Anwar Al-Quran

Verses 74–81

7. Al-A'raaf · The Heights

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وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عَادٍۢ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًۭا وَتَنْحِتُونَ ٱلْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًۭا ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ

7:74Remember when He made you successors after [the people of] ‘Ad, and settled you in the land: you build palaces in its plains, and hew houses out of the mountains. So remember Allah’s bounties, and do not act wickedly on the earth, causing corruption.’12

قَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ مِن قَوْمِهِۦ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا۟ لِمَنْ ءَامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَٰلِحًۭا مُّرْسَلٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦ ۚ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِۦ مُؤْمِنُونَ

7:75The elite of his people who were arrogant said to those who were oppressed—to those among them who had faith—‘Do you know that Salih has been sent by his Lord?’ They said, ‘We indeed believe in what he has been sent with.’*

قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَكْبَرُوٓا۟ إِنَّا بِٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ كَٰفِرُونَ

7:76Those who were arrogant said, ‘We indeed disbelieve in what you have believed.’

فَعَقَرُوا۟ ٱلنَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا۟ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُوا۟ يَٰصَٰلِحُ ٱئْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

7:77So they hamstrung the She-camel and defied the command of their Lord, and they said, ‘O Salih, bring us what you threaten us with, if you are one of the apostles.’3

فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ ٱلرَّجْفَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دَارِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ

7:78Thereupon the earthquake seized them, and they lay lifeless prostrate in their homes.

فَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ لَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ رِسَالَةَ رَبِّى وَنَصَحْتُ لَكُمْ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تُحِبُّونَ ٱلنَّٰصِحِينَ

7:79So he abandoned them [to their fate], and said, ‘O my people! Certainly I communicated to you the message of my Lord, and I was your well-wisher, but you did not like well-wishers.’*

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِۦٓ أَتَأْتُونَ ٱلْفَٰحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ

7:80And Lot, when he said to his people, ‘What! Do you commit an outrage none in the world ever committed before you?!

إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ ٱلرِّجَالَ شَهْوَةًۭ مِّن دُونِ ٱلنِّسَآءِ ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌۭ مُّسْرِفُونَ

7:81Indeed you come to men with desire instead of women! Indeed, you are a profligate lot.’

Tafsir

Commentary on this passage

Verse 75

1.The dignity of the faithful believers is that they do not get awed by the grandeur of polytheists, and announce their own faith and surety in their presence. The end of the polytheists is always ruined and miserable and the believers of Allah are always eminent and successful. The Prophet (s.a.) has stated in the beginning the worst man was the cruel camel-driver of Saleh and in the last, the worst man is the murderer of Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) (from Tafseer Thalabi and Tafseer Razi)

Verse 80

2.Lut (a.s.) was the nephew of Ibrahim (a.s.) He was born in Babel and then migrated towards the kingdom of the Assiryians and settled in the East Jordan. According to some commentators Lut (a.s.) was the maternal cousin of Ibrahim (a.s.). He was appointed as the Prophet with guidance. People were rich and well settled but stingy. They were afraid of guests. They resorted to sodomy to prevent guests and slowly left women. The Holy Quran has interpreted sodomy to be an extravagance and it is very nice and eloquent interpretation.

Footnotes

Explanations of words and phrases in these verses

  1. 1

    After the destruction of Aad the people of Samood came in possession of the earth. They were thus the inheritors of Aad and this inheritance was a divine favour. But they did not value this favour and thus doomed to perdition.

  2. 2

    This indicates that Samood was a highly developed cultured nation that flourished in absolute perfection. According to some commentators this luxurious life led them to treason and disobedience.

  3. Benefit

    The 75th ayat has compared the chiefs of the community to the ‘arrogant’ and the weak people to the ‘deprived ones.’ Thus neither the rich were really great nor the weak actually weak. It was due to the prevailing situation that some people had made themselves great and subjected others to oppression thus making them weak.

  4. 3

    It was on the basis of their control over the mountains that the people of Samood insisted that Saleh (a.s.) should cause a she camel to emerge from the mountain side. Saleh (a.s.) finally caused the she camel to emerge from the mountain with such a bounty that its milk fed the whole community. However, the unjust ones killed it too. This indicates that the satans cannot even bear to see a bountiful thing.

  5. Benefit

    Two possibilities exist in the 79th ayat. It could be a warning of Saleh (a.s.) before the arrival of chastisement or It could be his address to the souls after the punishment had destroyed the people.