Surah 7. Al-A'raf

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-25 [2], 26-31 [3], 32-39 [4], 40-47 [5], 48-53 [6], 54-58 [7], 59-64 [8], 65-72 [9], 73-84 [10], 85-93 [11], 94-99 [12], 100-108 [13], 109-126 [14], 127-129 [15], 130-141 [16], 142-147 [17], 148-151 [18], 152-157 [19], 158-162 [20], 163-171 [21], 172-181 [22], 182-188 [23], 189-206 [24]

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Quran Text of Verse 73-84وَ اِلٰیAnd toثَمُوْدَThamudاَخَاهُمْ(We sent) their brotherصٰلِحًا ۘSalihقَالَHe saidیٰقَوْمِO my peopleاعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahمَاnotلَكُمْfor youمِّنْanyاِلٰهٍgodغَیْرُهٗ ؕother than HimقَدْVerilyجَآءَتْكُمْhas come to youبَیِّنَةٌa clear proofمِّنْfromرَّبِّكُمْ ؕyour LordهٰذِهٖThisنَاقَةُ(is) a she-camelاللّٰهِ(of) Allahلَكُمْ(it is) for youاٰیَةًa SignفَذَرُوْهَاSo you leave herتَاْكُلْ(to) eatفِیْۤonاَرْضِ(the) earthاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ لَاand (do) notتَمَسُّوْهَاtouch herبِسُوْٓءٍwith harmفَیَاْخُذَكُمْlest seizes youعَذَابٌa punishmentاَلِیْمٌ painful 7. Al-A'raf Page 160وَ اذْكُرُوْۤاAnd rememberاِذْwhenجَعَلَكُمْHe made youخُلَفَآءَsuccessorsمِنْۢfromبَعْدِafterعَادٍAadوَّ بَوَّاَكُمْand settled youفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthتَتَّخِذُوْنَYou takeمِنْfromسُهُوْلِهَاits plainsقُصُوْرًاpalacesوَّ تَنْحِتُوْنَand you carve outالْجِبَالَthe mountainsبُیُوْتًا ۚ(as) homesفَاذْكُرُوْۤاSo rememberاٰلَآءَ(the) Bountiesاللّٰهِ(of) Allahوَ لَاand (do) notتَعْثَوْاact wickedlyفِیinالْاَرْضِ(the) earthمُفْسِدِیْنَ spreading corruption قَالَSaidالْمَلَاُthe chiefsالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْاwere arrogantمِنْamongقَوْمِهٖhis peopleلِلَّذِیْنَto those whoاسْتُضْعِفُوْاwere oppressedلِمَنْ[to] those whoاٰمَنَbelievedمِنْهُمْamong themاَتَعْلَمُوْنَDo you knowاَنَّthatصٰلِحًاSalihمُّرْسَلٌ(is the) one sentمِّنْfromرَّبِّهٖ ؕhis LordقَالُوْۤاThey saidاِنَّاIndeed weبِمَاۤin whatاُرْسِلَhe has been sentبِهٖwith [it]مُؤْمِنُوْنَ (are) believers قَالَSaidالَّذِیْنَthose whoاسْتَكْبَرُوْۤاwere arrogantاِنَّاIndeed weبِالَّذِیْۤin that whichاٰمَنْتُمْyou believeبِهٖin itكٰفِرُوْنَ (are) disbelievers فَعَقَرُواThen they hamstrungالنَّاقَةَthe she-camelوَ عَتَوْاand (were) insolentعَنْtowardsاَمْرِ(the) commandرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordوَ قَالُوْاand they saidیٰصٰلِحُO SalihائْتِنَاBring usبِمَاwhatتَعِدُنَاۤyou promise usاِنْifكُنْتَyou areمِنَofالْمُرْسَلِیْنَ the Messengers فَاَخَذَتْهُمُSo seized themالرَّجْفَةُthe earthquakeفَاَصْبَحُوْاthen they becameفِیْinدَارِهِمْtheir homesجٰثِمِیْنَ fallen prone فَتَوَلّٰیSo he turned awayعَنْهُمْfrom themوَ قَالَand he saidیٰقَوْمِO my people!لَقَدْVerilyاَبْلَغْتُكُمْI have conveyed to youرِسَالَةَ(the) Messageرَبِّیْ(of) my Lordوَ نَصَحْتُand [I] advisedلَكُمْ[to] youوَ لٰكِنْbutلَّاnotتُحِبُّوْنَyou likeالنّٰصِحِیْنَ the advisers وَ لُوْطًاAnd Lutاِذْwhenقَالَhe saidلِقَوْمِهٖۤto his peopleاَتَاْتُوْنَDo you commitالْفَاحِشَةَ(such) immoralityمَاnotسَبَقَكُمْhas preceded youبِهَاthereinمِنْanyاَحَدٍoneمِّنَofالْعٰلَمِیْنَ the worlds اِنَّكُمْIndeed, youلَتَاْتُوْنَyou approachالرِّجَالَthe menشَهْوَةًlustfullyمِّنْfromدُوْنِinstead ofالنِّسَآءِ ؕthe womenبَلْNayاَنْتُمْyouقَوْمٌ(are) a peopleمُّسْرِفُوْنَ (who) commit excesses 7. Al-A'raf Page 161وَ مَاAnd notكَانَwasجَوَابَ(the) answerقَوْمِهٖۤ(of) his peopleاِلَّاۤexceptاَنْthatقَالُوْۤاthey saidاَخْرِجُوْهُمْDrive them outمِّنْofقَرْیَتِكُمْ ۚyour townاِنَّهُمْIndeed theyاُنَاسٌ(are) peopleیَّتَطَهَّرُوْنَ who keep themselves pure فَاَنْجَیْنٰهُSo We saved himوَ اَهْلَهٗۤand his familyاِلَّاexceptامْرَاَتَهٗ ۖؗhis wifeكَانَتْshe wasمِنَofالْغٰبِرِیْنَ those who stayed behind وَ اَمْطَرْنَاAnd We showeredعَلَیْهِمْupon themمَّطَرًا ؕa rainفَانْظُرْSo seeكَیْفَhowكَانَwasعَاقِبَةُ(the) endالْمُجْرِمِیْنَ۠(of) the criminals

