Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Al-Furqan 25:37–42
25:37–42Page 363
وَقَوۡمَ نُوحٖ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُواْ ٱلرُّسُلَ أَغۡرَقۡنَٰهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ لِلنَّاسِ ءَايَةٗۖ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمٗا ٣٧
And the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers,1 We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment.
وَعَادٗا وَثَمُودَاْ وَأَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلرَّسِّ وَقُرُونَۢا بَيۡنَ ذَٰلِكَ كَثِيرٗا ٣٨
And [We destroyed] ʿAad and Thamūd and the companions of the well1 and many generations between them.
وَكُلّٗا ضَرَبۡنَا لَهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَٰلَۖ وَكُلّٗا تَبَّرۡنَا تَتۡبِيرٗا ٣٩
And for each We presented examples [as warnings], and each We destroyed with [total] destruction.
وَلَقَدۡ أَتَوۡاْ عَلَى ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ ٱلَّتِيٓ أُمۡطِرَتۡ مَطَرَ ٱلسَّوۡءِۚ أَفَلَمۡ يَكُونُواْ يَرَوۡنَهَاۚ بَلۡ كَانُواْ لَا يَرۡجُونَ نُشُورٗا ٤٠
And they have already come upon the town which was showered with a rain of evil [i.e., stones]. So have they not seen it? But they are not expecting resurrection.1
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡكَ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي بَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ رَسُولًا ٤١
And when they see you, [O Muḥammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one whom Allāh has sent as a messenger?
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنۡ ءَالِهَتِنَا لَوۡلَآ أَن صَبَرۡنَا عَلَيۡهَاۚ وَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوۡنَ ٱلۡعَذَابَ مَنۡ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا ٤٢
He almost would have misled us from our gods had we not been steadfast in [worship of] them." But they are going to know, when they see the punishment, who is farthest astray in [his] way.
Commentary
In the above verses it is mentioned that it had been the common practice of the people through the ages to rebuff the prophets and the message they had brought. In order to give weight to this assertion a few of the well known prophets are mentioned who were rejected by their people and then they were subjected to Allah's wrath and were annihilated completely. By drawing a parallel with the past generations it is elucidated that the pagans of Makkah would not listen to any reason as they were no better than the animals or even worse than that.
It is stated about the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) that they had rejected the prophets, although they had neither seen the past prophets nor had they rejected them. at is actually meant here is that while denying Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) they had by implication rejected all the prophets, because the principals of religion expounded by all prophets are essentially the same. Hence rejection of one prophet is tantamount to rejection of all.
أَصْحَابَ الرَّسِّ (People of Rass - 25:38). In Arabic رَس (Rass) means unlined well. Neither Qur'an nor any authentic tradition describes these people in any detail. Whatever information is available about them is through Israelite traditions, which differ from one another. It is more likely that the remaining people of Thamud had settled down near a well. It is not mentioned in the Qur'an or any tradition as to how they were tormented. (Bayan u1-Qur'an)
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences