قَالُوا۟ يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ قَدْ
كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ
هَـٰذَآ ۖ أَتَنْهَىٰنَآ أَن نَّعْبُدَ
مَا يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا
لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ
إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ
قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ أَرَءَيْتُمْ
إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ
مِّن رَّبِّى وَءَاتَىٰنِى
مِنْهُ رَحْمَةً فَمَن يَنصُرُنِى
مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُۥ ۖ فَمَا
تَزِيدُونَنِى غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ
They said: “O Salih!
You have been
among us as a figure
of good hope until
this! Do you (now)
forbid us the worship
of what our fathers
have worshipped
But we are really
in grave doubt as to
that to which you
invite us.” He said:
“O my people! Tell me,
if I have a clear proof
from my Lord, and
there has come to me
a mercy from Him, who
then can help me
against Allah, if I were
to disobey Him. Then
you increase me not
but in loss.”
The Conversation between Salih and the People of Thamud
Allah, the Exalted, mentions what transpired in the discussion between Salih and his people. Allah informs of their ignorance and obstinacy in their statement,
قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا
مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَـذَا
You have been among us as a figure of good hope till this!
They were saying in this, “We had hope in your strong intellect before you began saying what you have said.”
أَتَنْهَانَآ أَن نَّعْبُدَ
مَا يَعْبُدُ ءابَاؤُنَا
Do you (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers have worshipped
“what those who were before us were upon.”
وَإِنَّنَا لَفِى شَكٍّ
مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ
But we are really in grave doubt as to that which you invite us
This alludes to the great amount of doubt that they had.
قَالَ يقَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن
كُنتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى
He said: “O my people! Tell me, if I have a clear proof from my Lord…”
`In reference to what He (Allah) has sent me with to you, I am upon conviction and sure evidence.’
وَءَاتَـنِى مِنْهُ
رَحْمَةً فَمَن يَنصُرُنِى
مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُ
and there has come to me a mercy from Him, who then can help me against Allah, if I were to disobey Him
`and abandon calling you to the truth and the worship of Allah alone. If I did so, you would not be able to bring me any benefit, nor increase me
غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ
but in loss.
This means loss and ruin.