وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـٰهُمْ فَٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْعَمَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَـٰعِقَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ 17
Translations
And as for Thamūd, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn.
Transliteration
Wa-amma thamudu fahadaynāhum fastahabbū al-'amā 'alā al-hudā fa-akhadhathum sā'iqatu al-'adhābi al-hūni bimā kānū yaksibūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how Allah guided the people of Thamud with clear signs and proofs, yet they deliberately chose blindness and misguidance over the truth. As a result, they were seized by a devastating punishment—a thunderbolt or blast of humiliation—which was the direct consequence of their sinful deeds. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that their destruction came not from Allah's injustice, but from their own conscious rejection of divine guidance, making them responsible for their fate.
Revelation Context
Surah Fussilat is a Meccan surah revealed during the early Islamic period to warn the Quraysh and all humanity. This ayah appears within a passage comparing the fates of different nations who rejected their messengers. The context illustrates a recurring pattern in Islamic history: those who possess clear knowledge of truth yet choose arrogance and denial inevitably face divine punishment. This serves as a warning to the Meccan polytheists of the same fate.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned the destruction of Thamud in several contexts. In Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet warned against following their example of arrogance. Additionally, in Sunan Ibn Majah, there are narrations about the Prophet's warnings regarding the fate of nations that rejected their messengers, directly paralleling Thamud's destruction.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that mere access to guidance is insufficient—we must actively choose to follow it, as choosing blindness over clear truth carries grave spiritual and temporal consequences. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that sincere acceptance of divine guidance requires humility and surrender, not selective adherence based on personal desires.