Prophets Hūd, Ṣāliḥ and Ibrāhīm: The Ruins of the Mighty
Section 8 of 25 · Lives of the Prophets
Only the Losers Feel Secure
Āminīn: Allah (swt) is asking, do you think that you will be here safe? A human being should never feel safe as long as he's on the face of this earth. We should always be worried of the punishment of Allah (swt). Therefore Allah (swt) says:
أَفَأَمِنُوا۟ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَلَا يَأْمَنُ مَكْرَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلْقَوْمُ ٱلْخَـٰسِرُونَ
“Do they feel secure from Allah’s plan? None can feel secure from Allah’s plan except the people who are losers.” (7:99)
A-fa-aminū makra Allāh, fa-lā yaʾmanu makra Allāhi illā al-qawmu al-khāsirūn. Allah (swt) says: the only ones who feel secure from the planning of Allah are the losers. If you feel that you're safe, you are a loser. The muʾmin is always afraid. The muʾmin always has fear from Allah (swt).
أَتُتْرَكُونَ فِى مَا هَـٰهُنَآ ءَامِنِينَ فِى جَنَّـٰتٍ وَعُيُونٍ وَزُرُوعٍ وَنَخْلٍ طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌ وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجِبَالِ بُيُوتًا فَـٰرِهِينَ
“Will you be left secure in whatever is here, in gardens and springs, and in farms and date-palms, the spathes of which are interwoven? You hew out houses from the hills with pride.” (26:146–149)
So their Nabī Ṣāliḥ is telling them: a-tutrakūna fī mā hāhunā āminīn, fī jannātin wa ʿuyūn, wa zurūʿin wa nakhlin ṭalʿuhā haḍīm, wa tanḥitūna min al-jibāli buyūtan fārihīn — will you be left secure in that which you have here, in gardens and springs, and cornfields, and date palms with soft spadix, and you carve houses out of mountains with great skill? They had great skill. They were very excellent architects. They were great in construction, and the structures of their houses.
وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِنۢ بَعْدِ عَادٍ وَبَوَّأَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ تَتَّخِذُونَ مِن سُهُولِهَا قُصُورًا وَتَنْحِتُونَ ٱلْجِبَالَ بُيُوتًا ۖ فَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ ءَالَآءَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ
“Remember when He made you successors after ‘Ād and lodged you on earth (whereby) you make castles in its plains and hew out the mountains to build houses. So be mindful of the bounties of Allah, and do not go about the earth spreading disorder.”” (7:74)
Allah (swt) says: wa-dhkurū idh jaʿalakum khulafāʾa min baʿdi ʿĀd. What the people of Thamūd used to do is they would carve out these houses in the mountain, and then they would build palaces on the valleys. So they have palaces in the valley, and they have these houses carved in the mountains. But they were corrupt. And their Nabī Ṣāliḥ told them: wa lā taʿthaw fī al-arḍi mufsidīn — do not go about making mischief on the earth. They were very corrupt people.