54. Sūrat al-Qamar

٥٤۔ سُورَةُ القَمَر

Qurʾān > Chapter 54 > Section 3
القرآن > كتاب ٥٤ > باب ٣

54.3 Story of Thamūd and Lot who called their prophets liars, to show how terrible was God's scourge and how clear was His warning?

٥٤۔٣ مقطع في سُورَةُ القَمَر

quran:54:23 –

Thamud denied the warning  

Thamūd denied the warnings (nudhur is the plural of nadhīr, with the sense of mundhir), that is to say, ˹they denied˺ those matters which their prophet Sālih warned them of if they refused to believe in him and to follow him,
القرآن:٥٤:٢٣ –

كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِالنُّذُرِ  

{كذبت ثمود بالنذر} جمع نذير بمعنى منذر، أي بالأمور التي أنذرهم بها نبيهم صالح إن لم يؤمنوا به ويتبعوه.
quran:54:24 –

And said, "Is it one human being among us that we should follow? Indeed, we would then be in error and madness.  

and they said, ‘Is it a mortal (basharan is in the accusative because it is governed ˹by a succeeding verb˺) alone among us (minnā wāhidan are both adjectives of basharan) that we are to follow? (nattabi‘uhu, this explains the verb which renders it ˹basharan, ‘mortal’˺ accusative; the interrogative is meant as a negative, in other words: why should we follow him when there are many of us and he is only one among us and not a king? That is to say, we will not follow him). Then indeed, if we were to follow him, we would be in error, a parting with reason, and insanity!
القرآن:٥٤:٢٤ –

فَقَالُوا أَبَشَرًا مِنَّا وَاحِدًا نَتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذًا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ وَسُعُرٍ  

{فقالوا أبشرا} منصوب على الاشتغال {منا واحدا} صفتان لـ بشرا {نتبعه} مفسر للفعل الناصب له والاستفهام بمعنى النفي المعنى كيف نتبعه ونحن جماعة كثيرة وهو واحد منا وليس بملك، أي لا نتبعه {إنا إذًا} إن اتبعناه {لفي ضلال} ذهاب عن الصواب {وسعر} جنون.
quran:54:25 –

Has the message been sent down upon him from among us? Rather, he is an insolent liar."  

Has the Reminder, the revelation, been cast (read a-ulqiya pronouncing both hamzas, or by not pronouncing the second one but in both cases inserting an intervening alif, or leaving this ˹insertion˺ out) upon him ˹alone˺ from among us?, in other words, nothing has been revealed to him. Nay, but he is a conceited, an arrogant and insolent, liar, in his saying that the mentioned has been revealed to him. God, exalted be He, says:
القرآن:٥٤:٢٥ –

أَأُلْقِيَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ  

{أألقي} بتحقيق الهمزتين وتسهيل الثانية وإدخال ألف بينهما على الوجهين وتركه {الذكر} الوحي {عليه من بيننا} أي لم يوح إليه {بل هو كذاب} في قوله إنه أوحي إليه ما ذكر {أشر} متكبر بطر، قال تعالى.
quran:54:26 –

They will know tomorrow who is the insolent liar.  

‘They will know tomorrow, in the Hereafter, who is the conceited liar, and it is them, for they will be chastised for having denied their prophet Sālih.
القرآن:٥٤:٢٦ –

سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَدًا مَنِ الْكَذَّابُ الْأَشِرُ  

{سيعلمون غدا} في الآخرة {من الكذاب الأشر} وهو أو هم بأن يعذبوا على تكذيبهم نبيهم صالحا.
quran:54:27 –

Indeed, We are sending the she-camel as trial for them, so watch them and be patient.  

Lo! We are sending the She-camel, We will bring it forth out of the mountain, the rock, as they demanded, as a trial, a test, for them, that We may try them. So watch them, O Sālih, await ˹to see˺ what they will do and what will be done with them, and remain patient (istabir: the tā’ here has replaced the tā’ of ˹the 8th form˺ ifta‘ala), in other words, endure their harm.
القرآن:٥٤:٢٧ –

إِنَّا مُرْسِلُو النَّاقَةِ فِتْنَةً لَهُمْ فَارْتَقِبْهُمْ وَاصْطَبِرْ  

{إنا مرسلو الناقة} مخرجوها من الهضبة الصخرة كما سألوا {فتنة} محنة {لهم} لنخبرهم {فارتقبهم} يا صالح أي انتظر ما هم صانعون وما يصنع بهم {واصطبر} الطاء بدل من تاء الافتعال أي اصبر على أذاهم.
quran:54:28 –

And inform them that the water is shared between them, each ˹day of˺ drink attended ˹by turn˺.  

