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 123-140كَذَّبَتْDeniedعَادُ(the people) of Aadلْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚۖthe Messengers اِذْWhenقَالَsaidلَهُمْto themاَخُوْهُمْtheir brotherهُوْدٌHudاَلَاWill 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 اَتَبْنُوْنَDo you constructبِكُلِّon everyرِیْعٍelevationاٰیَةًa signتَعْبَثُوْنَ amusing yourselves وَ تَتَّخِذُوْنَAnd take for yourselvesمَصَانِعَstrongholdsلَعَلَّكُمْthat you mayتَخْلُدُوْنَۚlive forever وَ اِذَاAnd whenبَطَشْتُمْyou seizeبَطَشْتُمْyou seizeجَبَّارِیْنَۚ(as) tyrants فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۚand obey me وَ اتَّقُواAnd fearالَّذِیْۤOne Whoاَمَدَّكُمْhas aided youبِمَاwith whatتَعْلَمُوْنَۚyou know اَمَدَّكُمْHe has aided youبِاَنْعَامٍwith cattleوَّ بَنِیْنَۚۙand children وَ جَنّٰتٍAnd gardensوَّ عُیُوْنٍۚand springs اِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاَخَافُ[I] fearعَلَیْكُمْfor youعَذَابَ(the) punishmentیَوْمٍ(of) a DayعَظِیْمٍؕGreat قَالُوْاThey saidسَوَآءٌ(It is) sameعَلَیْنَاۤto usاَوَ عَظْتَwhether you adviseاَمْorلَمْnotتَكُنْyou areمِّنَofالْوٰعِظِیْنَۙthe advisors 26. Ash-Shu'ara Page 373اِنْNotهٰذَاۤ(is) thisاِلَّاbutخُلُقُ(the) customالْاَوَّلِیْنَۙ(of) the former (people) وَ مَاAnd notنَحْنُweبِمُعَذَّبِیْنَۚ(are) the ones to be punished فَكَذَّبُوْهُSo they denied himفَاَهْلَكْنٰهُمْ ؕthen We destroyed themاِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً ؕ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 123-140

(26:123) The Ad gave the lie to the Messengers.⁸⁸

(26:124) Recall, when their brother Hud said to them:⁸⁹ "Have you no fear?

(26:125) I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.

(26:126) So fear Allah and obey me.

(26:127) I seek of you no reward for this; my reward is with none but the Lord of the Universe.

(26:128) What, you build a monument on every hill merely for fun⁹⁰

(26:129) and erect huge palaces as though you will live for ever,⁹¹

(26:130) and when you strike you strike like tyrants?⁹²

(26:131) So fear Allah and obey me.

(26:132) Have fear of Him Who has provided you with all the (good) things you know;

(26:133) Who has provided you with flocks and children

(26:134) and with gardens and springs.

(26:135) I fear for you the chastisement of an Awesome Day."

(26:136) They replied: "It is all the same for us whether you admonish us or not.

(26:137) This has been happening all along.⁹³

(26:138) We will not be subjected to any chastisement."

(26:139) Eventually they gave the lie to him and We destroyed them.⁹⁴ Surely there is a Sign in this, but most of them would not believe.

(26:140) Verily your Lord is Immensely Mighty, Most Compassionate.

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Commentary

88. Cf. al-A ‘raf 7:65—-72 and Hud 11: 50-60. For details of this episode see also Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41:13-16; al-Ahqaf 46:21-6; al-Dhariyat 51:41-5; al- Qamar 54:18-22; al-Haqqah 69:4-8, and al-Fajr 89:6-8.

89. In order to understand this oration from the Prophet Hid, we should bear in mind some details about the nature of his people who are also frequently mentioned in the Qur’an (i) It-was the ‘Ad who were given extraordinary power and eminence in the world after the destruction of Noah’s people: “And do call to mind when He made you successors after the people of Noah” (al-A ‘raf 7:69).

(ii) They were physically strong and sturdy: “... He ... amply increased you in stature” (al-A ‘raf 7:69).

