قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ لَوْلَا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ ﴿۴۶﴾ قَالُوا اطَّيَّرْنَا بِكَ وَبِمَنْ مَعَكَ قَالَ طَائِرُكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ بَلْ أَنْتُمْ قَوْمٌ تُفْتَنُونَ ﴿۴۷﴾ وَكَانَ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ ﴿۴۸﴾ قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّهِ مَا شَهِدْنَا مَهْلِكَ أَهْلِهِ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ ﴿۴۹﴾ وَمَكَرُوا مَكْرًا وَمَكَرْنَا مَكْرًا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿۵۰﴾

﴾46﴿ Qaala yaa qawmi lima tasta'jiloona bissaiyi'ati qablal hasanati law laa tas taghfiroonal laaha la'allakum turhamoon
﴾47﴿ Qaalut taiyarnaa bika wa bimam ma'ak; qaala taaa'irukum 'indal laahi bal antum qawmun tuftanoon
﴾48﴿ Wa kaana fil madeenati tis'atu rahtiny yufsidoona fil ardi wa laa yuslihoon
﴾49﴿ Qaaloo taqaasamoo billaahi lanubaiyitannahoo wa ahlahoo summaa lanaqoolana liwaliy yihee maa shahidnaa mahlika ahlihee wa innaa lasaadiqoon
﴾50﴿ Wa makaroo makranw wa makarnaa makranw wa hum laa yash'uroon

﴾46﴿ Salih (peace be upon him) said, O my people, why do you hasten for the punishment before seeking faith? Why do you not seek forgiveness from Allah so that mercy may be shown to you
﴾47﴿ They said, We see an evil omen in you and those with you. He replied, Your evil omen is with Allah; rather, you are a people being tested
﴾48﴿ And there were in the city nine men who spread corruption in the land and did not reform
﴾49﴿ They said, swear by Allah Almighty, that, we will attack him and his family by night. then we will surely say to his inheritors that we will not witness the killing of his family, and indeed, we are truthful
﴾50﴿ And they planned a plan, and We planned a plan, while they did not perceive

[46] Since various punishments came upon them—such as famine, drought, diseases, and others—due to their disbelief and shirk, they attributed these misfortunes to Salih (peace be upon him), saying, “This bad state is because of your bad luck,” meaning: “Because you do not accept the authority of our saints and elders.”
He responded to them by saying that these hardships are punishments from Allah Most High upon you because of your own evil deeds.
The wisdoms are:
1. Belief in bad omens (ṭiyarah) is the belief of the ignorant and the polytheists. Ibn Kathir has written a detailed explanation on this.
2. Misfortunes are the result of evil actions.
3. The punishment for some actions is given in this world.
[47] When various punishments came upon them due to their disbelief and shirk—such as famine, drought, diseases, and so on—they attributed these misfortunes to Salih (peace be upon him), saying: “This bad state is because of your bad luck,” meaning: “Because you reject the authority of our saints and elders.”
He replied that these bad conditions are a punishment from Allah Most High upon you because of your own evil deeds.
The wisdoms are:
1. Belief in bad omens (ṭiyarah) is the belief of the ignorant and polytheists. Ibn Kathir has written its details.
2. Misfortunes arise due to evil deeds.
3. The punishment for some deeds is given in this world.
[48] “Rahṭ” (رَهْطٍ) is a collective noun, and each of them had many followers. That’s why the term rahṭ was used.
“They spread corruption in the land” (يُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ)—their corruption was of many kinds:
1. Calling people to shirk (polytheism).
2. Preventing obedience to Salih (peace be upon him).
3. Searching for people’s faults.
4. Engaging in usury (giving and taking gold and silver with interest) and committing other sins.
“And they do not reform” (وَلَا يُصْلِحُونَ)—this refutes their false assumption that their corrupt actions were acts of reform.
The wisdoms are:
1. Opposing the followers of truth are always the corrupters.
2. The corrupters often have many followers, while the people of truth are few.
[49] This is an example of their corruption—that they plotted to kill Salih (peace be upon him), and used deception and trickery in their oaths.
“Taqāsamū bi-llāh” (تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ) is a past tense verb from the tafā‘ul form, meaning: they said while taking oaths among themselves.
Or it may be a command verb in the tafā‘ul form, meaning: they told one another, "Swear by Allah Most High."
The conclusion is: they planned to attack Salih (peace be upon him) and his family at night and kill him.
Then, when his successor (inheritor) would bring a claim of murder against them, they would deny it by swearing oaths.
They would say: “We were not present to kill the family of Salih (peace be upon him),” and they would use the trick that their intent was to kill Salih (peace be upon him) himself, not his family—thus manipulating the wording of the oath.
This is a form of trickery in swearing oaths—similar to how, in today's times, deceptive religious figures teach people such dishonest ways of swearing, by which the accuser is misled—while in reality, the one swearing is lying.
The wisdoms are:
1. Even the polytheists used to swear by Allah Most High.
2. Corrupt people always intend to kill those who stand for truth.
3. Deception and trickery in swearing oaths is the way of the corrupters.
[50] After devising this scheme, they attacked the house of Salih (peace be upon him) at night, but Allah Most High protected Salih (peace be upon him) through the means of angels—as Ibn Kathir has written.
Allah Most High has often protected His prophets through the help of angels.
The wisdom in this is: Allah Most High aids His righteous servants against the corrupters.