The Poets (Al-Shu‘ara’)
Verses 136-140 GROUP_958 26.136-140
136
قَالُوا سَوَاء عَلَيْنَا أَوَعَظْتَ أَمْ لَمْ تَكُن مِّنَ الْوَاعِظِينَ
They replied, ‘It makes no difference to us whether you preach or do not preach,
137
إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا خُلُقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
this is nothing but a habit of the ancients:
138
وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ
and we shall not be punished.’
139
فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
So they rejected him; and We destroyed them. There is certainly a sign in that; but most of them would not believe.
140
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
Surely your Lord is the Mighty One, the Merciful.
Commentary
(a) The false self-confidence of the ‘Ad community prevented them from accepting the preaching of their prophet and they went to the extent of ridiculing it. They took their prosperity in the world as God’s reward. They failed to understand the secret that man is given worldly effects by way of trial and not because he deserves them. When it was finally established that they were not going to accept the Truth, God had them lashed by stormy winds and heavy rains, which continued to wreak havoc for a week. The result was that the entire nation with its grand culture was destroyed. Now, the only sign of this nation, whose land had once been fertile and well populated is the desert which stretches far and wide between the present-day Oman and Yemen.