, blameworthy are those who call them weak and low, and take
them to be so, without any reason. After that comes the dialogue
which has occured between these two groups where the disbelievers
said to the believers: 'Are you sure that Salih is a messenger from his
Lord?'
The reply given by the believers was: 'Surely , we believe in what
he has been sent with.'
The famous Tafsir Kashshaf says: What an eloquent answer was
given by the believers from the people of Thamud when they said: 'All
this debate of yours - is he a messenger of Allah or is he not? - is just
not worth debating. In fact, this is obvious, foregone and certain. And
equally certain is that what he says is a message brought from Allah
Ta'ala. If there is anything worth talking about here, it is: Who be-
lieves in him and who does not? So, as for us, praise be to Allah, we do
believe in every word of guidance brought by him.'
But, even this eloquent answer could not soften the disbelieving
people of Thamud. They countered back coldly and arrogantly saying
that they rejected what they had accepted. The lust of worldly life is
merciless. So is the toxic elation of having wealth and power. May Al-
lah Ta'ala keep all of us protected for they become invisible curtains
before human eyes which would not let those seeing eyes see the obvi-
ous.
Verses 77 - 79
فَعَقَرُوا النَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُؤْا بِصِحُ انْتِنَا ◌ِمَا
تَعِدُنَّا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ المُسَلِيْنَ ﴿٧٧﴾ فَآَخَذَتُهُمُ الرَّجُفَةُ

638
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 77 - 79
فَأَصْبَحُوا فِىُّ دَارِهِمْ جُثِمِيْنَ ﴿٧٨﴾ فَتَوَلَى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يُقَوُمِ
لَقَدُ أَبْلَغُتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّىٌ وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمُ وَلكِنُ لَّ تُحِبُُّنَّ
التّصِحِيْنَ ﴿٧٩)
Then they slaughtered the she-camel and defied the
command of their Lord and said, "O Salih, bring us
what you threaten us with, if you are one of the mes-
sengers." [77] So, the earthquake seized them, and they
were (found dead) in their homes, fallen on their
breasts. [78]
So, he turned away from them and said, "O my people, I
have certainly delivered to you the message of my
Lord, and wished you betterment, but you do not like
the sincere advisers." [79]
Commentary
It has appeared in previous verses that the Du'a' of Sayyidna Salih
JI ude had made a big rock open up in the nearby mountain through
which an extra-ordinary she-camel had come out. Then, Allah Ta'ala
had made this she-camel the last trial for these people as she drank up
all water from the well which was used by the people and animals of
the locality for their needs. Therefore, Sayyidna Salih >JI Je had fixed
turns, a day for the she-camel and another for the people of the area.
The people of Thamud were in trouble because of this she-camel.
They wished she would somehow die. But, they did not dare do it
themselves lest they are hit by some Divine punishment.
But, Satan has an unlimited array of weapons. One of his deadliest
strategies of deception which makes human beings surrender whatev-
er sense and sensibility they have is the trial through women. So, two
beautiful damsels from the people of Thamud threw a wager: Whoever
kills this she-camel could take us, or anyone from among our girls to
become his own.
Two youngmen from Thamud, called Misda' and Qadhar, all drunk
with the rosy prospect, went out to kill the she-camel. They hid them-
selves behind a big rock and waited for the she-camel to pass by them
on its usual route. When the she-camel appeared before them, Misda'

639
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 77 - 79
hit her with an arrow and Qadhar hamstrung her by cutting her legs
with his sword. Thus, they killed the she-camel.
The Holy Qur'an calls this person the most cruel and wretched
from among the people of Thamud: Chef dedr's), (when the one, most
wicked of them, was sent [incited to kill her] - 91:12) because that was
what brought mass punishment on the people of Thamud.
