Exegesis of Surat al-Dhariyat, verses (43-46), and other selected verses, and what is derived from them.
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The Shaykh : We ended previously with the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Adh-Dhariyat 51:43].
Thamud: They are those to whom Allah sent His Prophet Salih (peace be upon him), who admonished them and reminded them, and He made for them a sign, which was the she-camel that Allah the Exalted honored by attributing it to His noble Self, where He said, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Ash-Shams 91:13] meaning: Beware of the she-camel of Allah, lest you meddle with it or deny it.
This she-camel had a drinking time when it drank from the well known as the Well of the She-Camel, and they had[Ash-Shu'ara 26:155] which they drank, so the she-camel would drink one day and they would drink one day. It is reported that no one came to draw water from this well on the day it drank except that he took in place of its drinking an amount of its milk equal to what it drank.
Allah knows best whether this is the reality or if it differs, but in any case, this she-camel is undoubtedly a she-camel unlike other she-camels, as it is a sign among the signs of Allah Mighty and Majestic. However, they lied and refused, and Salih (peace be upon him) threatened them that they would enjoy their home for three days, but they persisted in their disbelief and denial. For this reason, he said:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:43].
Their homes are known now and exist in a place called al-Hijr, and are now called the Homes of Thamud. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by them on his way to Tabuk, but he (peace be upon him) hastened when he passed by these homes, covered his head, and forbade his Ummah from entering these places, the places of the punished, unless they were weeping. He said:Sahih Muslim 2980a. And his saying: Sahih al-Bukhari 4419 does not necessarily mean that what is intended is the physical punishment that befell them; it may be that what is intended is both the physical punishment that befell them and the punishment of turning away and disbelief. So if someone were to say: There are people who go to these places and are not weeping, and they are not afflicted with anything.
We say: The answer to this is from two angles:
First: That the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not affirm that they would be afflicted with this, but he said: out of fear or apprehension that they would be afflicted with what befell these people.
The second angle: That we say: It is not necessary that what is intended by this is that they be taken with the same physical, apparent punishment with which these people were taken, which is the earthquake and the shout that killed them all. It may be that what is intended is the disease of the heart, which is arrogance, turning away, and rejecting the truth.
[Adh-Dhariyat 51:43] This time is three days.
[Adh-Dhariyat 51:44] And they did not turn back from their wrongdoing, [Adh-Dhariyat 51:44] the thunderbolt that struck them, which was an earthquake and a shout, meaning: Some of them looked at others, falling and dropping down dead.
[Adh-Dhariyat 51:45] meaning: They were unable to rise, [Adh-Dhariyat 51:45] meaning: Some of them were not able to help others, but they all perished completely.
And thus does Allah the Exalted do with those who lie to His messengers (peace be upon them), except that the annihilating punishment was lifted from this Ummah. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated to his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, not to take them with a general sunnah, meaning a general punishment. But they were tested with something else, which is that some of them kill some of them, and some of them take some of them as captives. And the matter happened as such, for this Ummah was not afflicted with a general punishment as the nations before it were afflicted. But it was afflicted by Allah making their wrath among them since the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, as they differed over Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both), and fitnahs have continued to follow one another to this day.
Then this Ummah, whose wrath was made among them, is not only the Ummah of response, but the Ummah of response and the Ummah of invitation. For this reason, we say: What has happened of fitnahs and afflictions in the earth, in its east and west, from disbelievers and non-disbelievers, is only a result of sins. And it is the punishment of this Ummah: that Allah makes them taste some of their wrath against some of them.
[Adh-Dhariyat 51:45-46] meaning: Mention the people of Noah before, and they were the first Ummah to whom a messenger was sent, but they lied to him. And this Messenger (peace be upon him), Noah, remained among them for a thousand years except fifty years, calling them to Allah, reminding them, and admonishing them, but they, refuge with Allah, did not believe [Hud 11:40].
