Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-33 [2], 34-51 [3], 52-68 [4], 69-104 [5], 105-122 [6], 123-140 [7], 141-159 [8], 160-175 [9], 176-191 [10], 192-227 [11]

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Quran Text of Verse 141-159كَذَّبَتْDeniedثَمُوْدُThamudالْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚۖthe Messengers اِذْWhenقَالَsaidلَهُمْto themاَخُوْهُمْtheir brotherصٰلِحٌSalihاَلَاWill notتَتَّقُوْنَۚyou fear (Allah) اِنِّیْIndeed I amلَكُمْto youرَسُوْلٌa Messengerاَمِیْنٌۙtrustworthy فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۚand obey me وَ مَاۤAnd notاَسْـَٔلُكُمْI ask youعَلَیْهِfor itمِنْanyاَجْرٍ ۚpaymentاِنْNotاَجْرِیَ(is) my paymentاِلَّاexceptعَلٰیfromرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَؕ(of) the worlds اَتُتْرَكُوْنَWill you be leftفِیْinمَاwhatهٰهُنَاۤ(is) hereاٰمِنِیْنَۙsecure فِیْInجَنّٰتٍgardensوَّ عُیُوْنٍۙand springs وَّ زُرُوْعٍAnd cornfieldsوَّ نَخْلٍand date-palmsطَلْعُهَاits spadixهَضِیْمٌۚsoft وَ تَنْحِتُوْنَAnd you carveمِنَofالْجِبَالِthe mountainsبُیُوْتًاhousesفٰرِهِیْنَۚskillfully فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۚand obey me وَ لَاAnd (do) notتُطِیْعُوْۤاobeyاَمْرَ(the) commandالْمُسْرِفِیْنَۙ(of) the transgressors الَّذِیْنَThose whoیُفْسِدُوْنَspread corruptionفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ لَاand (do) notیُصْلِحُوْنَ reform قَالُوْۤاThey saidاِنَّمَاۤOnlyاَنْتَyouمِنَ(are) ofالْمُسَحَّرِیْنَۚthose bewitched مَاۤNotاَنْتَyouاِلَّا(are) exceptبَشَرٌa manمِّثْلُنَا ۖۚlike usفَاْتِso bringبِاٰیَةٍa signاِنْifكُنْتَyouمِنَ(are) ofالصّٰدِقِیْنَ the truthful قَالَHe saidهٰذِهٖThisنَاقَةٌ(is) a she-camelلَّهَاFor herشِرْبٌ(is a share of) drinkوَّ لَكُمْand for youشِرْبُ(is a share of) drinkیَوْمٍ(on) a dayمَّعْلُوْمٍۚknown وَ لَاAnd (do) notتَمَسُّوْهَاtouch herبِسُوْٓءٍwith harmفَیَاْخُذَكُمْlest seize youعَذَابُ(the) punishmentیَوْمٍ(of) a Dayعَظِیْمٍ Great فَعَقَرُوْهَاBut they hamstrung herفَاَصْبَحُوْاthen they becameنٰدِمِیْنَۙregretful فَاَخَذَهُمُSo seized themالْعَذَابُ ؕthe punishmentاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً ؕsurely is a signوَ مَاbut notكَانَareاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers وَ اِنَّAnd indeedرَبَّكَyour Lordلَهُوَsurely Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالرَّحِیْمُ۠the Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 141-159

141.Thamud¹²¹(too) denied the messengers (of Allah),

142. When their brother, Salih, said to them: “Do you not fear (Allah)?

143. “I am a trustworthy messenger of Allah for you;

144. “So fear Allah, and obey me;¹²²

145. “And I ask of you no recompense therefore, my recompense is the concern only of the Lord of the Worlds.

146. “Will you be left secure in these (blissful surroundings ¹²³),

147. “In gardens and water springs,

148. “And cornfields and palm-trees laden with fine fruit,¹²⁴

149. “Hewing your dwelling in the mountain so as to take pride in them?¹²⁵

150. “So fear Allah, and obey me;

151. “And do not obey the command of the extravagant¹²⁶,

152. “Those spread mischief in the earth, and so do not reform.”¹²⁷

153. They said: “Verily, you are one of the bewitched,¹²⁸

154. You are but human being like us. So bring some sign, if you are truthful (about your prophethood).”

155. He said: “Here is a she-camel; ¹³⁰ she shall have her share of water (at the well) as you have your share of water on the appointed day.¹³¹

156. “And do not touch her with ill will lest the Punishment of an overwhelming day overtake you.”

