فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُم بِذَنۢبِهِمْ فَسَوَّىٰهَا 14
Translations
But they denied him and hamstrung her. So their Lord brought down upon them destruction for their sin and made it equal [upon all of them].
Transliteration
Fakaddhabūhu fa'aqarū-hā fadamdama 'alayhim rabbuhum bidhanbihim fasawwāhā
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the people of Thamud who rejected the Prophet Salih and killed the she-camel (the miraculous sign) that Allah had sent to them. As a consequence, Allah's punishment overwhelmed them, destroying them completely and leveling their civilization to the ground. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, 'fadamdama' (He caused to descend upon them) refers to Allah's overwhelming and comprehensive punishment, while 'fasawwāhā' (He made it level) emphasizes the total destruction of their society—both the people and their dwellings were demolished.
Revelation Context
Surah Ash-Shams is a Meccan chapter that emphasizes Allah's power and signs in creation, followed by lessons from past nations. This ayah concludes the account of Thamud within the broader context of the surah's theme of divine justice: those who reject Allah's signs and His messengers face inevitable destruction. The story of Thamud serves as a warning to the Meccan polytheists who similarly rejected Prophet Muhammad.
Related Hadiths
The story of the she-camel of Thamud is referenced in multiple Quranic accounts (Surah Al-A'raf 7:73-79, Surah Ash-Shu'ara 26:141-158). While not a direct hadith on this specific ayah, Sunan Ibn Majah and other hadith collections contain reports about the ruins of Thamud, which the Prophet warned his companions against entering due to the divine punishment that befell them.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah demonstrates that rejecting Allah's clear signs and miracles, and committing transgression against them, incurs swift and complete divine punishment that extends to one's entire community and civilization. For believers today, it serves as a powerful reminder to heed the warnings of Allah and His messengers, and to recognize that defying divine guidance leads to inevitable destruction.
Related Ayahs
وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْءَانًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ ٱلْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ ۗ بَل لِّلَّهِ ٱلْأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا ۗ أَفَلَمْ يَا۟يْـَٔسِ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن لَّوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَهَدَى ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۗ وَلَا يَزَالُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ تُصِيبُهُم بِمَا صَنَعُوا۟ قَارِعَةٌ أَوْ تَحُلُّ قَرِيبًا مِّن دَارِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِىَ وَعْدُ ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ
And if there was any Qur’ān [i.e., recitation] by which the mountains would be removed or the earth would be broken apart or the dead would be made to speak, [it would be this Qur’ān], but to Allāh belongs the affair entirely. Then have those who believed not accepted that had Allāh willed, He would have guided the people, all of them? And those who disbelieve do not cease to be struck, for what they have done, by calamity - or it will descend near their home - until there comes the promise of Allāh. Indeed, Allāh does not fail in [His] promise.
يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌ مِّن نَّارٍ وَنُحَاسٌ فَلَا تَنتَصِرَانِ
There will be sent upon you a flame of fire and smoke, and you will not defend yourselves.
فَإِن رَّجَعَكَ ٱللَّهُ إِلَىٰ طَآئِفَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ فَٱسْتَـْٔذَنُوكَ لِلْخُرُوجِ فَقُل لَّن تَخْرُجُوا۟ مَعِىَ أَبَدًا وَلَن تُقَـٰتِلُوا۟ مَعِىَ عَدُوًّا ۖ إِنَّكُمْ رَضِيتُم بِٱلْقُعُودِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ فَٱقْعُدُوا۟ مَعَ ٱلْخَـٰلِفِينَ
If Allāh should return you to a faction of them [after the expedition] and then they ask your permission to go out [to battle], say, "You will not go out with me, ever, and you will never fight with me an enemy. Indeed, you were satisfied with sitting [at home] the first time, so sit [now] with those who stay behind."
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ ءَالَ لُوطٍ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ
And when the messengers came to the family of Lot,