The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 5) — Page 14
CH. 46 AL-AḤQĀF PT. 26 قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ الهَتِنَا فَأْتِنَا They said, “Hast thou come. 23 ۚ to us to turn us away from our gods? Bring us then that with which thou dost threaten us, if indeed thou art of the truthful. 'd 3776 بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصُّدِقِينَ قَالَ إِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ عِنْدَ اللهِ وَأَبَلِّغُكُم مَّا He said, “The knowledge. 24 thereof is only with Allah. " And أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ وَلَكِنِّي أريكُمْ قَوْمًا I convey to you what I have تَجْهَلُونَ been sent with, but I see you to be a very ignorant people. '3777 فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ عَارِضًا مُسْتَقْبِلَ اَوْدِيَتِهِمْ Then, when they saw it. 25 coming towards their valleys as a cloud, they said, 'This is a cloud which will give us rain. ' 'Nay, but it is that which you قَالُوا هُذَا عَارِضٌ مُمْطِرُنَا بَلْ هُوَ مَا a7:71. 11:34. been called 'Ādi Iram in the Quran (89:8). They were a highly powerful and cultured people and had specialized in architecture. They ruled over rich and fertile territories in Yemen. As a result of their rejection of the Prophet Hūd, and their wicked and immoral deeds, they were destroyed by a violent wind which continued to lash them for seven consecutive days, burying their chief cities under heaps of sand and dust. For detailed notes on ‘Ād see 11:51 and 26:124. 3776. Important Words: (that thou turn us away) is derived from (afaka). means, he changed his or its condition or manner of being; he turned him or it away or back from a thing by lying; | اسْتَعْجَلْتُم بِهِ رِيحٌ فِيهَا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمُ he perverted his judgement; he deceived or beguiled him; he lied or said what was untrue (Lane & Aqrab). Almost all these meanings are applicable here. 3777. Commentary: When tauntingly asked by his people, when and how they would be punished for rejecting him, Hūd pleaded ignorance of the time and manner of the Divine punishment. But he warned them at the same time that Divine punishment was sure to overtake them and that if they had some wisdom left with them they should have read the writing on the wall because the rejection of Divine Message never goes unpunished. This is the significance of the words: "but I see you to be a very ignorant people. " 2910