Until he (peace be upon him) said:[Nuh 71:7] [Nuh 71:7] so that they would not hear what he says, meaning: They covered their ears with it so that they would not see him. We ask Allah for safety. And this is the extreme of hatred for what he says and does, [Nuh 71:7] upon their falsehood
So the last thing he (peace be upon him) said was:[Nuh 71:26] and he supplicated to his Lord: [Al-Qamar 54:10] Allah the Exalted said: [Al-Qamar 54:11-12] And for this reason, Allah knows best, they will have a share of the punishment of the liars, because they are the first Ummah to lie to the messengers As-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Nasa'i 12:118 just as the one who kills a soul, then the son of Adam who killed his brother has a burden and a share of the punishment of the killer until the Day of Resurrection.
[Adh-Dhariyat 51:46]
Then He said, Mighty and Majestic:[Adh-Dhariyat 51:47] The sky is the object of a deleted verb, the estimation being "and We built the sky." And his saying: meaning: With strength, as Allah the Exalted said: [An-Naba 78:12] So "ayd" here means strength and is not the plural of "hand" as some people think, but it is a verbal noun just as it is said: "He sells, he sells a sale," "We built it with ayd" meaning: With strength. And when a person reflects and contemplates the skies, he knows that they are strong, severe, and great, and that their strength indicates the strength of their Builder, Mighty and Majestic.
meaning: We expanded its vastness. For this reason, the skies are much larger than the earth, and they encompass the earth from every side. And thus, they are wider than the earth, and the earth is, in relation to the sky, only a small thing.
He said, the Exalted: meaning: We spread it for its inhabitants, We made it for them like a bed to which they return and from which they benefit. Allah the Exalted did not make it difficult or easy, but it is moderate. If it were soft and yielding, no one would be able to remain on it, and if it were hard, no one would be able to benefit from it. But it was as Allah Mighty and Majestic described it: [Al-Mulk 67:15]
Then He said: He praised Himself, Blessed and Exalted is He, for making this earth a bed for people to benefit from it as their interests require.
And here ends the discussion of what was facilitated, to make room for questions, and we begin with the oath.
And in Thamud, when it was said to them, "Enjoy yourselves for a time."
وَفِي ثَمُودَ إِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُوا حَتَّى حِينٍThamud: They are those to whom Allah sent His Prophet Salih (peace be upon him), who admonished them and reminded them, and He made for them a sign, which was the she-camel that Allah the Exalted honored by attributing it to His noble Self, where He said, Blessed and Exalted is He:
And the messenger of Allah [Salih] said to them, "[Do not harm] the she-camel of Allah or [prevent her from] her drink."
فَقَالَ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ نَاقَةَ اللَّهِ وَسُقْيَاهَاThis she-camel had a drinking time when it drank from the well known as the Well of the She-Camel, and they had
a [time of] drink, [each] on a known day.
شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَعْلُومٍAllah knows best whether this is the reality or if it differs, but in any case, this she-camel is undoubtedly a she-camel unlike other she-camels, as it is a sign among the signs of Allah Mighty and Majestic. However, they lied and refused, and Salih (peace be upon him) threatened them that they would enjoy their home for three days, but they persisted in their disbelief and denial. For this reason, he said:
And in Thamud, when it was said to them, "Enjoy yourselves for a time."
وَفِي ثَمُودَ إِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُوا حَتَّى حِينٍTheir homes are known now and exist in a place called al-Hijr, and are now called the Homes of Thamud. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by them on his way to Tabuk, but he (peace be upon him) hastened when he passed by these homes, covered his head, and forbade his Ummah from entering these places, the places of the punished, unless they were weeping. He said:
and in case you do not feel inclined to weep, then do not enter (these habitations) that you may not meet the same calamity as had fallen to their lot.
فإن لم تكونوا باكين فلا تدخلوها أن يصيبكم ما أصابهمlest the same calamity as of theirs should befall you
أن يصيبكم ما أصابهمWe say: The answer to this is from two angles:
First: That the Messenger (peace be upon him) did not affirm that they would be afflicted with this, but he said: out of fear or apprehension that they would be afflicted with what befell these people.
The second angle: That we say: It is not necessary that what is intended by this is that they be taken with the same physical, apparent punishment with which these people were taken, which is the earthquake and the shout that killed them all. It may be that what is intended is the disease of the heart, which is arrogance, turning away, and rejecting the truth.
when it was said to them, "Enjoy yourselves for a time."