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Translation of Verse 73-84

73. And to (the tribe of) Thamud¹¹⁵ we sent their brother, Salih.¹¹⁶ He said: “O my people ! worship Allah; you have no other god but Him.¹¹⁷ A veritable proof has come to you from your Lord; ¹¹⁸ Here is Allah’s she-camel, a sign for you,¹¹⁹ so leave her to graze at will in Allah’s land and let no harm come to her, lest a painful punishment overtake you.

74. “And remember how He gave you power after Aad, and gave you habitation in the land; you build palaces in its plains and carve out homes in the mountains.¹²⁰ So remember Allah’s favours, and do not act corruptly on the earth.”¹²¹

75. The haughty nobles of his people said to those who were weak among the believers: “Do you (really) believe that Salih has been sent by his Lord?” They replied: “we believe in the message with which he has been sent.”

76. Those who were haughty said: “we deny all that in which you believe.”

77. Then they hamstrung the she-camel¹²² and insolently defied the commandment of their Lord, and said: O Salih! Bring down that (punishment) with which you threaten us, if you truly are a messenger.

78. Thereupon a shocking disaster overtook them,¹²³ and they lay on their faces in their dwellings.¹²⁴

79. And he (Salih) left them¹²⁵ saying: “Verily I conveyed to you, my people! the message of my Lord, and gave you good counsel, but you do not like well-wishers.”¹²⁶

80. And we sent Loot as a messenger.¹²⁷ (Remember) when he¹²⁸ said to his people: “Do you commit this indecent act which no one in the world has committed before you?¹²⁹

81. “You satisfy your lust with men instead of with women ; nay, but you are a people transgressing beyond bounds.”¹³⁰

82. And what was the answer of his people except that they said: “Banish them from your city, these are men who try to be chaste!”¹³¹

83. So we rescued him and his household, except his wife, who was of those who stayed behind.¹³²

84. And we rained on them a kind of rain.¹³³ So behold what was the end of the guilty!

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Commentary

115. For details of the times and native place of Thamud, please refer to Notes Nos.12 and 13, Surah Fajr.

116. That is: Salih was sent as a prophet to the Thamud community, and he was a member of their community.

117. Thamud were also idolatrous. Therefore, prophet Salih declared the concept of many gods as false and presented the dawah of monotheism uuuu Dawatul Qur’an 497 S.7 (Tawheed).

