Al-A'raf: (75-79) The chiefs who...

Know that We have previously mentioned that al-mala' (the chiefs/nobles) refers to the people whose awe fills the hearts.

The meaning of the verse is: The chiefs, who were the arrogant ones among his people, spoke to those who were oppressed (the weak). They meant the poor ones who believed in him.

The phrase {to those who were oppressed} is a substitute for {to those who were weak} because they were the believers.

Know that the Almighty described those disbelievers as being arrogant (mustakbirin), and He described those believers as being oppressed (mustad'afin). Arrogance is an action for which they deserved blame. Being oppressed means that others subjugate and belittle them; this is not an action originating from them, but from others. Therefore, it is not a quality of blame for them. Rather, the blame returns to those who belittle and oppress them.

Then, the Almighty recounted that these arrogant ones asked the oppressed about the state of Salih (peace be upon him). The oppressed replied: "We are certain and believe in what Salih brought."

The arrogant ones said: "Nay, we are disbelievers in what Salih brought."

This verse is one of the greatest proofs used to demonstrate that poverty is better than wealth. This is because arrogance is only generated by abundant wealth and status, while oppression results from their scarcity. Thus, the Almighty clarified that the abundance of wealth and status led them to rebellion, refusal, denial, and disbelief. Conversely, the scarcity of wealth and status led them to faith, affirmation, and submission. This indicates that poverty is better than wealth.

Then the Almighty said: {So they hamstrung the she-camel}.

Al-Azharī said that ‘aqr (hamstringing) among the Arabs means cutting the sinew of the camel's leg. Since hamstringing is a cause for slaughter (naḥr), the term ‘aqr is applied to the slaughter by way of applying the name of the cause to the result.

Know that the hamstringing was attributed to all of them because it was done with their consent, even though only some of them physically performed the act. Similarly, a great tribe might be addressed, "You did such-and-such," even if only one of them did it.

Then He said: {and they transgressed against the command of their Lord}.

It is said: ‘atā ya‘tū ‘utūwan when one becomes arrogant. From this comes the description of a tyrant as jabbār ‘āt (a defiant tyrant). Mujahid said: Arrogance (‘utūw) is extremism in falsehood.

Regarding the phrase {against the command of their Lord}, there are two interpretations:

1. It means they became arrogant against obeying the command of their Lord. That command was what God conveyed to them through the tongue of Salih (peace be upon him), which is His saying: {Leave her to eat in God's land} (Al-A'raf: 83).
2. It means their transgression resulted from the command of their Lord. Thus, the command of their Lord to leave her became the cause for them to proceed with that transgression, similar to the saying: "What is forbidden is often desired."

{And they said, "O Salih, bring us what you promise, if you are one of the messengers."}

They said this only because they were disbelievers in everything he informed them about, both the promise and the threat.

Then the Almighty said: {So the earthquake seized them}.

Al-Farrā’ and Al-Zajjāj said that al-rajfah is a severe earthquake. The Almighty said: {On the Day the earth and the mountains will shake, and the mountains will become like heaps of scattered sand} (Al-Muzzammil: 14). Al-Layth said: It is said rajafa al-shay’ yarjifu rajfan wa rajafānan, like the shaking of a camel under a saddle, or like trees shaking when the wind moves them.

Then He said: {And they became in their dwellings [as if] they had never lived there} (or, jaathimin).

{In their dwellings} means in their city. This is why the singular form dār (dwelling/city) was used, just as one says dār al-ḥarb (the abode of war) or "I passed by the abode of the cloth sellers." The plural form {in their dwellings} was used in another verse (Hud: 94) because it referred to the individual homes belonging to each one of them.

Regarding {jaathimin} (prostrate/crouching): Abu Ubaydah said that juthūm (crouching) for people and birds is analogous to burūk (kneeling/lying down) for camels. The crouching of a bird is its settling flat on the ground while remaining still at night.

The meaning is that they woke up jaathimin, motionless, dead. It is said: al-nās jathamū, meaning they were seated without movement or sensation. From this comes al-mujaththamah (the animal tied up to be shot at), which is forbidden. Thus, it is established that juthūm refers to stillness and immobility.

There is a difference of opinion on how they became jaathimin:

1. Some said that when they heard the great cry, their hearts burst, and they died crouching on their knees.
2. It is said they fell on their faces.
3. It is said the thunderbolt reached them, burning them until they became like ashes.
4. It is said that when the punishment descended upon them, some fell upon others. All these interpretations are close.

