Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:168-175

{I am, of your work, among those who detest}

The expression "among those who detest" (min al-qalīn) is more emphatic than saying "I detest your work." It is like saying, "So-and-so is among the scholars," which is more emphatic than saying, "So-and-so is a scholar." This is because you are testifying that he is counted among their group and that his participation in knowledge is well-known.

It is also possible that he means: "among those who are perfect in their detestation of you." Qalī (detestation) is intense hatred, as if it were a hatred that fries (yaqlī) the heart and the liver. This is evidence of the gravity of the sin. The intent is detestation from the perspective of religion and piety; the zeal for religion in the cause of God may become so strong that one’s hatred for sins approaches an innate, natural aversion.

{Of what they do}

This refers to the punishment for their deeds, which is the apparent meaning. It is also possible that by "deliverance" (tanjiyah), he means "preservation" (‘ismah).

If you ask: What is the meaning of His saying, {So We saved him and his family, all of them, except an old woman}?

I say: Its meaning is that He preserved him and his family from that [punishment], except for the old woman. She was not preserved from it because she was pleased with their sin, aided them in it, and incited them to it; and one who is pleased with a sin is in the position of the sinner.

If you ask: His family were believers—otherwise he would not have sought salvation for them—so how was the disbelieving woman excluded from them?

I say: The exclusion is made from the "family," and she shares this name with them by virtue of marriage, even if she did not share their faith.

If you ask: Is {among the remaining} a description of her, as if it were said, "except an old woman who remained," even though she was not "remaining" at the time of their salvation?

I say: Its meaning is "except an old woman whose remaining was destined." The meaning of "the remaining" in the context of torment and destruction is "those who were not saved." It is said that she perished with those who left the village by the stones that were rained down upon them.

The intent behind their "destruction" is the overturning of their land upon them. As for the "raining," Qatada said: God rained stones from the sky upon the remnants of the people and destroyed them. Ibn Zayd said: He was not satisfied with the overturning until He followed it with a rain of stones. The subject of {Evil is the rain of those who were warned} is implied; it does not refer to specific people, but to the category. The specific object of the condemnation is omitted, which is "their rain."

{The companions of the thicket denied the messengers * When Shu‘ayb said to them, "Will you not fear God? * Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger * So fear God and obey me * And I do not ask you for it any payment; my payment is only from the Lord of the worlds."}