Wannan sūrah, wadda take riƙe da ƙafiya ɗaya a dukkan āyoyinta kuma take kiyaye bugun kiɗa iri ɗaya daga farko zuwa ƙarshe, tana farawa da wasu alamomi masu kyau na zance waɗanda suke fitowa daga duniyar da ke kewaye da mu da abubuwan da ke cikinta. Waɗannan abubuwa sune tsarin da ke ɗauke da babbar gaskiyar da sūrah ɗin take magana a kanta, watau yanayin mutum, ƙwarewarsa ta asali, zaɓin aikinsa, da kuma alhakinsa wajen tantance makomarsa.

This sūrah, which maintains the same rhyme in all its verses and keeps the same musical beat throughout, starts with several aesthetic touches which seem to spring out from the surrounding universe and its phenomena. These phenomena form the framework which encompasses the great truth which is the subject matter of the sūrah, namely, the nature of man, his inherent abilities, choice of action, and responsibility in determining his own fate.

Wannan sūrah ta kuma yi magana game da labarin Thamūd da halin ƙin karɓa da suka nuna wa gargaɗin da suka samu daga manzon Allah? Ah, a fassara daidai: Wannan sūrah kuma tana magana ne a kan labarin Thamūd da yadda suka nuna halin ƙi ga gargaɗin da suka samu daga manzon God, da kuma yadda suka kashe rakumin annabi (she-camel), a ƙarshe kuma aka hallaka su gaba ɗaya. Wannan yana ba da misali na mummunan makoma da ke jiran waɗanda suke lalata rayukansu maimakon su tsarkake su, kuma waɗanda ba sa tsayawa a cikin iyakokin taqawa. "Mai sa'a shi ne wanda ya tsarkake ta, kuma mai hasara shi ne wanda ya lalatar da ita." (Ayoyi 9-10)

This sūrah also refers to the story of the Thamūd and their negative attitude to the warnings they received from God’s messenger, to their killing of the she-camel, and finally their complete annihilation. This provides an example of the unpromising prospects which await those who corrupt their souls instead of keeping them pure and who do not confine themselves within the limits of piety. “Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it.” (Verses 9-10)

Ina rantse da rana da hasken safiyarta, da wata idan ya bi bayanta, da rana idan ta bayyana darajarta, da dare idan ya lulluɓe ta. Ina rantse da sama da yadda aka gina ta, da ƙasa da yadda aka shimfiɗe ta, da rai da yadda aka siffanta shi da kuma yadda aka yi masa wahayin sanin mugunta da adalci. Tabbas wanda ya tsarkake shi ya sami nasara, kuma wanda ya ɓata shi ya halaka.

By the sun and his morning brightness, by the moon as she follows him, by the day, which reveals his splendour, by the night, which veils him. By the heaven and its construction, by the earth and its spreading, by the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it. (Verses 1-10)

Allah yana rantsuwa da waɗannan abubuwa da al'amuran duniya, kamar yadda yake rantsuwa da ran ɗan adam, yadda aka halicce shi da wahayin da yake karɓa. Rantsuwar tana ba waɗannan halittu ƙarin muhimmanci kuma tana jawo hankalin mutum zuwa gare su. Ya kamata mutum ya yi tunani a kan waɗannan al'amura, ya kuma yi ƙoƙarin fahimtar darajarsu da manufar halittarsu.

God swears by these objects and universal phenomena as He swears by the human soul, how it is fashioned and the inspiration it receives. The oath gives these creatures an added significance and draws man’s attention to them. Man ought to contemplate these phenomena and try to appreciate their value and the purpose of their creation.

Akwai wani irin harshe na musamman wanda zuciyar ɗan adam ke sadarwa da duniya ta hanyarsa. Wannan harshe wani ɓangare ne na yanayin ɗan adam. Harshe ne wanda ba ya amfani da sautuka da furuci. Sadarwa ce zuwa ga zukata da wahayi ga rayuka, waɗanda ke rayuwa a duk lokacin da mutum ya ɗaga kai ya kalli sararin duniya don ganin abin da ke ƙarfafa ko faranta rai. Saboda haka, Alƙur'ani yakan yi kira akai-akai ga mutum ya yi tunani a kan abubuwan da ke kewaye da shi. Yana yin haka ta hanyoyi daban-daban, wani lokaci kai tsaye wani lokaci kuma ta hanyar alamu, taɓawa ta gefe da abubuwan motsawa. A wannan misali, misali, wasu abubuwa na duniya an sanya su zama abin rantsuwar Allah, don su zama tushe ga abin da ke biye da su a cikin sūratu. Waɗannan umarni bayyanannu da alamu kai tsaye suna yawaita sosai a cikin sūratun wannan juzu'i. Kusan babu sūrah da ba ta ƙarfafa mutum, ta hanya ɗaya ko wata, ya yi sadarwa da duniya, cikin harshe na ɓoye, don ya gane alamominta kuma ya fahimci saƙonta.