Sayyidna Salih >JI -Je, after having found that the she-camel has
been killed, told his people - as Divinely commanded - that they have
only three days to live : ◌ٍتَتَّعُوا فِىْ دَارِكُمْ ثَلْقَةَ أَيَّامِ ذلِكَ وَعُدُّ غَيُ مَكُذُوُب that is, 'enjoy
yourselves in your homes for three days (only) [after that the punish-
ment is coming]. That is a promise, not going to be false - 11:65.' But,
when the undoing of a people becomes due, no advice or warning
works. This is what happened with these wretched people. Even the
very honest counsel of Sayyidna Salih >JI-Le did not produce the de-
sired effect. In turn, they started making fun of him by challenging
him as to how and from where would this punishment come and what
would be the signs of its coming.
Sayyidna Şalih >JI e said: 'You want signs, so hear this. Tomor-
row, on Thursday, your faces will turn dark yellow. Men, women, the
young and the old, no one will remain exempted. Then, day after to-
morrow, on Friday, all faces will turn dark red; and on Saturday, the
third day to come, all faces will turn jet black. And this day will be the
last day of your life.' Despite having heard what was said, these
wretched people, rather than repent and seek forgiveness, decided that
they better kill Sayyidna Salih >JI _ himself. Their 'logic' was: If he
is true and the punishment has to come upon them, why should they
not finish him first before the punishment comes to finish them - and
if he is a liar, then, let him have his punishment for lying. This inten-
tion of the people of Thamud finds mention in details at other places in
the Qur'an. Under this unanimous verdict of the Thamudites, some of
them went to the house of Sayyidna Salih >JI ude with the intention of
killing him. But, as Allah Ta'ala would have it, they were killed by a
hail of rocks while still on their way. Says the Qur'an: Ku'f : ''s.,
3BAR Y Af that is, 'and they made a plan and We made a plan and they
were not aware' - 27:50.
When came the morning of Thursday, then, as stated by Sayyidna

640
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 77 - 79
Salih >JILle, the faces of all of them turned as yellow as if painted
with a deep yellow colour. The first sign of the coming of punishment
stood proved true. Yet, those tyrants were not to be mellowed enough
to believe in Allah Ta'ala and desist from their wrongdoings. In fact,
their wrath on Sayyidna Salih JI ul increased all the more and eve-
ryone started running around to find and kill him. May Allah Ta'ala
protect everyone from His wrath, for that too has its signs which turn
hearts and minds upside down, when people start taking their gain as
their loss, and their loss as their gain, and their good as bad, and their
bad as good.
At last came the second day and, true to the prophecy, everyone's
face turned red; and then, came the third day when they turned jet
black. Now there was nowhere to go. All disappointed, they stood wait-
ing to see which way the punishment comes.
In this state of theirs, a severe earthquake struck from down below
the earth, and from above tore in a horrendously shrill cry, an awe-
somely severe sound. This cry or sound caused everyone to die, in-
stantly and simultaneously, fallen upside down, (like some dead bird
landing on the ground on its breast - see 'Jathim in' in Mufradat al-
Qur'an). As for the coming of the earthquake, it does find mention in
verse 78 which appears above, that is: 55KG (So, the earthquake
seized them). The word: WJÍ (ar-rajfah) means earthquake.
Other verses of the Qur'an have also mentioned: iraku (that is,
a Cry or Sound seized them - 15:83). The word: 13Jí (As-Saihah) means
a shrill cry or severe sound. From these two verses, we find out that
two kinds of punishment had simultaneously converged on the people
of Thamud, the earthquake from below and the 'Saihah' from above.
The result was: ◌َفَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دَارِهِمْ جُثِمِين (and they were [found dead] in their
homes, fallen on their knees - 77). The word: 39 (jathimin) is a deriva-
tion from the verbal noun: Juth um, which means to be rendered sense-
less and motionless at one spot, or remain sitting (Al-Qamus). The sense
is that everyone lay dead as and where one was. نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ قَهُرٍ وَعَذَابِه (We
seek refuge with Allah from His Wrath and His Punishment).
Important parts of this story of the people of Thamud have been
mentioned in the different Surahs of the Qur'an itself. Some parts ap-
pear in Hadith narrations. There are some others which commentators

641
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 77 - 79
have taken from Israelite narratives, but the proof of an event or its
reality does not depend on them.
