69.Surah Al Haqqah
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
69: 4. The Thamud and the 'Ad people ...
C5636. For these two peoples of antiquity, see n. 1043 to 7:73, and n. 1040 to 7:65.
... بِالْقَارِعَةِ ﴿٤﴾
... (branded) as false the Stunning Calamity!
C5637. Another description of the terrible Day of Judgment.
This word Qaria also occurs as the title of Surah 101.
فَأَمَّا
ثَمُودُ فَأُهْلِكُوا
بِالطَّاغِيَةِ ﴿٥﴾
69: 5. But the Thamud -- they were destroyed by a terrible storm of thunder and lightning!
C5638. The Thamud were addicted to class arrogance. They oppressed the poor. The prophet Salih preached to them, and put forward a wonderful she-camel as symbol of the rights of the poor, but they ham-strung her. See n. 1044 to 7:73.
They were destroyed in a mighty calamity, an earthquake accompanying a terrible thunderstorm.
وَأَمَّا
عَادٌ فَأُهْلِكُوا
بِرِيحٍ صَرْصَرٍ
عَاتِيَةٍ ﴿٦﴾
69: 6. And the 'Ad -- they were destroyed by a furious wind, exceedingly violent;
C5639. The 'Ad were an unjust people spoilt by their prosperity. The prophet Hud preached to them in vain. They were apparently destroyed by a terrible blast of wind.
See n. 1040 to 7:65.
See also 41:15-16, n. 4483, and 54:19, n. 5144.
سَخَّرَهَا
عَلَيْهِمْ
سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ
وَثَمَانِيَةَ
أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا
فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ
فِيهَا صَرْعَى ...
69: 7. He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days in succession:
So that thou couldst see the (whole) people lying prostrate in its (path),
... كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ ﴿٧﴾
as if they had been roots of hollow palm trees tumbled down!
C5640. A graphic simile. Dead men all lying about like hollow trunks of palm-trees, with their roots exposed! The 'Ad were reputed to be of a tall stature.
فَهَلْ
تَرَى لَهُم
مِّن بَاقِيَةٍ ﴿٨﴾
69: 8. Then seest thou any of them left surviving?
C5641. The calamity was thorough. The 'Ad were destroyed, and then the Thamud, and only the tradition of them was left behind.
See the references in n. 5636.
Asad’s Version:
69:4 THE LIE gave [the tribes of] Thamud and Ad to [all tidings of] that sudden calamity! 3
(69:5) Now as for the Thamud - they were destroyed by a violent upheaval [of the earth];'
(69:6) and as for the Ad - they were destroyed by a storm wind furiously raging,
(69:7) which He willed against them for seven nights and eight days without cease, so that in the end thou couldst see those people laid low [in death], as though they were so many [uprooted] trunks of hollow palm trees:
(69:8) and dost thou now see any remnant of them?