وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ ﴿۱۳۸﴾ فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۱۳۹﴾ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ﴿۱۴۰﴾ كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ﴿۱۴۱﴾ إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ صَالِحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ﴿۱۴۲﴾ إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ ﴿۱۴۳﴾ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿۱۴﴾ وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿۱۴۵﴾ أَتُتْرَكُونَ فِي مَا هَاهُنَا آمِنِينَ ﴿۱۴۶﴾ فِي جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ ﴿۱۴۷﴾ وَزُرُوعٍ وَنَخْلٍ طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌ ﴿۱۴۸﴾ وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا فَارِهِينَ ﴿۱۴۹﴾ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ﴿۱۵۰﴾ وَلَا تُطِيعُوا أَمْرَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ ﴿۱۵۱﴾

﴾138﴿ Wa maa nahnu bimu 'azzabeen
﴾139﴿ Fakazzaboohu fa ahlaknaahum; inna fee zaalika la aayah; wa maa kaana aksaruhum mu'mineen
﴾140﴿ Wa inna Rabbaka la huwal 'Azeezur Raheem
﴾141﴿ Kazzabat Samoodul mursaleen
﴾142﴿ Iz qaala lahum akhoohum Saalihun alaa tattaqoon
﴾143﴿ Innee lakum Rasoolun ameen
﴾144﴿ Fattaqul laaha wa atee'oon
﴾145﴿ Wa maaa as'alukum 'alaihi min ajrin in ajriya illaa 'alaa Rabbil 'aalameen
﴾146﴿ Atutrakoona fee maa haahunnaaa aamineen
﴾147﴿ Fee jannaatinw wa 'uyoon
﴾148﴿ Wa zuroo inw wa nakhlin tal 'uhaa hadeem
﴾149﴿ Wa tanhitoona minal jibaali buyootan faariheen
﴾150﴿ Fattaqul laaha wa atee'oon
﴾151﴿ Wa laa tutee'ooo amral musrifeen

﴾138﴿ And we are not among those who have been tormented
﴾139﴿ So they denied him, and We destroyed them; indeed, in this is a lesson, but most of them are not believers
﴾140﴿ And indeed, your Lord, He is truly the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful
﴾141﴿ The Thamud denied the messengers
﴾142﴿ When their brother Salih (peace be upon him) said to them, Will you not save yourselves from punishment
﴾143﴿ Indeed, I am a trustworthy messenger sent to you
﴾144﴿ So fear Allah, the Most High, and obey me
﴾145﴿ And I do not ask you for any reward for this; my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds
﴾146﴿ Will you be left secure in the blessings that are here
﴾147﴿ Amid gardens and springs
﴾148﴿ And crops and palm trees with soft, fresh clusters
﴾149﴿ And you carve out houses from the mountains without purpose
﴾150﴿ So fear Allah, the Most High, and obey me
﴾151﴿ And do not follow the way of those who transgress

[138] Meaning: This is not punishment — referring to droughts and other hardships that befall us.
Or it means: No punishment can ever come upon us, because we are very powerful and strong.
[139,140] This indicates that the cause of their destruction was denial, and further explanation of this has already been mentioned earlier.
[from 141 to 145] In these verses is the fifth incident — concerning the people of Salih (peace be upon him), who are the Thamudites (ثمودیان).
And in the account of this prophet as well, there are five core statements.
[146] This people also possessed land and were skilled craftsmen — they considered these as reasons for being safe from punishment, and for this reason, they are rebuked.
(مَا هَاهُنَا) refers to the blessings present in their homeland — this is a general expression (ijmāl) implying numerous blessings.
[147,148] This is a detailed description of their blessings — since they were landowners, meaning they possessed a lot of property and land, (وَزُرُوعٍ وَنَخْلٍ) — “fields and date palms” — are specifically mentioned.
(طَلْعُهَا) refers to the early stage of date clusters that appear near the base of the palm branches, like a sheath or pouch, inside which are the small grain-like dates.
The word ṭalʿ can refer to that outer covering or the cluster inside — here, the second meaning (the cluster) is intended.
(هَضِيمٌ) means soft and closely packed, so that when touched, the dates fall easily.
Qurtubi, quoting from Mawardi, mentions twelve different interpretations of this term.
[149] This is a rebuke for their pointless and unnecessary craftsmanship on stone — even in our time, such practices have begun in many regions.
(فَارِهِينَ) implies: showing off their skill, acting arrogantly, engaging in futile work, and doing so without fear, as if they were completely secure from any harm.
[150] This is the second time taqwa and obedience are mentioned — here, the intent is obedience in actions.
[151,152] In the opposition to Salih (peace be upon him), the leaders were wicked individuals who served as guides for their people.
They prevented others from following Salih (peace be upon him) and instead called people to obey themselves.
So in these verses, there is a prohibition from obeying such leaders, and three levels of their corruption are mentioned:
1. Isrāf – excess and transgression,
2. Fasād – spreading corruption,
3. 'Adam al-Islāh – lack of any effort toward reform.