It appears in a Hadith of the Sahih of Al-Bukhari that, during a
journey related to the Battle of Tabuk, the Holy Prophet & and his Sa-
habah passed by Hijr, the place where the people of Thamud had faced
their punishment. At that spot, he gave instructions to the Şahabah
that no one should go into the land area of that punishment-stricken
habitation, nor should anyone use water from its wells. (Mazhari)
According to some narrations, the Holy Prophet & said: When the
punishment overtook the people of Thamud, no one survived except
one person, Abu Righal. He was in the Haram of Makkah at that time.
Allah Ta'ala spared him of the punishment at that time because of the
sanctity of the Haram of Makkah. Finally, when he came out of the
Haram, the same punishment which had seized his people visited him
as well, and right there he met his death. The Holy Prophet also
showed people the marks of the grave of Abu Righal on the outskirts of
Makkah; and he also said that a walking stick made of gold was also
buried with him. When the Sahabah opened the grave, they found the
gold stick there which was taken out. Mentioned in the same narration
is that Banu Thaqif, the inhabitants of Ta'if are the progeny of this
very Abu Righal. (Mazhari)
Allah Ta'ala, in His infinite wisdom, has allowed these habitations
of punished peoples to stay as signposts of lesson for coming genera-
tions. The Holy Qur'an has repeatedly warned the people of Arabia
that these places which come on their travel route to Syria should
bring home to them their essential lesson in the rise and fall of peo-
ples: Sat viewees skal di that is, (these are the dwellings of ungrateful
people We destroyed and which) have not been lived in after them, ex-
cept a little - 28:58).
After the mention of the event of punishment which overtook the
فَتَوَلَى عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يُقَوُّم لَقَّدٌ :it was finally said ,عليه السلام people of Sayyidna Salih
So, he turned away from them) اَبُلَغْتُكُمُ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّئْ وَنَصُحْتُ لَكُمٌ وَلَكِنُ لَّ تُحِبُّونَ التّصِحِيْنَ
and said, "O my people, I have certainly delivered to you the message
of my Lord, and wished you betterment, but you people do not like the
sincere advisers - 79), that is, after the visit of punishment on his peo-
.

642
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
ple, Sayyidna Salih > JI ale and those who had believed in him left that
place and went somewhere else. In some narrations, it appears that
there were four thousand believers with Sayyidna Salih >JI de. He
went along with them to Hadramaut in Yaman. It was there that
Sayyidna Salih WILL passed away from this mortal world. However,
some narrations report his going to Makkah al-Mu'azzamah and
where it was that he passed away.
From the outward arrangement of the text, it appears that Sayyid-
na Salih WJI ale addressed his people while departing - O my people, I
have certainly delivered to you the message of my Lord and have
wished the best for you, but you do not seem to like honest advisers.
The question is when his people have been destroyed by the pun-
ishment, what is the use of addressing them now. The answer is that
one good that may come out of it is that people in general would learn
their lesson. This form of address resembles the address of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he had said a few words addressing dead
disbelievers from the tribe of Quraysh in the Battle of Badr. And then,
it is also possible that this saying of Sayyidna Salih >Jude came to
pass before the coming of the punishment and the destruction of his
people - though, in the textual arrangement, it has been mentioned
later.
