قَالُوا۟ ٱطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَن مَّعَكَ ۚ قَالَ طَـٰٓئِرُكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ 47
Translations
They said, "We consider you a bad omen, you and those with you." He said, "Your omen [i.e., fate] is with Allāh. Rather, you are a people being tested."
Transliteration
Qāloo ittayyarnā bika wa biman ma'āk, qāla tā'irukum 'inda Allāh, bal antum qawmun tuftanūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The people of Thamūd attributed their misfortunes to the Prophet Ṣāliḥ (peace be upon him) and those with him, engaging in a pre-Islamic practice of interpreting omens (al-tayyur) as bad signs. Ṣāliḥ responds that their misfortune is determined by Allah alone, and their real problem is that they are a people being tested (muftanūn) by their disbelief and rejection of the truth. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurṭubī emphasize that this ayah refutes the pagan practice of divination and superstition while highlighting the reality that calamities come from Allah's decree as a test of faith.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Prophet Ṣāliḥ and the people of Thamūd in Surah An-Naml. The context describes how Thamūd rejected their prophet and hamstrung the miraculous she-camel sent as a sign, and this verse captures their defiant response when faced with consequences—blaming the messenger rather than examining their own rejection of divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The concept of avoiding superstition and reliance upon omens is supported by the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'There is no bad omen (tiyarah), but the best of it is hope (al-fa'l)." This reflects the broader Islamic principle of rejecting divination while maintaining positive expectation in Allah.
Themes
Key Lesson
When facing hardship, believers should examine their own hearts and actions rather than seek external scapegoats or resort to superstition; all trials ultimately come from Allah as tests of faith, and the solution lies in sincere repentance and obedience, not in blame-shifting.
Related Ayahs
أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ أَءِلَـٰهٌ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ
Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allāh? Little do you remember.
قَالَتْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ أَفْتُونِى فِىٓ أَمْرِى مَا كُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشْهَدُونِ
She said, "O eminent ones, advise me in my affair. I would not decide a matter until you witness [for] me."
فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَى ٱلْحَقِّ ٱلْمُبِينِ
So rely upon Allāh; indeed, you are upon the clear truth.
ٱذْهَب بِّكِتَـٰبِى هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقِهْ إِلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا يَرْجِعُونَ
Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them. Then leave them and see what [answer] they will return."