27. Sūrat al-Naml

٢٧۔ سُورَةُ النَّمْل

27.7 Story of the Prophet Ṣāleh and his address to his people. Ṣāleh's people plotted to kill him, but God saved him and destroyed the disbelievers.

٢٧۔٧ مقطع في سُورَةُ النَّمْل

quran:27:45

And We had certainly sent to Thamud their brother Salih, ˹saying˺, "Worship Allah," and at once they were two parties conflicting.  

And verily We sent to Thamūd their brother, in terms of ˹his belonging to the same˺ tribe, Sālih, with the following ˹decree˺: ‘Worship God!’, affirm His Oneness. And lo! they ˹then˺ became two parties quarrelling with one another, over religion, one party having become believers upon his arrival as messenger to them and the other party disbelievers.
القرآن:٢٧:٤٥

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَالِحًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ فَإِذَا هُمْ فَرِيقَانِ يَخْتَصِمُونَ  

{ولقد أرسلنا إلى ثمود أخاهم} من القبيلة {صالحاً أن} أي بأن {اعبدا الله} وحدوه {فإذا هم فريقان يختصمون} في الدين فريق مؤمنون من حين إرساله إليهم وفريق كافرون.
quran:27:46

He said, "O my people, why are you impatient for evil instead of good? Why do you not seek forgiveness of Allah that you may receive mercy?"  

He said, to the deniers: ‘O my people, why do you ˹seek to˺ hasten on evil before ˹seeking˺ good?, in other words, ˹why do you seek to hasten on˺ chastisement instead of mercy, when you say, ‘If what you bring us is true, then bring us the chastisement!’ Why do you not ask God to forgive you, ˹your˺ idolatry, so that you might be shown mercy?’, and not be chastised.
القرآن:٢٧:٤٦

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ ۖ لَوْلَا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ  

{قال} للمكذبين {ياقوم لمَ تستعجلون بالسيئة قبل الحسنة} أي بالعذاب قبل الرحمة حيث قلتم إن كان ما أتيتنا به حقاً فأتنا بالعذاب {لولا} هلا {تستغفرون الله} من الشرك {لعلكم ترحمون} فلا تعذبون.
quran:27:47

They said, "We consider you a bad omen, you and those with you." He said, "Your omen is with Allah. Rather, you are a people being tested."  

They said, ‘We augur evil (ittayyarnā is actually tatayyarnā, but the tā’ has been assimilated with the tā’, and a conjunctive hamza added) of you and of those who are with you’, namely, the believers — when they ˹the tribe of Thamūd˺ were deprived of rain and suffered hunger. He said, ‘Your evil augury is with God — He has given it to you; nay, but you are a people being tried’, being tested with good and evil ˹turns of fortune˺.
القرآن:٢٧:٤٧

قَالُوا اطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَنْ مَعَكَ ۚ قَالَ طَائِرُكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ ۖ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ  

{قالوا اطّيرنا} أصله تطيرنا أدغمت التاء في الطاء واجتلبت همزة الوصل أي تشاءمنا {بك وبمن معك} المؤمنين حيث قحطوا المطر وجاعوا {قال طائركم} شؤمكم {عند الله} أتاكم به {بل أنتم قوم تفتنون} تختبرون بالخير والشر.
quran:27:48

And there were in the city nine family heads causing corruption in the land and not amending ˹its affairs˺.  