Verses 80 - 84
وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِةٍ آَتَأْ تُوْنَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُمُ بِهَا مِنْ آَحَدٍ
قِنَ الْعُلَمِيْنَ ﴿٨﴾ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُوْنَ الِّجَالَ شَهْوَةٌ مِّنُ دُوُنٍ
النِّسَاءِ، بَلْ أَنْهُمْ قَوْمْ تُمُسْرِفُونَ ﴿٨١﴾ وَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِةٍ
إِلَّ أَنْ قَالُؤْا أَخْرِجُهُمْ مِنْ قَرْيَتِكُمْ إِنَّهُمْ أُنَاسٌ ◌َتَطَهَّرُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾
فَاَنْجَيْتُهُ وَاَهُلَةٌ إِلَّ امْرَأَتَهْ كَانَتُ مِنَ الْغِبِرِينَ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَأَمْطَرُّنَا
عَلَيْهِمْ تَّطَرَّاء فَانْظُرُ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُجْرِمِيْنَ ﴿٨٤﴾
And (We sent) Lut when he said to his people, "Do you
commit the shameful act in which nobody has ever pre-
ceded you from all the worlds? [80] Surely, you come to

643
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
men lustfully instead of women. No, you are a people
who cross the limits." [81]
And the answer of his people was not but that they
said, "Expel them from your town. They are a people
who seek to be pure." [82] So, We saved him and his fam-
ily, except his wife. She was one of the rest. [83] And We
rained down upon them a rain. So look, how was the
fate of the sinners! [84]
Commentary
Out of the continuing series of stories relating to prophets >JI+
and their communities, the fourth story is that of Sayyidna Lut (Lot)
.عليه السلام
Sayyidna Lut WJI ale is a nephew of Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah
JI Je, the patriarch of prophets. The original homeland of both was
known as Babel near Başrah in western Iraq. Idol-worship was com-
mon. Even the family of Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI ale was involved in it.
Allah Ta'ala sent Sayyidna Ibrahim WJI ale as a prophet for their guid-
ance. His people opposed him which culminated in the well known
Fire of Nimrud. Even his father threatened to turn him out of his
home.
Out of his entire family, only his wife, Sayyidah Sarah and neph-
ew, Sayyidna Lut عليه السلام embraced Islam : فَأُمَنَ لَه لوط (Then, Lut believed
in him - 29:26). Finally, it was with these two that he emigrated to Syr-
ia leaving his home country behind. After reaching Jordon river, he
settled in Can'an near Bayt al-Maqdis under a Divine command.
Then, Allah Ta'ala made Sayyidna Lut WILL too a prophet and
sent him to Sadum (Sodom) near Bayt al-Maqdis for the guidance of
people there. This area comprised of five major cities. They were called
Sadum, 'Amurah, Admah, Sububim and Bali' or Sawghar. The Qur'an
has referred to their nucleus as 'Mu'tafikah' and 'Mu'tafikat' at several
places. Sadum was considered as the center and capital of these cities.
It was here that Sayyidna Lut >JI ule stayed. The land was fertile and
verdant abounding in all kinds of grains and fruits. (These details appear
in Al-Bahr Al-Muhit, Mazharī, Ibn Kathir, Al-Manar etc.)
كَلاَّ إِنَّ الإِنسَانَ لَيَطُغَى أَرُ :Man's habit, as Allah Tafala says in the Qur'an, is
JAKcif that is, when he acquires freedom from need, he starts trans-

644
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
gressing the limits - 96:6. On these people too, Allah Ta'ala had opened
the doors of His blessings. Goaded by this common behaviour pattern,
all soaked in wealth and possessions, they reached the farthest ends of
luxury and lust when they stood deprived of the most essential human
sense of honour, dignity and modesty, and lost in that process, the
very ability to distinguish between the good and the bad. In conse-
quence, they got themselves involved in acts of unnatural indecencies.
These are abominal acts, apart from being Haram and sinful, acts
which cause hatred and distaste in the heart and mind of everyone
born with sound and decent taste, so much so, that even animals
would not go near it.
Allah Ta'ala appointed Sayyidna Lut J _ for their guidance. He
addressed his people and said: ◌َاتَاتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُمُ بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعُلَمِين (Do you
commit the shameful act in which nobody has ever preceded you from
all the worlds?).
When refering to Zina (adultery), the Qur'an has said: Lu ges
(Surely, it is a shameful act - 17:32). Here, the word: List (fahishah:
shameful act) has been mentioned without 'Alif Lam while in the
present verse, by saying: & w (al-fahishah : the shameful act), it has
been made definite by the addition of 'Alif Lam. Thus, the hint given is
that this unnatural evil act is, as if, the combination of all indecencies,
and far grave a crime as compared to Zina.
