Allah the Exalted said,
[وَفِى مُوسَى إِذْ
أَرْسَلْنَـهُ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ بِسُلْطَـنٍ مُّبِينٍ ]
(And in Musa, when We sent him to Fir`awn with a manifest authority.)
meaning, with clear proof and plain evidence,
[فَتَوَلَّى
بِرُكْنِهِ]
(But he turned away along with his hosts,) meaning, in rebellion and
arrogance, Fir`awn turned away from the plain truth that Musa was sent with,
[ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِ
لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ]
(Bending his neck in pride, and leading (others) too (far) astray from the
path of Allah.)(22:9 ), meaning turning away from truth in arrogance,
[وَقَالَ سَـحِرٌ
أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ]
(and said: "A sorcerer, or a madman.'') meaning Fir`awn said to Musa, "With
regards to the message that you brought me, you are either a magician or a
madman.'' Allah the Exalted replied,
[فَأَخَذْنَـهُ
وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَـهُمْ]
(So We took him and his armies, and dumped them), meaning `We threw them,'
[فِى
الْيَمِّ]
(into the Yamm), into the sea,
[وَهُوَ
مُلِيمٌ]
(for he was blameworthy.) meaning, Fir`awn was a denying sinner and a
stubborn disbeliever worthy of blame. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
[وَفِى عَادٍ إِذْ
أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيمَ ]
(And in `Ad when We sent against them the barren wind) that destroys
everything and produces nothing. This was said by Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and others.
Allah's statement,
[مَا تَذَرُ مِن
شَىْءٍ أَتَتْ عَلَيْهِ]
(It spared nothing that it reached,) meaning, everything that the wind could
destroy,
[إِلاَّ جَعَلَتْهُ
كَالرَّمِيمِ]
(but blew it into broken spreads of rotten ruins.) meaning, made it just like
a rotten and destroyed. Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib and others commented on:
[إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا
عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيمَ]
(when We sent against them the barren wind),"Southerly winds.'' However,
there is a Hadith in the Sahih from Shu`bah bin Al-Hakam, from Mujahid, from Ibn
`Abbas, who said that the Messenger of Allah said,
«نُصِرْتُ بِالصَّبَا
وَأُهْلِكَتْ عَادٌ بِالدَّبُور»
(I have been made victorious with the Saba (easterly wind), and the people of
`Ad were destroyed with the Dabur (westerly wind).) Allah saying,
[وَفِى ثَمُودَ إِذْ
قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُواْ حَتَّى حِينٍ ]
(And in Thamud, when they were told: "Enjoy yourselves for a while!'') is
just as He said in another Ayah,
[وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ
فَهَدَيْنَـهُمْ فَاسْتَحَبُّواْ الْعَمَى عَلَى الْهُدَى فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَـعِقَةُ
الْعَذَابِ الْهُونِ]
(And as for Thamud, We guided them to the path of truth, but they preferred
blindness to guidance; so the Sa`iqah of disgracing torment seized them.)
(41:17) Allah said here,
[وَفِى ثَمُودَ إِذْ
قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَمَتَّعُواْ حَتَّى حِينٍ - فَعَتَوْاْ عَنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّهِمْ
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ وَهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ ]
(And in Thamud, when they were told: "Enjoy yourselves for a while!'' But
they insolently defied the command of their Lord, so the Sa`iqah overtook them
while they were looking.) Thamud were given a respite for three days, during
which they await the torment. In the early morning of the fourth day, the
torment overtook them,
[فَمَا اسْتَطَـعُواْ
مِن قِيَامٍ]
(Then they were unable to rise up,) they were unable to escape and run away
from it,
[وَمَا كَانُواْ
مُنتَصِرِينَ]
(nor could they help themselves.) nor could they save themselves from the
torment that befell them. Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
[وَقَوْمَ نُوحٍ مِّن
قَبْلُ]
((So were) the people of Nuh before them.) meaning, `We destroyed the people
of Nuh before these people (Fir`awn, `Ad and Thamud).'
[إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ
قَوْماً فَـسِقِينَ]
(Verily, they were a people who were revellious.) We mentioned these stories
in details before in the Tafsir of several other Surahs.
[وَالسَّمَآءَ
بَنَيْنَـهَا بِأَيْدٍ وَإِنَّا لَمُوسِعُونَ - وَالاٌّرْضَ فَرَشْنَـهَا فَنِعْمَ
الْمَـهِدُونَ - وَمِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَا زَوْجَيْنِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
- فَفِرُّواْ إِلَى اللَّهِ إِنِّى لَكُمْ مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ وَلاَ
تَجْعَلُواْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَـهاً ءَاخَرَلَكُمْ مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ]
(47. With Hands We constructed the heaven. Verily, We are able to expand the
vastness of space thereof.) (48. And We have made the earth a Firash; how
excellent spreader (thereof) are We!) (49. And of everything We have created
pairs, that you may remember.) (50. So, flee to Allah. Verily, I am a plain
warner to you from Him.) (51. And set not up any other god along with Allah.
Verily, I am a plain warner to you from Him.)