فَعَقَرُوا۟ ٱلنَّاقَةَ وَعَتَوْا۟ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ وَقَالُوا۟ يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ ٱئْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَآ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ 77
Translations
So they hamstrung the she-camel and were insolent toward the command of their Lord and said, "O Ṣāliḥ, bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the messengers."
Transliteration
Fa'aqaru an-naaqata wa'ataw 'an amri rabbihim wa qaaluu yaa Salihu ita'na bimaa ta'iduna in kunta mina al-mursaleen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the people of Thamud hamstrung (killed) the she-camel that Prophet Salih had presented as a sign from Allah, thereby rejecting his message and defying their Lord's command. Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that this act of rebellion against the divine sign and the prophet was the culmination of their arrogance, and they mockingly challenged Salih to bring upon them the punishment he had warned them about, thereby sealing their fate and demonstrating their disbelief despite clear evidence.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of the people of Thamud in Surah Al-A'raf, which recounts stories of past nations who rejected their prophets. The context shows the escalation of Thamud's rejection: from refusing to believe in Salih's message, to destroying the miraculous she-camel sent as a sign from Allah, culminating in their arrogant challenge to the prophet. This Meccan surah addresses the Quraysh of Muhammad's time with examples of previous peoples who suffered destruction for similar rejection.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain hadiths about the she-camel of Salih and how the people of Thamud were destroyed. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned the destruction of Thamud when warning against arrogance and rejection of divine signs. See also Surah Ash-Shams (91:11-14) which mentions the she-camel story.
Themes
Key Lesson
The destruction of the she-camel by Thamud teaches us that deliberately rejecting clear signs from Allah and defying His messengers leads to inevitable divine punishment, no matter how arrogant one's challenge. This serves as a sobering reminder that rejecting truth with mockery and stubbornness, rather than sincere reflection, seals one's fate in both this life and the hereafter.
Related Ayahs
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِى ۙ فَمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses [i.e., scriptures and laws], then whoever fears Allāh and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
فَلَمَّآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا صَـٰلِحًا جَعَلَا لَهُۥ شُرَكَآءَ فِيمَآ ءَاتَىٰهُمَا ۚ فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
But when He gives them a good [child], they ascribe partners to Him concerning that which He has given them. Exalted is Allāh above what they associate with Him.
وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوسَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ غَضْبَـٰنَ أَسِفًا قَالَ بِئْسَمَا خَلَفْتُمُونِى مِنۢ بَعْدِىٓ ۖ أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ رَبِّكُمْ ۖ وَأَلْقَى ٱلْأَلْوَاحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُۥٓ إِلَيْهِ ۚ قَالَ ٱبْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱسْتَضْعَفُونِى وَكَادُوا۟ يَقْتُلُونَنِى فَلَا تُشْمِتْ بِىَ ٱلْأَعْدَآءَ وَلَا تَجْعَلْنِى مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And when Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved, he said, "How wretched is that by which you have replaced me after [my departure]. Were you impatient over the matter of your Lord?" And he threw down the tablets and seized his brother by [the hair of] his head, pulling him toward him. [Aaron] said, "O son of my mother, indeed the people overpowered me and were about to kill me, so let not the enemies rejoice over me and do not place me among the wrongdoing people."
وَنَادَىٰٓ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالًا يَعْرِفُونَهُم بِسِيمَىٰهُمْ قَالُوا۟ مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنكُمْ جَمْعُكُمْ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ
And the companions of the Elevations will call to men [within Hell] whom they recognize by their mark, saying, "Of no avail to you was your gathering and [the fact] that you were arrogant."