And inform them that the water is to be divided between them, and the She-camel: one day for them and the next for it, every drinking, ˹every˺ portion of water, will be attended’, by the people ˹drawing water˺ on their ˹designated˺ day, and by the She-camel on its day. They adhered to this ˹regime˺ but eventually became impatient with it and decided to slaughter the She-camel.
القرآن:٥٤:٢٨ –

وَنَبِّئْهُمْ أَنَّ الْمَاءَ قِسْمَةٌ بَيْنَهُمْ ۖ كُلُّ شِرْبٍ مُحْتَضَرٌ  

{ونبئهم أن الماء قسمة} مقسوم {بينهم} وبين الناقة يوم لهم ويوم لها {كلُّ شرب} نصيب من الماء {محتضر} يحضره القوم يومهم والناقة يومها فتمادوا على ذلك ثم ملوه فهموا بقتل الناقة.
quran:54:29 –

But they called their companion, and he dared and hamstrung ˹her˺.  

But they called their companion, Qudār, to slay it, so he took, he drew his sword, and he hamstrung, with it the She-camel, in other words, he slew her in compliance with their wish.
القرآن:٥٤:٢٩ –

فَنَادَوْا صَاحِبَهُمْ فَتَعَاطَىٰ فَعَقَرَ  

{فنادوا صاحبهم} قدرا ليقتلها {فتعاطى} تناول السيف {فعقر} به الناقة، أي قتلها موافقة لهم.
quran:54:30 –

And how ˹severe˺ were My punishment and warning.  

How then were My chastisement and My warnings?, My warning them of chastisement before it was sent down? In other words, it was justified. He explains it ˹their chastisement˺ by saying:
القرآن:٥٤:٣٠ –

فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ  

{فكيف كان عذابي ونذر} إنذاري لهم بالعذاب قبل نزوله، أي وقع موقعه وبيَّنه بقوله.
quran:54:31 –

Indeed, We sent upon them one blast from the sky, and they became like the dry twig fragments of an ˹animal˺ pen.  

Indeed We unleashed upon them a single Cry, and they became like the chaff of a corral builder (almuhtazir is one who makes a pen from dried tree-branches and thorns for his sheep, to protect them from wolves and beasts of prey; the fallen parts which they tread are called hashīm).
القرآن:٥٤:٣١ –

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَكَانُوا كَهَشِيمِ الْمُحْتَظِرِ  

{إنا أرسلنا عليهم صيحة واحدة فكانوا كهشيم المحتظر} هو الذي يجعل لغنمه حظيرة من يابس الشجر والشوك يحفظهن فيها من الذئاب والسباع وما سقط من ذلك فداسته هو الهشيم.
quran:54:32 –

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?  

And verily We have made the Qur’ān easy to remember. So is there anyone who will remember?
القرآن:٥٤:٣٢ –

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ  

{ولقد يسرنا القرآن للذكر فهل من مدكر}.
quran:54:33 –

The people of Lot denied the warning.  

The people of Lot denied the warnings, ˹they denied˺ those issues of which they were warned by his ˹Lot’s˺ tongue.
القرآن:٥٤:٣٣ –

كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ بِالنُّذُرِ  

{كذبت قوم لوط بالنذر} بالأمور المنذرة لهم على لسانه.
quran:54:34 –

Indeed, We sent upon them a storm of stones, except the family of Lot - We saved them before dawn  

Indeed We unleashed upon them a squall of pebbles, a wind hurling at them pebbles, namely, small stones, a single one ˹of these˺ being no larger than the palm of the hand, and they were destroyed; ˹all˺ except the family of Lot, namely, his two daughters, together with him, whom We delivered at dawn, from among the dawns, the morning time of an unspecified day (had a specific day been meant ˹for that mentioned dawn˺, it ˹sahar˺ would have been treated as a diptote ˹instead of the declined form saharin˺, being a definite noun derived from al-sahar, for with definite nouns one ought to use ˹the preceding definite article˺ al). So was the squall unleashed at first with the family of Lot ˹still there˺? There are two opinions regarding this: in the case of the former ˹that it was unleashed upon them including the family of Lot˺ the exception is understood as a continuous one, while in the case of the latter ˹opinion that they were delivered before the squall˺ the exception is understood as a discontinuous one, even if it ˹‘the family of Lot’˺ is actually subsumed by the collective noun ˹‘the people of Lot’, and so they were delivered˺ as a kindness ˹from God˺;
القرآن:٥٤:٣٤ –