118. The character of prophet Salih and the dawah presented by him are a clear proof of the fact that he was sent as a prophet by God.

119. The appearance of the she-camel was a sign, and therefore, it must have been an extraordinary she-camel. The fact that every second day fixed for her to drink water from the well also shows that she. must have been a special kind of animal, which drank a large quantity of water. This miracle of the she–camel was caused to appear by Allah on the demand from the Thamud people. It had become a great test for them. No more details about this miracle of the she-camel has been stated either in Quran or in the hadith. Therefore, without relying on weak sources of information, we should rest content with what is stated in Quran.

120. The Thamud people were experts in the work of construction. They used to construct grand palaces in the plains and to carve out houses in the mountains. This work of construction was to some extent to meet the needs of their residence. They should have, therefore, thanked God who had given them the resources and the capabilities to construct secure houses for themselves. But instead of a feeling, of gratitude there grew in them a feeling of pride. Instead of building their life they were spurred on to build grand palaces. They considered their magnificent buildings and palaces as their great achievements. These achievements of theirs still exist today, but in the form of ruins, and they invite us to learn a moral from their history.

121. Points to the fact that the misuse of power given by God and the wasting of the constructive and architectural capabilities given by’ Him in undue and showy constructions is the cause of corruption in society, and it creates a corrupt civilization.

122. For details please refer to Note No.15, Surah Shams.

123. Means violent and terrific sound of explosion, which caused trembling and shivering. At another place in Quran, the word ‘Saiqa’ (thunderclap) has been used.

124. This shocking catastrophe struck them down to ground, and they died in that position.

125. That is: Prophet Salih left the town before the punishment was unleashed.

126. How pathetic are the words which were uttered by prophet Salih at the time of his departure from his people.

what can be a better way of well-doing by a people than to show them the right path of truth and to warn them of the adverse consequences of the wrong practices! But for the communities and nations of the world well-wishing and welldoing and the standard of loyalty is to join the national mainstream, regardless of the fact that this mainstream leads you to Hell.

127. prophet Loot lived at the same time when prophet Ibrahim lived. He was the nephew of prophet Ibrahim and had migrated from Iraq with him. Allah had sent him as a prophet to Sodom. The region of Sodom was on the shores of the Dead Sea, which is on the side of river Jordan. In the Bible there is a mention of the townships of Loot, Sodom and A’mura (See Genesis, Chapters 14 and 19).

128. prophet Loot was not born in the community of the people of Sodom. But since he had taken residence there and had adopted their language, the people of Sodom were termed as belonging to Loot, or that prophet Loot belonged to that community.

129. The Loot community was suffering from a detestable disease, and that was homo-sexuality. This immorality had taken the form of an epidemic, and this is the first community which had set this worst example of shamelessness in the world.

It appears that this community was not idolatrous, but it had become fearless of God and was indulging in indecency. Therefore, Prophet Loot, first of all, raised his voice against this wickedness. Even then in principle his dawah was the same which was that of the other prophets. Accordingly there is a clarification in the Surah Shu’ara that he invited his people to fear Allah and to obey His messenger:

“Fear Allah and obey me.” (Ash-Shu’ara 163).

130. That is: You have crossed the limits of morality, nature and religion, and have become slaves of your carnal desires.

131. This is how they ridiculed Prophet Loot and his companions. They were so much wrapped up in perversion and indecency that they did not like to see anybody chaste and normal. How can they then tolerate the dawah of Prophet Loot which was entirely a dawah of purity of self and of purity of character.

132. The wife of Prophet Loot supported the infidels. She also, therefore, was struck by the Divine punishment. It shows that mere relationship with the prophet, even the relationship of a wife, cannot save anybody from Allah’s punishment. what can save one from Allah’s punishment is obedience to the Prophet and not any relationship with him.

133. The details of the punishment which befell the Loot community are given in Surah Hood (Verse No. 82), and also in other Surahs. Here the punishment is merely described as a special kind of rain, which means the rain of stones.