إِذْ قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُوا حَتَّى حِينٍBut they were insolent toward the command of their Lord
فَعَتَوْا عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْso the thunderbolt seized them while they were looking on.
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَWhile they were looking on.
وهم ينظرونAnd they were unable to arise, nor could they defend themselves.
فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مِنْ قِيَامٍ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْتَصِرِينَnor could they defend themselves.
وما كانوا منتصرينAnd thus does Allah the Exalted do with those who lie to His messengers (peace be upon them), except that the annihilating punishment was lifted from this Ummah. For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated to his Lord, Glorified and Exalted is He, not to take them with a general sunnah, meaning a general punishment. But they were tested with something else, which is that some of them kill some of them, and some of them take some of them as captives. And the matter happened as such, for this Ummah was not afflicted with a general punishment as the nations before it were afflicted. But it was afflicted by Allah making their wrath among them since the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, as they differed over Uthman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both), and fitnahs have continued to follow one another to this day.
Then this Ummah, whose wrath was made among them, is not only the Ummah of response, but the Ummah of response and the Ummah of invitation. For this reason, we say: What has happened of fitnahs and afflictions in the earth, in its east and west, from disbelievers and non-disbelievers, is only a result of sins. And it is the punishment of this Ummah: that Allah makes them taste some of their wrath against some of them.
(45) And they were unable to arise, nor could they defend themselves. (46) And [We destroyed] the people of Noah before; indeed, they were a people defiantly disobedient.
فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مِنْ قِيَامٍ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْتَصِرِينَ وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِنْ قَبْلُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْماً فَاسِقِينَnone had believed with him, except a few.
مَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌUntil he (peace be upon him) said:
every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments
كُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُهُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَهُمْ جَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَهُمْ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِيَابَهُمْthey put their fingers in their ears
جعلوا أصابعهم في آذانهمand covered themselves with their garments.
واستغشوا ثيابهمcovered themselves with their garments, persisted
واستغشوا ثيابهم وأصرواAnd they were arrogant with great arrogance.
وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا اسْتِكْبَاراًSo the last thing he (peace be upon him) said was:
My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.
رَبِّ لا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّاراًIndeed, I am overpowered, so help."
أَنِّي مَغْلُوبٌ فَانْتَصِرْ(11) Then We opened the gates of the heaven with rain pouring down (12) And caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined.
فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُنْهَمِرٍ * وَفَجَّرْنَا الْأَرْضَ عُيُوناً فَالْتَقَى الْمَاءُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ قَدْ قُدِرَAnd whoever introduces a bad practice, he will bear its sin and the sin of everyone who acts in accordance with it until the Day of Resurrection.
ومن سن سنة سيئة فعليه وزرها ووزر من عمل بها إلى يوم القيامةAnd [We destroyed] the people of Noah before; indeed, they were a people defiantly disobedient.
وقوم نوح من قبل إنكم كانوا قوماً فاسقينThen He said, Mighty and Majestic:
And the heaven We constructed with strength, and indeed, We are [its] expander.
وَالسَّمَاءَ بَنَيْنَاهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَWith strength.
بأيدٍAnd constructed above you seven strong [heavens]
وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعاً شِدَاداً'Ayd, ya'ud, 'aydan.
آد يئيد أيداًAnd We are indeed expanding it
وإنا لموسعونHe said, the Exalted:
And the earth, We spread it out.
وَالْأَرْضَ فَرَشْنَاهَاIt is He who made the earth tame for you - so walk among its slopes and eat of His provision - and to Him is the resurrection.
هُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الْأَرْضَ ذَلُولاً فَامْشُوا فِي مَنَاكِبِهَا وَكُلُوا مِنْ رِزْقِهِ وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُThen He said:
So excellent are We as spreaders.
فَنِعْمَ الْمَاهِدُونَAnd here ends the discussion of what was facilitated, to make room for questions, and we begin with the oath.