26:153 Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

فقالوا لصالح إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ أي قد سحرت فأنت تهذي بما لا معنى له

يقول تعالى مخبرا عن ثمود في جوابهم لنبيهم صالح عليه السلام حين دعاهم إلى عباده ربهم عز وجل أنهم "قالوا إنما أنت من المسحرين" قال مجاهد وقتادة يعنون من المسحورين وروى أبو صالح عن ابن عباس "من المسحرين" يعني من المخلوقين واستشهد بعضهم على هذا بقول الشاعر: فإن تسألينا فيم فحن فإننا عصافير من هذا الأنام المسحر يعني الذين لهم سحر والسحر هو الرئة والأظهر في هذا قول مجاهد وقتادة أنهم يقولون إنما أنت في قولك هذا مسحور لا عقل لك.

The Response of Thamud, Their Demand for a Sign, and Their Punishment

Allah tells us how Thamud responded to their Prophet Salih, upon him be peace, when he called them to worship their Lord, may He be glorified.

قَالُواْ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مِنَ الْمُسَحَّرِينَ

(They said: "You are only of those bewitched!") Mujahid said, "They meant he was one affected by witchcraft." Then they said:

مَآ أَنتَ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا

(You are but a human being like us.) meaning, `how can you receive Revelation when we do not' This is like the Ayah where they are described as saying:

أَءُلْقِىَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِن بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ - سَيَعْلَمُونَ غَداً مَّنِ الْكَذَّابُ الاٌّشِرُ

("Is it that the Reminder is sent to him alone from among us Nay, he is an insolent liar!" Tomorrow they will come to know who is the liar, the insolent one!) (54:26-27) Then they asked him for a sign to prove that what he brought to them from their Lord was the truth. A crowd of them gathered and demanded that he immediately bring forth from the rock a she-camel that was ten months pregnant, and they pointed to a certain rock in their midst. Allah's Prophet Salih made them promise that if he responded to their request, they would believe in him and follow him. So they agreed to that. The Prophet of Allah Salih, peace be upon him, stood and prayed, then he prayed to Allah to grant them their request. Then the rock to which they had pointed split open, revealing a she-camel that was ten months pregnant, excactly as they had requested. So some of them believed, but most of them disbelieved.

قَالَ هَـذِهِ نَاقَةٌ لَّهَا شِرْبٌ وَلَكُمْ شِرْبُ يَوْمٍ مَّعْلُومٍ

(He said: "Here is a she-camel: it has a right to drink (water), and you have a right to drink (water) (each) on a day, known.) meaning, `she will drink from your water one day, and on the next day you will drink from it.'

وَلاَ تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوءٍ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابُ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ

(And touch her not with harm, lest the torment of a Great Day should seize you.) He warned them of the punishment of Allah if they should do her any harm. The she-camel stayed among them for a while, drinking the water, eating leaves and grazing, and they benefitted from her milk which they took in sufficient quantities for every one to drink his fill. After this had gone on for a long time, and the time for their destruction drew near, they conspired to kill her:

فَعَقَرُوهَا فَأَصْبَحُواْ نَـدِمِينَ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ

(But they killed her, and then they became regretful. So, the torment overtook them.) Their land was shaken by a strong earthquake, and there came to them an overwhelming Sayhah (shout) which took their hearts from their places. They were overtaken by events which they were not expecting, so they were left (dead), lying prostrate in their homes.

إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لأَيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

(Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.)

They said ‘You are indeed one of the bewitched those who have succumbed so many times to sorcery that their minds have been overcome.

Commentary

وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا فَارِ‌هِينَ ﴿149﴾And you hew out houses from the hills with pride. [ 149]

According to Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، the word فَارِ‌هِينَ (Farihin) means arrogant and conceited people. But Abu Salih and Imam Raghib have taken this word to mean experts. Therefore, the meaning of the verse is that Allah Ta’ ala has favoured you by teaching such skills that you could make houses by cutting hills. The essence of all this is that you should remember the bounties of Allah Ta’ ala and should not make mischief and trouble on earth.

Useful vocations are Divine Graces provided they are not employed in bad things

This verse indicates that nice vocations are Allah's Graces, and to draw benefit from them is lawful. But if they are used for some sinful purpose or in an unlawful act, or if someone gets involved in them with unnecessary concentration, then it is not lawful to adopt them. An example of unnecessary construction of tall buildings and its contempt has just been mentioned in the previous verses.