Then, it was said that this shameful act has never been committed
by anyone in all the worlds before they did it. 'Amru ibn Dinar has said:
The act was unknown in the world before these people. (Mazhari) Neither
had the worst of human being had ever thought on those lines before
the people of Sadum. The Umayyad Khalifah, 'Abd al-Malik said: Had
this event relating to the people of Lut Je not been mentioned in
the Qur'an, I would have never suspected that a human being could do
something like that. (Ibn Kathir)
Here, their immodesty has been censured on two grounds: (1) It so
happens that men would get involved in many sins because of their so-
cial conditions, or because of a blind following of their ancestors -
though, that too, is not a valid legal excuse in the Shari'ah of Islam.
But, as a matter of customary practice, such a person could be taken
as excusable in some or the other degree. But, when it comes to a sin

645
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
which has never been committed by anyone before, nor does it have
any particular compulsions of its own, it becomes a curse of the high-
est degree. (2) The other ground is that this act becomes a channel of
making others equally accursed. Think of a person who invents some
evil act or custom. As obvious, the sin and punishment of his evil act
falls on that person anyway, but, alongwith him, affected are all who
sink in sin led by the act of the originator right through the Last Day,
for the curse and punishment of all those so affected also sits on the
shoulders of the originator of the evil.
In the second verse (81), this immodesty has been stated more expli-
citly - 'Surely, you come to men lustfully instead of women.' Here, the
hint given is that, for the natural satisfaction of human desire, Allah
'Ta'ala has appointed marrying women as a lawful method. Now, to by-
pass it and opt for an unnatural method is bland ugliness of the hu-
man self and certainly the proof of a dirty mind.
Therefore, the Şahabah, the Tabi'in and Mujtahid Imams have de-
clared this crime and sin to be far more grave than other acts of
shame. Imam Abu Hanifah has said: The punishment given to the per-
son who commits this act should match the punishment which came
upon the people of Lut WILL by the command of Allah Ta'ala - that
rocks rained from the skies and the floor of the earth flipped upside
down. Therefore, this person should be pushed down from a high
mountain and rocks should be thrown from above on top of him. Ac-
cording to a narration of Sayyidna Ibn 'Abbas &e Ji do, in the Musnad
of Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah, the Holy Prophet L.
فاقتلوا الفاعل والمفعول :said about the people who commit this evil act اللّه عليه وسلم
+ that is, the doer of this evil deed and his passive partner (al-maf ulu
bihi: with whom it was done) should both be killed. (Ibn Kathir)
At the end of the verse (81), it was said: 3pays si je (No, you are a
people who cross the limits). In other words, their real disease was
that they would go beyond the limits set by Allah for everything - in
their case, it would be the very limit of humanity they would be hop-
ping over. The same thing happened about sexual desire when they
crossed the limits appointed by Allah only to reach for a taste of the
counter-natural.
In the third verse (82), the answer given by the people of Sayyidna

646
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
Lut > JI ale in response to his word of advice has been put in a way that
it shows that his people could not find a suitable rejoinder to what he
had said. But, they were still adamant and started saying among
themselves that these people seem to be self-righteous claiming a lot of
purity for themselves. The treatment they deserved was that they
should be thrown out of their town.
Mentioned in the fourth (83) and the fifth (84) verses is the Divine
punishment given to the people of Sadum for their crooked and immod-
est practice. As a consequence, the punishment of Allah Ta'ala de-
scended on the entire people with the exception of Sayyidna Lut de
>JI and some of his companions who remained safe from the punish-
ment. The words of the Qur'an say: "i; 'bat (We saved him and his
'ahl'). Who were these 'ahl?' Some commentators say that included in
'ahl' were two women who had become Muslims. The wife was not.