Here are some questions:

First Question: The Almighty recounted that they said: "O Salih, bring us what you promise, if you are one of the messengers." Then He said: {So the earthquake seized them}. The conjunction fa (so) implies immediate succession. This suggests the earthquake seized them immediately after they spoke those words, but this is not the case, as the Almighty said in another verse: {He said, "Enjoy yourselves in your dwellings for three days; that is a promise not to be denied"} (Hud: 65).

Answer: What occurs shortly after something, even with a small delay, can still be described as occurring immediately after it. Thus, the question is resolved.

Second Question: Some atheists have criticized these verses, claiming that the Quranic expressions regarding this incident—al-rajfah (earthquake), al-ṭāghiyah (the monstrous thing/tyrant), and al-ṣayḥah (the shout)—differ, implying contradiction.

Answer: Abu Muslim said: Al-Ṭāghiyah is a name for everything that exceeds its limit, whether animate or inanimate. The feminine tā’ is added for emphasis. Muslims call a rebellious king al-ṭāghiyah and al-ṭāghūt. The Almighty said: {Indeed, mankind transgresses when he sees himself self-sufficient} (Al-'Alaq: 6-7). It is said: ṭaghā ṭughyānan (he transgressed), and he is ṭāgh or ṭāghiyah. The Almighty said: {Thamud denied by their transgression} (Al-Shams: 11). For inanimate things, He said: {When the water overflowed} (Al-Haqqah: 11), meaning it became excessive and surpassed its limit.

As for al-rajfah, it is the earthquake in the earth, an unusual movement. Therefore, it is not far-fetched to apply the name al-ṭāghiyah to it. As for al-ṣayḥah (the shout), the earthquake is usually accompanied by a great, terrifying shout. As for al-ṣā‘iqah (thunderbolt), it is usually accompanied by an earthquake, as is al-zajrah (the blast/reprimand). The Almighty said: {It will be but a single blast, and suddenly they will be awake [on the surface]} (Al-Nazi'at: 13-14). Thus, the claim of the critic is refuted.

Third Question: The people witnessed the she-camel emerging from the rock, which was an overwhelming miracle that almost compelled belief. Furthermore, they witnessed that the water, which was shared by all those people on one day, became the exclusive drink of that single she-camel on the second day—this too was an overwhelming miracle. Then, when they slaughtered her, and Salih (peace be upon him) had warned them of severe punishment if they slaughtered her, and after they committed the act, they witnessed the signs of punishment—it is narrated that they turned red on the first day, then yellow on the second, then black on the third. Given the witnessing of these overwhelming miracles initially, and then witnessing the descent of severe punishment at the end, is it conceivable that a rational person would remain insistent on their disbelief and unrepentant amidst these circumstances?

First Answer: It can be said that before they witnessed those signs, they were denying Salih's warning about the punishment. When they witnessed the signs, they then exceeded the limits of accountability, and their repentance would no longer be accepted.

Then the Almighty said: {So he turned away from them}. There are two opinions on this:

1. He turned away from them after they died. The evidence is that the Almighty said: {And they became in their dwellings [as if] they had never lived there, so he turned away from them}. The fa (so) indicates immediate succession, suggesting this turning away happened after their death (juthūm).
2. He (peace be upon him) turned away from them before their death. The evidence is that he addressed the people, saying: {O my people, I have certainly delivered to you the message of my Lord and advised you, but you do not like the sincere advisors}. This indicates they were alive for three reasons:
   • He said to them: {O my people} (yā qawm). The dead are not described as qawm because the derivation of qawm implies standing up and being established, which is absent in the deceased.
   • These words are a direct address to those people, and addressing the dead is not permissible.
   • He said: {but you do not like the sincere advisors}, implying they were capable of having love felt for them.

This can be answered by saying that a man might speak to his deceased friend whom he had advised, but the friend did not accept the advice and threw himself into ruin, saying: "O my brother, how long did I advise you, and you did not accept? How long did I forbid you, and you did not refrain?" Similarly here.

The benefit of mentioning this speech is either so that some living people might hear it, take heed, and refrain from such a path, or because his heart was afflicted by that incident, and mentioning these words brought relief to that matter in his heart. It is also said that it lessens the impact of that calamity upon him.

Another answer given is that Salih (peace be upon him) addressed them after they had become jaathimin, just as our Prophet (peace be upon him) addressed the slain at Badr. When it was said to him, "Are you speaking to these corpses?" he replied: "You do not hear them better than they do, but they are unable to reply."

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