Surah An-Naml, Ayah 45

Salih and Thamud

Allah tells us about Thamud and how they responded to their Prophet Salih, when Allah sent him to call them to worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate.

فَإِذَا هُمْ فَرِيقَانِ يَخْتَصِمُونَ

(Then look! They became two parties quarreling with each other.) Mujahid said, "These were believers and disbelievers." This is like the Ayah,

قَالَ الْمَلاَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ مِن قَوْمِهِ لِلَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ لِمَنْ ءامَنَ مِنْهُمْ أَتَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ صَـلِحاً مُّرْسَلٌ مّن رَّبّهِ قَالُواْ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلَ بِهِ مُؤْمِنُونَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُواْ إِنَّا بِالَّذِى ءامَنتُمْ بِهِ كَـفِرُونَ

(The leaders of those who were arrogant among his people said to those who were counted weak -- to such of them as believed: "Know you that Salih is one sent from his Lord." They said: "We indeed believe in that with which he has been sent." Those who were arrogant said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that which you believe in.") (7:75-76)

قَالَ يقَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ

(He said: "O my people! Why do you seek to hasten the evil before the good") meaning, `why are you praying for the punishment to come, and not asking Allah for His mercy' Then he said:

لَوْلاَ تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَقَالُواْ اطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ

("Why seek you not the forgiveness of Allah, that you may receive mercy" They said: "We augur an omen from you and those with you.") This means: "We do not see any good in your face and the faces of those who are following you." Since they were doomed, whenever anything bad happened to any of them they would say, "This is because of Salih and his companions." Mujahid said, "They regarded them as bad omens." This is similar to what Allah said about the people of Fir`awn:

فَإِذَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُواْ لَنَا هَـذِهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُواْ بِمُوسَى وَمَن مَّعَهُ

(But whenever good came to them, they said: "Ours is this." And if evil afflicted them, they saw it as an omen about Musa and those with him) (7:131). And Allah says:

وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِكَ قُلْ كُلٌّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ

(And if some good reaches them, they say, "This is from Allah," but if some evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Say: "All things are from Allah.") (4:78) i.e., by virtue of His will and decree. And Allah tells us about the dwellers of the town, when the Messengers came to them:

قَالُواْ إِنَّا تَطَيَّرْنَا بِكُمْ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهُواْ لَنَرْجُمَنَّكُمْ وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُمْ مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

قَالُواْ طَـئِرُكُم مَّعَكُمْ

(They (people) said: "For us, we see an omen from you; if you cease not, we will surely stone you, and a painful torment will touch you from us." They (Messengers) said: "Your omens are with yourselves!) (36:18) And these people Thamud said:

اطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ قَالَ طَائِرُكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ

("We augur an omen from you and those with you." He said: "Your omen is of Allah;) meaning, Allah will punish you for that.

بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ

(nay, but you are a people that are being tested.) Qatadah said: "You are being tested to see whether you will obey or disobey." The apparent meaning of the phrase

تُفْتَنُونَ

(are being tested) is: you will be left to get carried away in your state of misguidance.

Commentary

لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ (why do you seek evil to come sooner before good? - 27:46). Sayyidna Salih (علیہ السلام) is referring here to the demand of the infidels that he should bring the divine torment to them in this world, so that they may know his truthfulness. Therefore, "evil" in this sentence stands for torment, while "good" refers to their repentance and invoking divine mercy. It, therefore means, "Why are you asking me to bring the divine punishment before you repent?"

The Queen of Sheba set forth from her country and reached Jerusalem. When she came to meet Solomon, the Queen, to her surprise, was asked whether her own throne resemebled the throne she saw at the palace. The Queen admitted that she was wonderstuck to see this throne which was exactly similar to her own. The throne which she had kept safe in her palace in Ma‘arib, had mysteriously traversed a distance of fifteen hundred miles and reached Jerusalem. After entering Solomon’s palace, the Queen of Sheba reached a room where the floor was made of thick, transparent slabs of glass with water flowing beneath them. Mistaking the floor for a pool of water, the Queen quickly pulled up her garment to prevent it from getting wet. Seeing this, Solomon explained to her that it was just the floor and not water. In this way, she was made to realise how outward appearances may deceive the understanding of men, the inner reality often being different from what meets the eye. Similarly, man starts worshipping the sun and moon because of their prominence, but the real God is beyond these visible phenomena. The Queen of Sheba had so far been worshipping the sun under the influence of the conventions of her nation. But, in the company of Solomon, whatever she heard and whatever she saw, completely banished from her mind all impressions of the majesty of anything other than God. Consequently, she renounced the religion of polytheism and whole-heartedly embraced the religion of monotheism.