قَالُوا۟ ٱطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ ۚ قَالَ طَـٰٓئِرُكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ 47
Translations
They said, "We consider you a bad omen, you and those with you." He said, "Your omen [i.e., fate] is with Allāh. Rather, you are a people being tested."
Transliteration
Qāloo ittayyarnā bika wa biman ma'āk, qāla tā'irukum 'inda Allāh, bal antum qawmun tuftanūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The people of Thamūd attributed their misfortunes to the Prophet Ṣāliḥ (peace be upon him) and those with him, engaging in a pre-Islamic practice of interpreting omens (al-tayyur) as bad signs. Ṣāliḥ responds that their misfortune is determined by Allah alone, and their real problem is that they are a people being tested (muftanūn) by their disbelief and rejection of the truth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurṭubī emphasize that this ayah refutes the pagan practice of divination and superstition while highlighting the reality that calamities come from Allah's decree as a test of faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Prophet Ṣāliḥ and the people of Thamūd in Surah An-Naml. The context describes how Thamūd rejected their prophet and hamstrung the miraculous she-camel sent as a sign, and this verse captures their defiant response when faced with consequences—blaming the messenger rather than examining their own rejection of divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The concept of avoiding superstition and reliance upon omens is supported by the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'There is no bad omen (tiyarah), but the best of it is hope (al-fa'l)." This reflects the broader Islamic principle of rejecting divination while maintaining positive expectation in Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
When facing hardship, believers should examine their own hearts and actions rather than seek external scapegoats or resort to superstition; all trials ultimately come from Allah as tests of faith, and the solution lies in sincere repentance and obedience, not in blame-shifting.
Related Ayahs
أَلَمْ يَرَوْا۟ أَنَّا جَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ لِيَسْكُنُوا۟ فِيهِ وَٱلنَّهَارَ مُبْصِرًا ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
Do they not see that We made the night that they may rest therein and the day giving sight? Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
قَالُوا۟ نَحْنُ أُو۟لُوا۟ قُوَّةٍ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ وَٱلْأَمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَٱنظُرِى مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ
They said, "We are men of strength and of great military might, but the command is yours, so see what you will command."
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهَا نُودِىَ أَنۢ بُورِكَ مَن فِى ٱلنَّارِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَسُبْحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
But when he came to it, he was called, "Blessed is whoever is at the fire and whoever is around it. And exalted is Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَـٰنُ دَاوُۥدَ ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ ٱلطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۖ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
And Solomon inherited David. He said, "O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty."