The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 459
PT. 19 ASH-SHU ARĀ' CH. 26 ثُمَّ دَمَّرْنَا الْآخَرِيْنَ 173. "Then We destroyed the others. وَاَمْطَرُنَا عَلَيْهِمْ مَّطَرًا ، فَسَاءَ مَطَرُ And We rained upon them. 174 a rain; and evil was the rain of those who were warned. 175. In that verily there is a Sign, but most of these would not believe. 176. And surely thy Lord-He is the Mighty, the Merciful. R. 10. 177. The People of the Wood rejected the Messengers, 2789 الْمُنْذَرِينَ اِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً وَمَا كَانَ اَكْثَرُهُمْ مؤْمِنِينَ وَاِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ كَذَّبَ أَصْحَبُ لَشَيْكَةِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ "37:137. 7:85; 25:41; 27:59. 15:79; 38:14; 50:15. internally; it became putrefied (Lane which there existed tangled and & Aqrab). See also 7:84. Commentary: In view of the different meanings of the word given under 'Important Words' above, the expression would mean: (1) she remained behind, (2) she concealed animosity in her heart, and (3) though she was the wife of a Prophet of God, she was internally corrupt. 2789. Important Words: (the wood) is derived from the verb (ayika). means, the trees grew thick and formed a wood. means, a collection of numerous tangled or dense trees of the kind of lotus and wild berries; a thicket (Lane & Aqrab). See also 15:79. Commentary: The word seems to refer to Midian in the neighbourhood of luxuriant trees after which these people or a section thereof were Midian lay in the اصحاب الايكة called Sinai Peninsula, a few miles from the sea. It was originally the name of a tribe who were descended from Abraham through Katūrah and who had settled in the locality known after their ancestor Midian, son of Katūrah. The fact that according to the Quran the Prophet Shu'aib was sent both to i. e. People of the Wood and i. e. People of Midian (7:86 & 11:85) shows that both these were the names of two sections of the same people, Shu'aib particularly belonging to the section known as because where in the Quran he is stated as having been sent to he is described as "their brother" and where he is mentioned 2373 the اصحاب الايكة as having been sent to words "their brother" are omitted.