The Quran

Preface

۞ وَإِلىٰ ثَمودَ أَخاهُم صالِحًا ۚ قالَ يا قَومِ اعبُدُوا اللَّهَ ما لَكُم مِن إِلٰهٍ غَيرُهُ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِنَ الأَرضِ وَاستَعمَرَكُم فيها فَاستَغفِروهُ ثُمَّ توبوا إِلَيهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبّي قَريبٌ مُجيبٌ

Yusuf Ali

To the Thamūd People (We sent) Ṣālih, one of their own brethren.¹ He said: “O my people! Worship God. ye have no other god but Him. It is He Who hath produced you² from the earth and settled you therein: then ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (in repentance): for my Lord is (always) near, ready to answer.”

The story of Ṣālih and the Thamūd people has been told from another point of view in 7:73-79. The difference in the point of view there and here is the same as in the story of Hud: see n. 1545. to 11:50. Note how the story now is the same, and yet new points and details are brought out to illustrate each new argument. Note, also, how the besetting sin of ‘Ād? pride and obstinacy?is distinguished from the besetting sin of Thamūd? the oppression of the poor, as illustrated by the test case and symbol of the she-camel: see n. 104-4 to 7:73. All sin is in a sense pride and rebellion; yet sins take particular hues in different circumstances, and these colours are brought out as in a most artistically painted picture?with the greatest economy of words and the most piercing analysis of motives. For the locality and history of Thamūd, see n. 1043 to 7:73.
For Ansha###'a as a process of creation see n. 923 to 6:98 and the further references given there. As to his body, man has been produced from earth or clay, and his settlement on earth is a fact of his material existence. Therefore we must conform to all the laws of our physical being, in order that through our life on this earth we may develop that higher Life which belongs to the other part of our being, our spiritual heritage. Through the use we make of our health, of our tilth, of our pastures, of material facts of all kinds, will develop our moral and spiritual nature.