“When Our command came, We saved Salih and those who believed with him, by a mercy from Us, from the humiliation of that Day. Indeed, your Lord alone is the All-Powerful, the Almighty. The Cry seized those who did wrong, and by morning they lay lifeless in their homes, as though they had never dwelt there. Truly, Thamud disbelieved in their Lord. Away with Thamud! And Our messengers certainly came to Abraham bearing glad tidings. They said, ‘Peace.’ He said, ‘Peace.’ Then, before long, he brought them a roasted calf.” (66–69)

Concerning His saying, “When Our command came, We saved Salih and those who believed with him, by a mercy from Us”: that is, by a blessing from Us. “And from the humiliation of that Day”: that is, from its punishment and disgrace. Abu Ja‘far, Nafi‘, and al-Kisa’i recited “the humiliation of that Day” and “the punishment of that Day” with the final mim carrying an a-vowel, whereas the remaining reciters read it with an i-vowel. “Indeed, your Lord alone is the All-Powerful, the Almighty.”

“And the Cry seized those who did wrong”: that is, those who disbelieved. This was because Gabriel, peace be upon him, let out a single cry against them, and they all perished. It is also said that a cry came upon them from heaven containing the sound of every thunderbolt and the sound of everything upon the earth, so that their hearts were torn apart within their chests. The masculine verb “seized” is used although “the Cry” is grammatically feminine, because it has the sense of “crying.” “And by morning they lay lifeless in their homes”: fallen and dead.

“As though they had never dwelt there”: that is, as though they had never resided or existed there. “Truly, Thamud disbelieved in their Lord. Away with Thamud!” Hamzah, Hafs, and Ya‘qub recited “Thamud” without tanwin; likewise in Surat al-Furqan, Surat al-‘Ankabut, and Surat al-Najm. Abu Bakr agreed with them in Surat al-Najm. The remaining reciters read it with tanwin. Al-Kisa’i recited “for Thamud” with the final dal in the genitive and with tanwin, while the others read the final dal in the accusative. Those who placed it in the genitive regarded it as a masculine name, whereas those who did not regarded it as the name of a tribe.

Concerning His saying, “And Our messengers certainly came to Abraham bearing glad tidings”: by “messengers” He means the angels. They differed concerning their number (1). Ibn ‘Abbas and ‘Ata’ said: They were three: Gabriel, Michael, and Israfil.

Al-Dahhak said: They were nine.

Muqatil said: They were twelve angels.

Muhammad ibn Ka‘b said: It was Gabriel, accompanied by seven others.

Al-Suddi said: They were eleven angels, in the form of handsome, bright-faced youths.

“Bearing glad tidings”: that is, glad tidings of Isaac and Jacob. It is also said that it means glad tidings of the destruction of the people of Lot.