51. Sura az-Zariyat
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
51:41. And in the 'Ad (people) (was another Sign):
C5018. Cf. 46:21-26.
The point here is that the 'Ad were a gifted people: Allah had given them talents and material wealth: but when they defied Allah, they and all their belongings were destroyed in a night, by a hurricane which they thought was bringing them the rain to which they were looking forward. How marvelously Allah's Providence works, to help the good and destroy the wicked!
... إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيم َ ﴿٤١﴾
Behold, We sent against them the devastating Wind:
مَا
تَذَرُ مِن
شَيْءٍ أَتَتْ
عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا
جَعَلَتْهُ
كَالرَّمِيمِ
﴿٤٢﴾
51: 42. It left nothing whatever that it came up against, but reduced it to ruin and rottenness.
وَفِي
ثَمُودَ إِذْ
قِيلَ لَهُمْ
تَمَتَّعُوا
حَتَّى حِينٍ
﴿٤٣﴾
51: 43. And in the Thamud (was another Sign):
C5019. See the story of the Thamud and their prophet Salih in 7:73-79. Here the point is the suddenness of their punishment and its unexpected nature.
Behold, they were told, "Enjoy (your brief day) for a little while!"
C5020. Salih their prophet gave them three days' clear warning for repentance (11:65). But they heeded him not. On the contrary they flouted him and continued in their evil courses.
فَعَتَوْا
عَنْ أَمْرِ
رَبِّهِمْ ...
51: 44. But they insolently defied the command of their Lord:
C5021. They had already defied the order to preserve the She-camel, which was a sign from Allah. See 11:64-65 and n. 1560.
They continued to flout the warnings of the prophet until the earthquake came on them with a stunning noise and buried them where they were: 7:78; and 11:67.
... فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ ﴿٤٤﴾
so the stunning noise (of an earthquake) seized them, even while they were looking on.
C5022. Saiqat. a stunning sound like that of thunder and lightning (2:55);
such a sound often accompanies an earthquake (see 41:17, n. 4485, and 7:78 and n. 1047).
فَمَا
اسْتَطَاعُوا
مِن قِيَامٍ
وَمَا كَانُوا
مُنتَصِرِينَ
﴿٤٥﴾
51: 45. Then they could not even stand (on their feet), nor could they help themselves.
C5023. They were swept off in the earthquake.
وَقَوْمَ
نُوحٍ مِّن
قَبْلُ إِنَّهُمْ
كَانُوا قَوْمًا
فَاسِقِينَ
﴿٤٦﴾
51: 46. So were the people of Noah before them: for they wickedly transgressed.
C5024. The generation of Noah was swept away in the Flood for their sins: 7:59-64.
The point is that such a Flood seemed so unlikely to them that they thought Noah was "wandering in his mind" when he delivered Allah's Message: 7:60.
Asad’s Version:
51:41 And [you have the same message] in [what happened to the tribe oi] 'Ad, when We let loose against them that life -destroying wind
(5 1 :42) which spared nothing of what it came upon, but caused [all of] it to become like bones dead and decayed. 28
51:43 And in [the story of the tribe of] Thamud, too, when they were told, "You shall enjoy your life for [but] a little while," 2 '
(51:44) after they had turned with disdain from their Sustainer's commandment - whereupon the thunderbolt of punishment overtook them while they were [helplessly] looking on:
(51:45) for they were unable even to rise, and could not defend themselves.
51:46 And [thus, too, We destroyed] Noah's people aforetime: for they were iniquitous folk.