The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 736
CH. 9 AT-TAUBAH PT. 10 الَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ Has not the story reached. 70 them of those before them—the نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ و ثَمُودَ وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ people of Noah, and Ad, and b Thamūd, and the people of وَأَصْحُبِ مَدْيَنَ وَالْمُؤْتَفِكْتِ أَتَتْهُمْ Abraham, and the dwellers of رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَتِ ۚ فَمَا كَانَ اللهُ Midian, and the cities which لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمُ them with يَظْلِمُونَ were overthrown? Their Messengers came to them with b clear Signs. So Allah would not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. 1224 "14:10; 50:13-15. 10:45; 29:41; 30:10. (as they indulged in idle talk) has been variously explained. Either (1) it is in the sense of or. being used as a plural and giving the sense of of being or state; he turned him or it away or back. They say l i. e. the land or town was or became overturned or subverted with its ,therefore means مؤتفكات. inhabitants | خوض or (2) it has the word الذين understood before it, the full clause being i. e. like the idle talk in which they indulged; or (3) it has the word or some similar word understood before it, the full clause in e. like. كالفوج الذي خاضوا this case being the party which indulged in idle talk, etc. (Kashshaf & Shaukānī). Commentary: The reference in the pronoun "you" in the words, before you, may be either to the hypocrites in general or to 'Abdullah bin Ubayy (the leader of the hypocrites) and his close associates in particular. The words, those before you, are explained in the following verse. 1224. Important Words: cities which were) المؤتفكات over thrown) is derived from e. They say i. e. he changed his or its manner 1176 ties overthrown or subverted. It also means, the winds that turn over the surface of the earth, or the winds that blow from different quarters, now from this and now from that (Lane). Commentary: This verse explains the words, those before you, occurring in the preceding verse. The reference in words, cities which were overthrown, is to the towns to which Prophet Lot was sent and which were turned upside down on account of their transgression and depravity. The catastrophe was caused by a violent earthquake. The overthrown habitation were according to the Bible, the two towns of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24 & 25). The site is believed to be that of the Dead Sea (Jew. Enc. under Sodom). The