English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)

by Maulana Muhammad Ali

کَذَّبَتۡ ثَمُوۡدُ الۡمُرۡسَلِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴۱﴾ۚۖ

26:141 Thamūd rejected the messengers.

اِذۡ قَالَ لَہُمۡ اَخُوۡہُمۡ صٰلِحٌ اَلَا تَتَّقُوۡنَ ﴿۱۴۲﴾ۚ

26:142 When their brother Sālih said to them: Will you not guard against evil?

اِنِّیۡ لَکُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ اَمِیۡنٌ ﴿۱۴۳﴾ۙ

26:143 Surely I am a faithful messenger to you:

فَاتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اَطِیۡعُوۡنِ ﴿۱۴۴﴾ۚ

26:144 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

وَ مَاۤ اَسۡـَٔلُکُمۡ عَلَیۡہِ مِنۡ اَجۡرٍ ۚ اِنۡ اَجۡرِیَ اِلَّا عَلٰی رَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴۵﴾ؕ

26:145 And I ask of you no reward for it: my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds.

اَتُتۡرَکُوۡنَ فِیۡ مَا ہٰہُنَاۤ اٰمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴۶﴾ۙ

26:146 Will you be left secure in what is here,

فِیۡ جَنّٰتٍ وَّ عُیُوۡنٍ ﴿۱۴۷﴾ۙ

26:147 in gardens and fountains,

وَّ زُرُوۡعٍ وَّ نَخۡلٍ طَلۡعُہَا ہَضِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۴۸﴾ۚ

26:148 and corn-fields and palm-trees having fine flower-spikes?

وَ تَنۡحِتُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡجِبَالِ بُیُوۡتًا فٰرِہِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴۹﴾ۚ

26:149 And you carve houses out of the mountains exultingly.

فَاتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ وَ اَطِیۡعُوۡنِ ﴿۱۵۰﴾ۚ

26:150 So keep your duty to Allah and obey me.

وَ لَا تُطِیۡعُوۡۤا اَمۡرَ الۡمُسۡرِفِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۱﴾ۙ

26:151 And do not obey the bidding of the extravagant,

الَّذِیۡنَ یُفۡسِدُوۡنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ لَا یُصۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۱۵۲﴾

26:152 who make mischief in the land and do not act rightly.

قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّمَاۤ اَنۡتَ مِنَ الۡمُسَحَّرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۳﴾ۚ

26:153 They said: You are only a deluded person.

مَاۤ اَنۡتَ اِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُنَا ۚۖ فَاۡتِ بِاٰیَۃٍ اِنۡ کُنۡتَ مِنَ الصّٰدِقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۴﴾

26:154 You are nothing but a mortal like ourselves — so bring a sign if you are truthful.

قَالَ ہٰذِہٖ نَاقَۃٌ لَّہَا شِرۡبٌ وَّ لَکُمۡ شِرۡبُ یَوۡمٍ مَّعۡلُوۡمٍ ﴿۱۵۵﴾ۚ

26:155 He said: This is a she-camel; she has her portion of water, and you have your portion of water at an appointed time.¹

وَ لَا تَمَسُّوۡہَا بِسُوۡٓءٍ فَیَاۡخُذَکُمۡ عَذَابُ یَوۡمٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۱۵۶﴾

26:156 And do her no harm, or the punishment of a grievous day will befall you.

فَعَقَرُوۡہَا فَاَصۡبَحُوۡا نٰدِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۷﴾ۙ

26:157 But they hamstrung her, then regretted,

فَاَخَذَہُمُ الۡعَذَابُ ؕ اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیَۃً ؕ وَ مَا کَانَ اَکۡثَرُہُمۡ مُّؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۵۸﴾

26:158 so the punishment befell them. Surely there is a sign in this, yet most of them do not believe.

وَ اِنَّ رَبَّکَ لَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الرَّحِیۡمُ ﴿۱۵۹﴾٪

26:159 And surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.

See 7:73 for Thamūd. They are described in v. 149 as carving houses out of the mountains, and, as it appears from here and 54:28, the springs of water seem to have been few, and access to these was probably specially guarded, so that they were open only at particular times. For the she-camel, see 7:73. Sālih seems to have demanded that the she-camel should be allowed to drink at such times. See 54:28, where it is stated that every share of the water will be attended by the she-camel, or that she will have access to water at all times when the others are allowed to drink. A similar demand as regards her pasture is contained in 11:64 in the words “Leave her to pasture on Allah’s earth”, followed by the same words as those following this demand for drink: “And do her no harm”. ↩