فَمَا وَجَدُنَا فِيْهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْمُسْعُلِمِينَ : Mentioned in another verse of the Qur'an is
that is, in all those habitations, there was no Muslim home except one
- 51:36. This obviously shows that only people from the household of
Sayyidna Lut WJI ale were the ones who were saved from the punish-
ment - and that did not include his wife. Some other commentators say
that ahl' is general. It refers to his own family as well as others who
had joined him by embracing Islam. To sum up, it can be said that
they were a counted few Muslims to save whom Allah Ta'ala ordered
Sayyidna Lut WJILL to take, except his wife, with him and get out of
that habitation late in the night and be sure not to look back, because
when they are out of the habitation, the punishment would instantly
descend on those in it.
Sayyidna Lut JI . followed the Divine command. He went out of
the limits of Sadum with his family and companions late in the night.
There are two reports about the wife: (1) She just did not go with
them; (2) That she did start off with them and walked on for a while,
but since she was eager to see the fate of the people she had left be-
hind, quite contrary to the initial Divine command, she was seized by
the punishment. This event has been mentioned in the Qur'an at sev-
eral occasions in varying details. Here, in the fourth verse (83), it has
been briefly said that Allah Ta'ala saved Sayyidna Lut WIde and his
family and companions from the punishment, but his wife was left

647
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 80 - 84
with the rest in it. The additional details of how they were saved and
how they were asked to leave the habitation late in night and were not
to look back appear in other verses.
In the fifth verse (84), the punishment which came on these people
has been described in a few words - that an unusual rain was sent
upon them. The details of this punishment appear in Surah Hud where
it is said:
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمُطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّنُ سِجِّيْلٍ
تَّتُهُدٍ . مُسَوَّمَةً عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ وَمَا هِىَ مِنَ الْظَلِيْنَ بِبَعِيْدٍ
(So, when Our command came, We turned its highest into its
lowest, and We rained on it stones of hard clay, one over an-
other marked, with your Lord. And they are not far from the
transgressors - 11:82-83).
This tells us that the rain of stones came from above and from
down below, angel Jibra'il lifted up the whole crust of the earth and
threw it back upside down. Then, the stones which rained down were
one over the other, that is, the stone rained so ceaselessly that they
kept collecting one on top the next. These stones were marked. Some
commentators say that every such stone was marked with the name of
the person who was destined to be destroyed with it. And in the verses
of Surah Al-Hijr, also mentioned before the account of the punishment
is : ◌َفَاَخَذَتُهُمُ الصَّيُحَةُ مُشْرِقِيْن that is, a Sound seized them at sunrise - 15:73).
This indicates that first to come was some harsh Sound from the
skies, then came other punishments. The outward arrangement of the
words shows that it was after this Sound that the earth crust was
turned upside down and then, stones were rained on them to put a
stamp on their disgrace. And it is also possible that the rain of stones
came first and the turning over of the earth crust came later. The rea-
son is that, given the style of the Qur'an, it is not necessary that some-
thing mentioned earlier should have also occured earlier.
Out of the horrendous punishments sent on the people of Sayyidna
Lut WI Le, the punishment of turning the floor of the earth upside
down has a particular correspondence with their act of shame and im-
modesty because they were guilty of perversion.

648
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 85 - 87
Towards the end of the verses of Surah Hud cited a little earlier,
وَمَا هِىَ مِنَ الظُّلِمِيْنَ :the Qur'an has warned the people of Arabia when it says
## that is, these upturned habitations were not far from the trans-
gressors. They pass by them while traveling to Syria but it is surpris-
ing that they would learn no lesson from them.
And these sights are not restricted with the time the Holy Qur'an
was being revealed. They are still there between Bayt al-Maqdis and
Jordon river, particularly the area known as the Sea of Lut or the
Dead Sea. It lies way deep below the sea level. On a particular section,
there is water which is unusual. No sea life survives there. Hence, the
name: Dead Sea. This is said to be the legendary Sodom. May Allah
keep us safe from His Punishment and Wrath.
