Allah, Exalted be He, sent messengers to people to invite them to believe in Him, obey His commands, and avoid His prohibitions. The Quran mentions stories of the Prophets of Allah with their people so that the disbelievers know that the severe punishment of Allah will inevitably befall them if they keep on disobeying His commands and rejecting to follow the path that pleases Him.
The people of the Wood were wrongdoers. [Q 15: 78]
So We took revenge on them. And indeed both of them lie on a road, clearly visible. [Q15: 79]
Indeed, the people of the Rocky Valley rejected the messengers.
[Q 15: 80]
We showed them Our proofs, but they turned away from them.
[Q 15: 81]
They used to carve houses in the mountains, securely dwelling therein.
[Q 15: 82]
Then the Cry overtook them in the morning. [Q15: 83]
What they used to earn did not avail them. [Q 15: 84]
Relationship with the Previous Part
Surah al-Hijr has mentioned three stories so far, namely, the story of the creation of Prophet Adam, and the story of Prophet Ibrahim and Lot. Then the surah mentions the story of the people of Prophet Shuaib and Saleh.
Tafsir
The people of the Wood were wrongdoers. [Q 15: 78]
The people of the Wood were the people of Prophet Shuaib. They were called ‘the people of the Wood’ because they used to live in an area that had many thick trees with intertwined branches.
Allah, Exalted be He, sent Prophet Shuaib to his people to invite them to worship Allah alone, and prohibit them from disobeying Him, cheating when selling by giving people less than their due, and practicing many other wicked deeds.
Their dwellings were located in an area between al-Hejaz and ash-Sham. The people of Prophet Shuaib were wrongdoers. They disbelieved in Allah and refused to obey their prophet.
So We took revenge on them. And indeed both of them lie on a road, clearly visible. [Q15: 79]
Allah, Exalted be He, took revenge on the people of Prophet Shuaib because of their disbelief in Allah’s Oneness and wrongdoings. Their torment was that they suffered from extremely hot weather and they could not find shadow. Allah, Exalted be He, sent a cloud and then they sat under it to protect themselves from the extremely hot weather. Then Allah sent them a fire that burned them completely while they were sitting under that cloud.
[And indeed both of them lie on a road, clearly visible.]
The dwellings of the People of Lot and Shuaib lie in an area between al-Hejaz and ash-Sham along a road that people can see when traveling.
Then the ayat mention the story of Prophet Saleh with his people.
Indeed, the people of the Rocky Valley rejected the messengers.
[Q 15: 80]
The Rocky Valley is located between ash-Sham and al-Madinah. The people of Prophet Saleh used to live in that area, which was surrounded by rocks. This area is called Mada’in Saleh ‘the city of Saleh’ within al-Madinah region in al-Hejaz, Saudi Arabia.
The ayah mentions that the people of Prophet Saleh rejected the messengers though they only rejected their Prophet Saleh. That is because disbelieving in one messenger is just like disbelieving in all the messengers since their messages are the same, namely, worshipping Allah alone and not worshipping other gods besides Him.
We showed them Our proofs, but they turned away from them.
[Q 15: 81]
Allah, Exalted be He, showed the people of Prophet Saleh clear proofs, denoting the truthfulness of their messenger and that Allah sent him to them. The proof that Allah gave the people of Prophet Saleh was the she-camel. It was a miracle. It miraculously came out of rock and its size and milk it produced were great.
[…but they turned away from them.]
The people of Prophet Saleh did not take heed of the proofs that Allah gave them and turned away from them, as well as they ignored the miracle of the she-camel.
Then the ayat mention some aspects of the civilization of the people of Prophet Saleh.
They used to carve houses in the mountains, securely dwelling therein.
[Q 15: 82]
The people of Prophet Saleh were so strong that they used to carve their houses in the mountains, where they securely lived. They did not fear that the ceilings of their houses might fall on them as they were built so masterfully as well as they did not fear from their enemies as they were fortified in their mountainous houses.
Then the Cry overtook them in the morning. [Q15: 83]
Though the people of Saleh were strong and wealthy, they did not thank Allah for His blessings, disbelieved in their Prophet, and turned away from reflecting on the miracle that Allah granted them. Thus, Allah destroyed them by a fierce cry in the early morning.
What they used to earn did not avail them. [Q 15: 84]
When the torment of Allah befell the people of Saleh, nothing benefited them. Neither their wealth nor their strong mountainous houses protect them from the punishment of Allah. Indeed, everything in this life will perish. No protection avails but the protection of Allah.
Abdul-Allah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said, ‘We passed by the Rocky Valley ‘the dwelling of the people of Saleh’ with Messenger Muhammad. The Messenger said, ‘Do not enter the houses of the people, who were transgressors except in a state of weeping lest it should befall you what befell them, namely, the torment of Allah.[Tafsir at-Tabari]’’
Learned Lessons from Surah al-Hijr Ayah: 78-84
• Stories of the Prophets of Allah, the reactions of their people to their messages, and the torment befell them act as practical lessons for those who want to know the evil end of disobeying Allah and His messengers.
• Allah destroyed the people of Shuaib because they disbelieved in Allah and disobeyed their messenger.
• The punishment of Allah must be feared.
• The remains of the cities of the people of Prophet Shuaib and Saleh still exist so that people may learn lessons from their evil end.
• Disbelief in one messenger of Allah is equal to disbelief in all messengers because their fundamental message is the same, namely, worshipping Allah alone and prohibiting worshipping other gods besides Allah.
• Wealth, strong bodies, and fortified castles will not avail when the punishment of Allah befalls the disbelievers.
• It is not recommended to visit the remains of the people whom Allah punished.
Quran, English Translation of Surah al-Hijr
Quran, Tafsir ibn Kathir, Surah al-Hijr
Towards Understanding the Quran, Surah al-Hijr
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