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ حَاصِبًا إِلَّا آلَ لُوطٍ ۖ نَجَّيْنَاهُمْ بِسَحَرٍ  

{إنا أرسلنا عليهم حاصبا} ريحا ترميهم بالحصباء وهي صغار الحجارة الواحد دون ملء الكف فهلكوا {إلا آل لوط} وهم ابنتاه معه {نجيناهم بسحر} من الأسحار وقت الصبح من يوم غير معين ولو أريد من يوم معين لمنع من الصرف لأنه معرفة معدول عن السحر لأن حقه أن يستعمل في المعرفة بأل وهل أرسل الحاصب على آل لوط أولا؟ قولان وعبر عن الاستثناء على الأول بأنه متصل وعلى الثاني بأنه منقطع وإن كان من الجنس تسمحا.
quran:54:35 –

As favor from us. Thus do We reward he who is grateful.  

as a grace (ni‘matan is a verbal noun, that is to say in‘āman, ‘an act of grace’) from Us. So, like that requital, do We requite him who gives thanks, for Our graces and is a believer, or ˹it means˺ him who is a believer in God and His messenger and is obedient to both.
القرآن:٥٤:٣٥ –

نِعْمَةً مِنْ عِنْدِنَا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي مَنْ شَكَرَ  

{نعمة} مصدر، أي إنعاما {من عندنا كذلك} أي مثل ذلك الجزاء {نجزي من شكر} أنعمنا وهو مؤمن أو من آمن بالله ورسوله وأطاعهما.
quran:54:36 –

And he had already warned them of Our assault, but they disputed the warning.  

And verily he had warned them, Lot had threatened them, of Our strike, Our seizing them with chastisement, but they disputed, they contested and denied, the warnings, his warning.
القرآن:٥٤:٣٦ –

وَلَقَدْ أَنْذَرَهُمْ بَطْشَتَنَا فَتَمَارَوْا بِالنُّذُرِ  

{ولقد أنذرهم} خوفهم لوط {بطشتنا} أخذتنا إياهم بالعذاب {فتماروا} تجادلوا وكذبوا {بالنذر} بإنذاره.
quran:54:37 –

And they had demanded from him his guests, but We obliterated their eyes, ˹saying˺, "Taste My punishment and warning."  

And they had even solicited of him his guests, that he should let them have their own way with those who had come to him as guests, that they may do wicked things with them — and these ˹guests˺ were angels. So We blotted out their eyes, We blinded them and made them without slits ˹so that they were continuous folds of skin˺ like the rest of the face, by having Gabriel smack them with his wing. ‘So taste ˹now˺, so We said to them: taste, My chastisement and My warnings’, that is to say, ˹taste˺ the effects and the substance of My warning and My threat.
القرآن:٥٤:٣٧ –

وَلَقَدْ رَاوَدُوهُ عَنْ ضَيْفِهِ فَطَمَسْنَا أَعْيُنَهُمْ فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ  

{ولقد راودوه عن ضيفه} أن يخلي بينهم وبين القوم الذين أتوه في صورة الأضياف ليخبثوا بهم وكانوا ملائكة {فطمسنا أعينهم} أعميناها وجعلناها بلا شق كباقي الوجه بأن صفقها جبريل بجناحه {فذوقوا} فقلنا لهم ذوقوا {عذابي ونذر} إنذاري وتخويفي، أي ثمرته وفائدته.
quran:54:38 –

And there came upon them by morning an abiding punishment.  

And verily there greeted them in the early morning, the morning time of an unspecified day, an abiding chastisement, a permanent ˹chastisement˺, continuous with the chastisement of the Hereafter.
القرآن:٥٤:٣٨ –

وَلَقَدْ صَبَّحَهُمْ بُكْرَةً عَذَابٌ مُسْتَقِرٌّ  

{ولقد صبحهم بكرة} وقت الصبح من يوم غير معين {عذاب مستقر} دائم متصل بعذاب الآخرة.
quran:54:39 –

So taste My punishment and warning.  

‘So taste ˹now˺ My chastisement and My warnings!’
القرآن:٥٤:٣٩ –

فَذُوقُوا عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ  

{فذوقوا عذابي ونذر}.
quran:54:40 –

And We have certainly made the Qur'an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?  

And verily We have made the Qur’ān easy to remember. So is there anyone who will remember?
القرآن:٥٤:٤٠ –

وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ  

{ولقد يسرنا القرآن للذكر فهل مدكر}.