(iii) In that age, no nation could rival them: “The like of which was not created in the lands” (al-Fajr 89:8).

(iv) Theirs was a splendid civilization especially famous for its tall buildings with lofty columns: “Have you not seen what your Lord did with the ‘Ad of Iram of lofty columns?” (al-Fajr 89:6-7). / (v) Their material progress and physical prowess Had made them haughty and arrogant: “As for the ‘Ad, they deviated from the right way and became arrogant and said: ‘Who is mightier than us in power?” (Ha Mim al-Sajdah 41:15).

(vi) Their political power was concentrated in the hands of a few tyrants against whom none could raise a voice: “And they followed the bidding of every tyrannical enemy of the truth” (Hud 11:59).

(vii) They did not deny the existence of God. Rather, their real malady was their polytheism. They did not, therefore, subscribe to the doctrine that God Alone Had the exclusive right to be served and worshipped.

“They said [to Hid]: ‘Have you come to us that we should worship none other than Allah and forsake all whom our forefathers were wont to worship? Then bring upon us the scourge with which you have threatened us if you are truthful’” (al-A ‘raf 7:70).

90. Hid chided his people for constructing grand buildings which Had no utility, which fulfilled no genuine need and which were designed only to make a spectacular display of their affluence and grandeur.

91. Although their other buildings Had some utility, they devoted immense wealth, skill and effort in making them grandiose, attractive and durable as though they were going to live in this world forever, and as though the only purpose of their life was to live luxuriantly with no concern for anything beyond.

The construction of useless or grandiose buildings is not something which appears in isolation from everything else which is going on in a society. It is not that everything else is fine and that the nation suffers just from this one weakness. In fact, such a situation only occurs when a nation is both prosperous and obsessed with materialism. When a nation reaches such a state, its culture and civilization decay and rot. The Prophet Hid did not reprimand his nation merely for their extravagant architecture. Nor did his reprimand consist of stressing the immorality of such acts. Rather, he reprimanded them for the general decay in their character and morality. He only used these buildings for illustrative purposes because they stood for the most conspicuous manifestations of their degeneration.

92. They were so obsessed with raising their standard of living that they — insisted on mansions and palaces, and when even these did not satisfy them, they erected lofty buildings which hardly served any purpose other than to brazenly display their power and affluence. Their level of humanity Had fallen so low that they Had no. sympathy for the weak. The poor under their control were denied justice and suffered manifold oppression. Furthermore, the same attitude extended to the weak and poor nations around them. All ‘suffered from their iron grip of injustice and oppression.

93. This statement can be interpreted in two ways: (i) that in their view there was nothing new in what they were doing; their forefathers Had done the same for centuries. Their religion, their culture and their moral values were all the same, and yet their ancestors had not been subjected to any calamitous punishment. Why should they fear, then, that they would be severely chastised? How could they be punished when their predecessors had not? Had there been anything too wrong with their way of life, they contended, God’s Wrath and punishment, with which they were being constantly-threatened, would have seized them long ago. (ii) That regardless of what was being said to them then, it was appropriate to remember that many religious fanatics and moral purists - had earlier said much the same. Yet the world Had gone on as ever before. As far as they were concerned, just because some people were overly obsessed with morality, this did not mean that the world would come to a standstill or suffer a monumental disaster.

94. The details of the destruction that overtook this nation, as mentioned in the Qur’an, bring forth the following scenario: a sudden windstorm rises at a distance; people see it coming towards their valley and think that it is a cloud which promises them rainfall. They even begin to celebrate, expecting that there will be a downpour. But it is God’s Wrath rather than rainfall which descends upon them. For eight days and seven nights, tempestuous winds play havoc with everything. These winds are so scorching and dry that they destroy all that stands in their path.

The tempest raged until every single inhabitant of that iniquitous nation was done away with and only the ruins of this hapless area remained to tell the story of the catastrophe that overtook them; today even these ruins have disappeared. The whole territory of Ahqaf has now been reduced to a desert.

(For details see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Vol. IV, al-Ahqaf 46: n. 25.)