Surah 27. An-Naml

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Verses [Section]: 1-14[1], 15-31 [2], 32-44 [3], 45-58 [4], 59-66 [5], 67-82 [6], 83-93 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 45-5827. An-Naml Page 381وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَرْسَلْنَاۤWe sentاِلٰیtoثَمُوْدَThamudاَخَاهُمْtheir brotherصٰلِحًاSalihاَنِthatاعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahفَاِذَاThen behold!هُمْTheyفَرِیْقٰنِ(became) two partiesیَخْتَصِمُوْنَ quarreling قَالَHe saidیٰقَوْمِO my people!لِمَWhyتَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَ(do) you seek to hastenبِالسَّیِّئَةِthe evilقَبْلَbeforeالْحَسَنَةِ ۚthe goodلَوْ لَاWhy notتَسْتَغْفِرُوْنَyou ask forgivenessاللّٰهَ(of) Allahلَعَلَّكُمْso that you mayتُرْحَمُوْنَ receive mercy قَالُواThey saidاطَّیَّرْنَاWe consider you a bad omenبِكَWe consider you a bad omenوَ بِمَنْand thoseمَّعَكَ ؕwith youقَالَHe saidطٰٓىِٕرُكُمْYour bad omenعِنْدَ(is) withاللّٰهِAllahبَلْNayاَنْتُمْyouقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleتُفْتَنُوْنَ being tested وَ كَانَAnd wereفِیinالْمَدِیْنَةِthe cityتِسْعَةُnineرَهْطٍfamily headsیُّفْسِدُوْنَthey were spreading corruptionفِیinالْاَرْضِthe landوَ لَاand notیُصْلِحُوْنَ reforming قَالُوْاThey saidتَقَاسَمُوْاSwear to each otherبِاللّٰهِby Allahلَنُبَیِّتَنَّهٗsurely we will attack him by nightوَ اَهْلَهٗand his familyثُمَّThenلَنَقُوْلَنَّwe will surely sayلِوَلِیِّهٖto his heirمَاNotشَهِدْنَاwe witnessedمَهْلِكَ(the) destructionاَهْلِهٖ(of) his familyوَ اِنَّاand indeed weلَصٰدِقُوْنَ (are) surely truthful." وَ مَكَرُوْاSo they plottedمَكْرًاa plotوَّ مَكَرْنَاand We plannedمَكْرًاa planوَّ هُمْwhile theyلَا(did) notیَشْعُرُوْنَ perceive فَانْظُرْThen seeكَیْفَhowكَانَwasعَاقِبَةُ(the) endمَكْرِهِمْ ۙ(of) their plotاَنَّاthat Weدَمَّرْنٰهُمْdestroyed themوَ قَوْمَهُمْand their peopleاَجْمَعِیْنَ all فَتِلْكَSo theseبُیُوْتُهُمْ(are) their housesخَاوِیَةًۢruinedبِمَاbecauseظَلَمُوْا ؕthey wrongedاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةًsurely is a signلِّقَوْمٍfor a peopleیَّعْلَمُوْنَ who know وَ اَنْجَیْنَاAnd We savedالَّذِیْنَthose whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedوَ كَانُوْاand used (to)یَتَّقُوْنَ fear (Allah) وَ لُوْطًاAnd Lutاِذْwhenقَالَhe saidلِقَوْمِهٖۤto his peopleاَتَاْتُوْنَDo you commitالْفَاحِشَةَ[the] immoralityوَ اَنْتُمْwhile youتُبْصِرُوْنَ see اَىِٕنَّكُمْWhy do youلَتَاْتُوْنَapproachالرِّجَالَthe menشَهْوَةً(with) lustمِّنْinstead ofدُوْنِinstead ofالنِّسَآءِ ؕthe womenبَلْNayاَنْتُمْyouقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleتَجْهَلُوْنَ ignorant 27. An-Naml Page 382فَمَاBut notكَانَwasجَوَابَ(the) answerقَوْمِهٖۤ(of) his peopleاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatقَالُوْۤاthey saidاَخْرِجُوْۤاDrive outاٰلَ(the) familyلُوْطٍ(of) Lutمِّنْfromقَرْیَتِكُمْ ۚyour townاِنَّهُمْIndeed theyاُنَاسٌ(are) peopleیَّتَطَهَّرُوْنَ who keep clean and pure فَاَنْجَیْنٰهُSo We saved himوَ اَهْلَهٗۤand his familyاِلَّاexceptامْرَاَتَهٗ ؗhis wifeقَدَّرْنٰهَاWe destined herمِنَ(to be) ofالْغٰبِرِیْنَ those who remained behind وَ اَمْطَرْنَاAnd We rainedعَلَیْهِمْupon themمَّطَرًا ۚa rainفَسَآءَand was evilمَطَرُ(the) rainالْمُنْذَرِیْنَ۠(on) those who were warned

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Translation of Verse 45-58

45. And verily We sent to Thamud⁷⁰ their brother, Salih, (with this message) Worship Allah; but they at once became two contending factions.⁷¹

46. He said: “O my people! Why do you hasten for evil before good? Why do you not ask pardon of Allah that you may receive mercy.”⁷²

47. They said: “We augur ill omen from you and those that are with you.” He said : “Your evil augury is with Allah. Nay, but you are a people that are being tested.”⁷³

48. And there was in the city a group of nine men who made mischief in the land and were not ready to reform.⁷⁴

49. They said (among themselves): “ Swear by Allah that we will verily launch a raid against him and his family by night, and surely afterwards we will tell his next of kin that we did not witness the destruction of his family. And verily we are truthful.”⁷⁵

50. And they devised a scheme, and we devised a scheme, and they did not perceive it.⁷⁶

51. Then see what was the nature of the consequence of their plotting. Verily, We destroyed them totally, together with all their people.⁷⁷

