وَكَانَ فِى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ يُفْسِدُونَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ 48
Translations
And there were in the city nine family heads causing corruption in the land and not amending [its affairs].
Transliteration
Wa kana fi al-madinati tisAAatu rahtin yufsiduna fi al-ardi wa la yuslihuun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to nine men in the city of Thamud who were devoted to spreading corruption and mischief in the land, making no effort toward reform or righteousness. According to classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, these nine ringleaders were the primary instigators of the people's rejection of the Prophet Salih and their determination to harm the she-camel, embodying complete opposition to divine guidance. Their characterization as those who 'make no reform' underscores their total commitment to evil and their refusal to heed any call toward goodness.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the broader narrative of Surah An-Naml concerning the people of Thamud and their fate. It contextualizes the story by identifying the nine leaders whose conspiracy and corruption led the entire community toward destruction, illustrating how a small group of corrupting individuals can influence and doom an entire society.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly cites this specific ayah, Sahih Muslim contains narrations about the people of Thamud and their rejection of the she-camel. The principle relates to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (ﷺ) warned about the consequences of spreading corruption: 'The people most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection are those who spread corruption in the land.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that corruption spreads through the deliberate actions of committed wrongdoers, and that societies face ruin when influential figures prioritize evil over reform. For modern readers, it emphasizes the importance of identifying and resisting those who spread corruption, while working actively toward positive change and righteousness in our communities.
Related Ayahs
إِنَّمَآ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ رَبَّ هَـٰذِهِ ٱلْبَلْدَةِ ٱلَّذِى حَرَّمَهَا وَلَهُۥ كُلُّ شَىْءٍ ۖ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
[Say, O Muḥammad], "I have only been commanded to worship the Lord of this city, who made it sacred and to whom [belongs] all things. And I am commanded to be of the Muslims [i.e., those who submit to Allāh].
قُلْ سِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُجْرِمِينَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "Proceed [i.e., travel] through the land and observe how was the end of the criminals."
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
And they say, "When is [the fulfillment of] this promise, if you should be truthful?"
ٱرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُم مِّنْهَآ أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ
Return to them, for we will surely come to them with soldiers that they will be powerless to encounter, and we will surely expel them therefrom in humiliation, and they will be debased."