Verses 85 - 87
وَإِلَى مَدُيَنَ آَخَاهُمُ تُعَيْبًا، قَالَ بِقَوُمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ قِنُ
إِلُهٍ غَيْرُهُ قَدْ جَاءَ تُكُمْ بَيِّنَةٌ مِّنٌ رَّبِّكُمْ فَأَوُفُوا الْكَيْلَ
وَالْيُزَانَ وَلَا تَبُخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَ هُمْ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِى
الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَاء ذُلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِنُ كُنْهُمْ تُ مِنِينَ
﴿٨٥﴾ وَلَا تَفْعُدُوا بِكُلِّ صِرَاطٍ تُوُعِدُوْنَ وَتَصْدُّوُنَ عَنْ سَبِيُّلِ
اللَّهِ مَنْ أُمَنَ بِه ◌َتَبُغُوْنَهَا عِوَ جَاءُوَاذْكُرُؤُاَ إِذْ كُنْهُمْ قَلِيْلًا
فَكَتَّرَكُمْ وَانْظُرُوْا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُفُسِدِيْنَ ﴿٨٦﴾ وَإِنُ كَانَ
طَائِفَةٌ مِنْكُمْ أَمَنُوا بِالَّذِىُّ أُرُسِلْتُ بِهِ وَطَائِفَةٌ لَّمْ يُؤْمِنُوا
فَاصْبُرُوا حَتَّى يَحُكُمَ اللَّهُ بَيَّنَاءَ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحُكِمِيْنَ ﴿١٨٧
And (We sent) to Madyan his brother, Shu'aib. He said,
"O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other
than Him. There has come to you a clear sign from your
Lord. And fill the measure and weight in full, and do
not make people short of their things, and do not make
mischief on the earth after it has been set in order.
That is good for you, if you are believers. [85] And do
not sit in every path threatening, and prevent from the

,649
Surah Al-A'raf : 7 : 85 - 87
way of Allah the people who believe in Him, and seek-
ing a twist in it. And remember the time when you
were few, then He increased you in number. And look,
how was the fate of the mischief makers. [86] And if a
group from among you has believed in what I have
been sent with, and another group has not believed
then, keep patience until Allah decides between us.
And He is the best of all judges." [87]
Commentary
The series of stories relating to prophets >JI + continues. The
fifth story appears in the verses quoted above. This is the story of
Sayyidna Shuraib عليه السلام and his people.
Sayyidna Shu aib JI ue, according to Muhammad ibn Ishaq, is
among the progeny of Madyan, the son of Sayyidna Ibrahim XuJIde,
and he is also related to Sayyidna Lut JI e. The lineal descendants
of Madyan, the son of Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI de also came to be known
by the name, Madyan - and the locality where they lived is also called
Madyan. Thus, Madyan is the name of a people and the name of a city
as well. This city still survives near the port of Ma'an in Eastern Jor-
dan. When relating the story of Sayyidna Musa WI -le elsewhere, the
Qur'an says: 3 2 33; u, (And when he arrived at the watering [place]
in Madyan - 28:23), it is referring to this very habitation. (Ibn Kathir)
Sayyidna Shu'aib >JI ude was known for his impressive oratory be-
cause of which he was called the Orator among Prophets. (Ibn Kathir, Al-
Bahr Al-Muhit)
The people to whom Sayyidna Shu aib Wie was sent have been
identified by the Holy Qur'an as the residents or people of Madyan,
and also as the people of Aikah. The word: | (Aikah) means a forest.
Some commentators say that these were two different people and
lived in separate settlements. Sayyidna Shu'aib >JI de was sent to
one of them first. When they were destroyed, he was sent to the other.
The punishment which came upon these two has also been stated in
different words. The punishment of the Rajfah on the people of Mad-
yan is mentioned as Saihah (Sound) at some places, while as Rajfah
(earthquake) at others. The punishment of the people of Aikah has
been stated as being that of Zullah (shade, canopy). The form in which
this punishment came was that the people of Aikah were first subject-