157. Yet they hamstrung¹³² her, and then ¹³³ they become regretful.

158. So the punishment¹³⁴ overtook them. Verily in this is a great sign,¹³⁵ but most of them do not believe.

159. And verily, your Lord, He is the Mighty, the Merciful.

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Commentary

121. The chronicle of Thamud has been narrated in Surah A’raf, Ayat Nos. 73 to 79, Surah Hood, Ayat Nos. 61 to 68, and Surah Hijr Notes Nos. 80 to 84. Their explanatory notes may be kept in view, as well as Surah Fajr Notes Nos. 12to 14 and Surah Shams Notes Nos. 11 to 17.

122. This has been explained in Note No.97 of this Surah.

123. That is: Do you think that the gifts that have been granted to you will ever remain with you? Will they never be snatched away from you? Will you never be asked to account for them as to how did you use them and whether after getting them you had thanked your Real Benefactor or were you ungrateful to Him’?

124. In the region where Thamud lived Allah had provided green fields of corn, gardens, water-springs and palm-trees laden with luscious dates, and in the region of desert in Arabia such green patches and oasis were great blessings.

125. In the text the word ‘Fariheen’ is used, which means to perform the finest work of art, and also to take pride and to strut and be ostentatious. To hew and do carving work in the mountains was not to meet their dwelling needs but to demonstrate their art of architecture, and in order that they might leave behind them their national memorials for the coming generations to appreciate their work. The works of art in the Ajanta and Ellora caves of India are a source of pride for the polytheists of India and are an example of the Thamudi type of works, their art promotes idolatry and obscenity. For further explanation please see Surah A’raf Note No.120 and Surah Hijr, Note No.82

126. By prodigal (Musrifeen) are meant those who indulge in excesses, those who trespass the limits of ownership, limits of morality and limits of humanity. They consider themselves above and independent of these limitation and restrictions.

127. Such people are a running sore of the society, therefore, they cannot be expected to do any work of reform, they can only be a cause of mischief and corruption. But people are impressed by their claim of reform work and follow them.

128. The thought that magic affected the intellectual power of man and could turn him into a lunatic. They had no reasonable answer to Prophet Salih’s statement, therefore, they accused him of having been bewitched by some magician, and under its influence he was talking senseless things.

It may be noted that magic and similar tricks have no power to turn anybody into a lunatic. This is a superstition very commonly held even today. If it had such an effect, then the magician would have turned many of the Kings and rulers into madmen and would have finished their rule, but it never happened so. The tyrannical acts of Hitler had upset the entire world to the utmost extent, but no magician could turn him into a lunatic and rid the world of the agent of destruction.

129. That is: Neither you receive any revelation from the heaven nor do you enjoy the sacred office of prophethood.

130. This she-camel was not an ordinary shecamel. She was an extra-ordinary animal, who had appeared as a manifestation of miracle. Qur’an says that the Thamud had demanded of their messenger a palpable miracle and Allah had fulfilled this demand of theirs in the form of a she-camel, so that a clear proof of Salih’s being a prophet be presented. For further explanation, please see Surah A’raf Note No.119.

131. Fixing a day for she-camel to drink water shows that she was an extra-ordinary shecamel. If she were an ordinary animal, it would not have been necessary to provide such a large quantity of water for her that a full day would have been fixed for her to drink water from that well.

On the demand of the Thamud Allah had manifested a miracle for them, but He put a test for them in that, and it was that He had fixed a day for drawing water from the well. One day was fixed for the she-camel of Allah to drink water and the other day for the other people and their animals. This was a hard test for the people and Allah tests His slaves in any manner He likes.

132. For explanation, please see Surah A’raf, Note No 119.

133. This feeling of repentance was not created as a result of a sense of being guilty of sinning. If it were so, they would have repented before Allah; it was from the fear of punishment. Although they had been denying the possibility of their being overtaken by punishment, but after killing the she-camel, a fear had developed in their heart that if Prophet Salih’s warning comes to be true, then they would be seized by divine punishment. On account of this fear they were sorry for what they did.

134. The type of punishment which overtook Thamud has been narrated in Surah A’raf ayah No.78

135. For explanation, please See this Surah Note No.108