And there were in the city, the city of Thamūd, a band of nine men, that is, ˹nine˺ men, who were causing corruption in the land, with acts of disobedience, which included their corroding of dinar and dirham coins ˹rendering them worthless˺, and did not reform ˹their ways˺, through obedience ˹to God˺.
القرآن:٢٧:٤٨

وَكَانَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ  

{وكان في المدينة} مدينة ثمود {تسعة رهط} أي رجال {يفسدون في الأرض} بالمعاصي منها قرضهم الدنانير والدراهم {ولا يصلحون} بالطاعة.
quran:27:49

They said, "Take a mutual oath by Allah that we will kill him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.' "  

They said, that is, some said to others, ‘Swear to one another by God that we will attack him by night (la435 nubayyitannahu; or ˹read˺ la-tubayyitunnahu, ‘that you will attack him by night’) together with his folk, that is, those who believed in him, in other words, ˹swear˺ that we will kill them at night; then we will surely say (la-naqūlanna; or ˹read˺ la-taqūlunna, ‘you surely will say’) to his heir, the avenger of his blood, that we did not witness, we were not present at, the destruction of his folk (read muhlika or mahlika, meaning ‘the destroying of them’ or ‘their death’ ˹respectively˺), and so we do not know who killed them, and ˹that˺ indeed we are being truthful’.
القرآن:٢٧:٤٩

قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّهِ مَا شَهِدْنَا مَهْلِكَ أَهْلِهِ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ  

{قالوا} أي قال بعضهم لبعض {تقاسموا} أي احلفوا {بالله لنبيتنه} بالنون والتاء وضم التاء الثانية {وأهله} أي من آمن به أي نقتلهم ليلاً {ثم لنقولن} بالنون والتاء وضم اللام الثانية {لوليه} لولي دمه {ما شهدنا} حضرنا {مهلك أهله} بضم الميم وفتحها أي إهلاكهم أو هلاكهم فلا ندري من قتلهم {وإنا لصادقون}.
quran:27:50

And they planned a plan, and We planned a plan, while they perceived not.  

So they plotted, thereby, a plot, but We ˹also˺ plotted a plot, in other words, We requited them by hastening on their punishment, while they were not aware.
القرآن:٢٧:٥٠

وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا وَمَكَرْنَا مَكْرًا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ  

{ومكروا} في ذلك {مكراً ومكرنا مكراً} أي جازيناهم بتعجيل عقوبتهم {وهم لا يشعرون}.
quran:27:51

Then look how was the outcome of their plan - that We destroyed them and their people, all.  

So behold how was the consequence of their plot! For lo! We destroyed them and all their people, with Gabriel’s cry, or by the angels’ pelting them with stones, which they could see even though they could not see them ˹the angels˺.
القرآن:٢٧:٥١

فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ مَكْرِهِمْ أَنَّا دَمَّرْنَاهُمْ وَقَوْمَهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ  

{فانظر كيف كان عاقبة مكرهم أنّا دمرناهم} أهلكناهم {وقومهم أجمعين} بصيحة جبريل أو برمي الملائكة بحجارة يرونها ولا يرونهم.
quran:27:52

So those are their houses, desolate because of the wrong they had done. Indeed in that is a sign for people who know.  

So those then are their houses ˹lying˺ deserted (khāwiyatan is in the accusative because it is a circumstantial qualifier, the operator of which is the import of the demonstrative pronoun ˹tilka, ‘those’˺) because of the evil which they did, that is, their disbelief. Surely in that there is a sign, a lesson, for a people who have knowledge, of Our power and are thus admonished.
القرآن:٢٧:٥٢

فَتِلْكَ بُيُوتُهُمْ خَاوِيَةً بِمَا ظَلَمُوا ۗ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَةً لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ  

{فتلك بيوتهم خاوية} أي خالية ونصبه على الحال والعامل معنى الإشارة {بما ظلموا} بظلمهم أي كفرهم {إن في ذلك لآية} لعبرة {لقوم يعلمون} قدرتنا فيتعظون.
quran:27:53

And We saved those who believed and used to fear Allah.  

And We delivered those who believed, in Sālih — and they numbered 4,000 — and were fearful, of idolatry.
القرآن:٢٧:٥٣

وَأَنْجَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَكَانُوا يَتَّقُونَ  

{وأنجينا الذين آمنوا} بصالح وهم أربعة آلاف {وكانوا يتقون} الشرك.