Tafseer of The Ant · An-Naml · 27:49
They said, "Take a mutual oath by Allah that we will kill him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.' "
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
His statement قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ ('they said: swear by Allah that we will assault him and his family by night'): Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: these nine persons who spread corruption in the land of Ḥijr of Thamūd and do nothing good, said: swear by Allah — that is to say: let some of you swear to others, O people: we will surely assault Ṣāliḥ and his family by night, kill him, and then surely say to his next of kin: we were not present at the destruction of his family.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes spoke.
*Mention of who said that:*
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both together — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ: he said: they promised one another to destroy him, but they did not reach him before they and their people were all destroyed.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, identically.
The word تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ may be read in two ways: the one is the accusative — as if it were said: they said, swearing among themselves, while it is transmitted that in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh this reads: 'and they spread no good — they swear by Allah' without the word 'they said'. That reading points to the accusative of 'taqāsamū' as I have described. The other is the jussive — as if some said to others: swear by Allah. On the basis of this second manner, the reading of لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ with the y and with the n are both correct, for the one addressing them is 'taqāsamū', and although he is the one giving the command, he also belongs to those who swear — as one says in the language: arise, let us go to so-and-so; and arise, let us go to him. On the basis of the first manner — the accusative — the reading with the n is the clearest, for its meaning is: they said, swearing: we will assault him by night. The reading with y is also possible in this manner, as one says in the language: they said: we will surely honor your father, and: they will surely honor your father. With the n the Qurʾān-reciters of Medina and most of the reciters of Baṣra and some of Kūfa read. As for the majority of the reciters of Kūfa — they read it with the y and doubled both taʾ's. Some Meccans read it with the y.
The reading dearest to me is the n, for that is the clearest language in both manners — the accusative and the jussive — that I have described, although all of this is correct and not erroneous for the reasons I have explained. The most disagreeable reading to me is the y, on account of its rarity. His statement لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ: he said: we will most certainly assault Ṣāliḥ by night and then attack him.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: the nine who hamstrung the she-camel said: come, let us kill Ṣāliḥ — for if he is truthful, that is to say in his promise of punishment after three days, then we forestall him and send it on ahead before his punishment, and if he is a liar, we join him to his she-camel. So they went to him by night to assault him in his house, but the angels killed them with stones. When they tarried too long away from their companions, those went to the dwelling of Ṣāliḥ and found them bruised, crushed by stones. His statement وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ ('and indeed we are truthful'): we say to his next of kin: and indeed we are truthful — we were not present at the destruction of his family.