52. These are their dwellings, lying in ruins,⁷⁸ for they did wrong.⁷⁹ Surely in this there is a sign for the people who have knowledge.⁸⁰

53. And We delivered those who believed and were God-fearing⁸¹.

54. And Loot⁸² (whom We sent as messenger), when he said to his people: “Do you commit indecencies ⁸³even when you see.

55. ”Do you go in lust⁸⁴ to men instead of to women? Nay, but you are an ignorant people.”⁸⁵

56. But the answer of his people was nothing but this: “Banish⁸⁶ the household of Loot from your city, (for) they are people who would keep clean!”⁸⁷

57. So we delivered him and his household, except his wife. We destined her to be of those who stayed behind.⁸⁸

58. And We rained on them a special kind of ⁸⁹ rain; so what an evil rain was that which fell on those who had been warned!

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Commentary

70. For explanation, please see Surah A’raf Notes Nos. 115 to 126, and Surah Fajr Notes Nos. 12 and 13.

71. The message of Prophet Salih was that of pure monotheism, of worshipping only one God. This message on account of its reality was such that there could not be any dispute about its truth, but when he presented his dawah, his community was divided into two factions. One accepted the dawah and the other denied it. Thus there started a tension between the creeds of monotheism and polytheism and between faith and infidelity. Who is better than the prophets in presenting the dawah in a wise manner, but when they have struck a blow to polytheism and idolatry and have declared the only God as worthy of worship a storm of opposition was raised against them. But at the same time there also stood up a group of people who responded to their call. Although such a group used to be small in number but in respect of its attributes it used to be the cream of the contemporary society. And this is that positive result which is the main purpose of their dawah and by such people only the society of the Paradise will be formed.

In the modern times a large number of presenters of dawah are those who avoid striking an effective blow to the practice of polytheism and idolatry and is not prepared to invite any conflict and tussle which would ensue as a result of their presentation of dawah. For this reason their dawah work is not more effective and fruitful.

72. That is: In your haste you are denying the truth and are inviting your own adverse end. But if you ponder seriously the truth will be manifest to you and you will realise what sin you are committing. Then you can pray to Allah for His pardon and you can become deserving of His mercy.

73. After the presentation of Prophet Salih’s dawah, when divine calamities began falling on the people in order that they might wake up from their slumber and may pay heed to the call of the Prophet, they interpreted this testing of theirs as an ill omen brought about by Prophet Salih and his companions. To this Prophet Salih’s reply was that their fate was in the hands of Allah, and whatever was happening to them was as ordained by Allah and it was their test. To consider it the result of the displeasure of imagined gods and, goddesses and to presume callers to monotheism as bringers of all omen is to close one’s eyes from the reality.

74. That is: They were causing corruption and mischief in the society. They were evil influences and had no interest in any work of reform.

75. These mischievous and unsocial elements of the city plotted to carry out a raid during the night on Prophet Salih and his family, and after killing them they would tell the living next of kin of the deceased that they were not present at the site of the tragedy and thus would not be the victims of retribution.

It may be noted that in the tribal society the rule of taking revenge or retribution was very important. If any person was killed, then the legal heir of the murdered person used to ask for blood money or compensation for that killing or failing that the killer used to be killed. To avert this consequence, the plotters devised this scheme that all should jointly attempt the murders, and they would tell lies and thus would be spared the payment of the blood money.

The Arab Prophet, Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam, was also faced with such a problem. Various tribes of Makkah had plotted to kill him during the night in a united attempt and all the chiefs of the tribes would take part in it so that Bani Hashim should find it difficult to demand retribution. But Allah at the most opportune time guided him, so he left Makkah in secret and the scheme of the plotters failed.

76. That is: Allah caused their plot to fail in such a way that before the time which they had fixed for putting their plan into practice they were seized in the grip of His punishment.

77. The explanation about the punishment which visited Thamud has been given in Surah Hood Notes Nos. 123 and 124.

78. That is: In the region of Hijr the ruins of their dwellings are still there as a lesson for the observers.

79. The polytheistic acts and the corrupt attitude of the tribe of Thamud has been termed as ‘zulm’ (wrong-doing).

It shows in what sense the word ‘zulm’ is used in Qur’an.

80. Those who do not like to remain ignorant but attain the knowledge of the real causes of the events and the circumstances by studying them, for such people in the chronicle of Thamud there is a great sign for a moral and a lesson.

81. When the decisive punishment came from Allah, which was a proof of the authenticity of the Prophet, then in its grip only the non-believers, polytheists and corrupt people were seized. The people, who had accepted the faith and had adopted the God-fearing attitude, were saved.

82. The chronicle of Prophet Loot (Lot) has been narrated in various surahs. e.g. Surah A’raf, Surah Hood, etc.

83. Such an indecent act which no person with common sense will term anything but evil and immoral. Then how are you indulging in this filthy and horrendous act knowingly and consciously?

84. They were suffering from the evil sickness of homosexuality. They had given up sex with women and were satisfying their lust by indulging in sex with males For further explanation, see Surah Hood, Note No. 129.

85. That is: You are imbecile to indulge in the act of open lunacy. The word ‘jahl’(ignorance) is sometimes used in opposition to knowledge and sometimes in opposition to intelligence. Here it is used in the latter sense.

86. They were not prepared to tolerate in their city a person who was their real well-wisher and was always trying to reform them. It gives an idea of their mischievous and corrupt mentality.

87. This was a taunt on Prophet Loot and his believing companion, who were insisting on them to live virtuously, and naturally.

88. For explanation, please see Surah Hood, Note No.117.

89. That is: The rain of stones. For further explanation, please see Surah Hood, Note. No.119.