(141–159) “Thamūd denied the messengers.”
To the end of the account. “Thamūd denied”—the well-known tribe at Madā’in al-Hijr—“the messengers.” They denied Sālih, peace be upon him, who brought the monotheism to which all the messengers called. Thus, denying him was tantamount to denying them all.
“When their brother Sālih”—their brother by lineage—“said to them” gently and graciously, “Will you not fear” Allah Almighty and forsake idolatry and sin?
“I am indeed a trustworthy messenger to you” from Allah, your Lord. He sent me to you out of kindness and mercy toward you, so accept His mercy and submit to it. “Trustworthy”—you know me to be so, and this requires you to believe in me and in what I have brought.
“I ask of you no reward for it,” such that you might say, “What keeps us from following you is that you want to take our wealth.” “My reward is only with the Lord of all worlds.” That is, I seek recompense from Him alone.
“Will you be left secure amid what is here—in gardens and springs, crops and date palms with abundant, closely clustered fruit?” That is, plentiful and closely packed. Do you suppose that you will be left unaccountable amid these blessings and good things, enjoying yourselves as cattle do, with no commands or prohibitions, while using these blessings to disobey Allah?
“And you skillfully carve houses from the mountains.” That is, your mastery and skill have reached such a degree that you fashion houses from solid, unyielding mountains.
“So fear Allah and obey me. Do not obey the command of the transgressors”—those who overstep all bounds—“who spread corruption in the land and do not set things right.” That is, their defining trait and habitual practice is to spread corruption on earth by committing sins and calling others to them—a corruption containing no element of reform. This is the most harmful kind of corruption because it is pure evil. It was as though certain people among them stood ready to oppose their prophet and hastened to call others to the path of error. Sālih therefore warned them not to be deceived by these men. Perhaps they were those of whom Allah said, “There were nine men in the city who spread corruption in the land and did not set things right.” Yet this warning and exhortation benefited them not at all.
They said to Sālih, “You are only one of the bewitched.” That is, you have been bewitched and are therefore babbling senselessly.
“You are nothing but a human being like us.” What superiority do you possess over us that you should call us to follow you? “Then bring us a sign, if you are truthful.” Yet merely considering his character and the nature of his call was among the greatest and clearest signs of the truth of what he brought and of his own truthfulness. Because of their hard-heartedness, however, they demanded signs of their own choosing. Those who make such demands generally do not prosper, for their demands arise from obstinacy rather than a desire for guidance.
Sālih said, “This is a she-camel.” She would emerge from a smooth, solid rock before the eyes of every one of them. “She has a turn to drink, and you have a turn on an appointed day.” That is, she would drink from the well one day while they drank her milk. On the alternate day, she would leave them and they would drink from the well.
“Do not touch her with harm,” whether by hamstringing her or otherwise, “lest the punishment of a momentous day seize you.” The she-camel emerged and remained among them in that condition, but they did not believe and persisted in their tyranny.
“But they hamstrung her and became remorseful. Then the punishment seized them.” It was a blast that descended upon them and destroyed them all. “Indeed, in that is surely a sign” of the truth of what Our messengers brought and the falsity of their opponents’ claims. “Yet most of them were not believers. And indeed, your Lord is surely the Almighty, the Most Merciful.”