There exists in fact, some kind of a special language through which the human heart communicates with the universe. This language is part of human nature. It is a language which does not use sounds and articulation. It is a communication to hearts and an inspiration to souls which come alive whenever man looks up to the universe for an inspiring or cheerful sight. Hence, the Qur’ān frequently urges man to reflect upon his surroundings. It does this in various ways, sometimes directly and sometimes with hints, incidental touches and stimuli. In this case, for example, some phenomena of the universe are made the subject of God’s oath, in order to serve as a framework for what follows in the sūrah. These explicit directives and indirect hints are very frequent in the sūrahs of the present volume. There is hardly any sūrah which does not encourage man, in one way or another, to communicate with the universe, in secret language, so that he may appreciate its signs and understand its address.

Surah ta ci gaba da bayyana gaskiyar da ta shafi mutum, tana kuma danganta wannan gaskiya da al'amura daban-daban na duniya, domin mutum na ɗaya daga cikin abubuwan al'ajabi mafi ban mamaki a cikin wannan halitta mai daidaito: "Na rantse da rai da yadda aka siffanta shi, sannan aka yi masa wahayi game da fasiƙanci da taƙawarsa. Lallai wanda ya tsarkake ta ya ci nasara, kuma wanda ya gurɓata ta ya tabbata a asara." (Ayoyi 7-10)

The sūrah moves on to state the basic truth about man, and relates this truth to the various phenomena of the universe, for man is one of the most remarkable wonders in this harmonious creation: “By the soul and its moulding and inspiration with knowledge of wickedness and righteousness. Successful is the one who keeps it pure, and ruined is the one who corrupts it.” (Verses 7-10)

Tushen fahimtar Musulunci game da ilimin halayyar ɗan adam ya bayyana a cikin waɗannan ayoyi huɗu, tare da aya ta 10 a cikin sūrah da ta gabata, Al-Balad (Garin), cewa: "Mun kuma nuna masa hanyoyi biyu," da kuma aya ta 3 a cikin Sūrah 76, Al-Insān (Mutum), wadda ta ce: "Mun nuna masa hanya madaidaiciya, ko ya zama mai godiya ko mai butulci." Suna kuma cika ayoyin da suke nuna rabe-raben da ke cikin tsarin halittar mutum a cikin Sūrah 38, Ṣād, wadda ta ce: "Ubangijinka ya ce wa mala'iku, 'Ina halittar mutum daga laka. Idan na gama siffanta shi, na kuma busa masa daga ruhina, to ku durƙusa, ku yi masa sujada.'" (38: 71-72) Waɗannan ayoyi kuma suna cika tare da danganta ayoyin da suke bayyana nauyi da alhakin mutum a kan ayyukansa, kamar wadda ke cikin Sūrah 74, Al-Muddaththir (Wanda ya nannaɗe), wadda ke cewa: "Kowane rai yana tsare da abin da ya aikata," da kuma aya a cikin Sūrah 13, Ar-Ra'd (Tsawa), wadda ta bayyana cewa halin Ubangiji ga mutum yana da alaƙa kai tsaye da halayen mutum da kansa: "Allah ba ya canza halin wani jama'a sai sun canza abin da ke cikin zukatansu." (13: 11) Waɗannan da makamantan ayoyi suna bayyana ra'ayin Musulunci game da mutum da cikakkiyar fayyace.

The basis of the Islamic concept of human psychology is outlined in these four verses, along with verse 10 of the preceding sūrah, The City, “And [We have] shown him the two paths,” and verse 3 in Sūrah 76, Man, which says: “We have shown him the right path, be he grateful or ungrateful.” They supplement the verses which point out the duality in man’s make-up in Sūrah 38, Şād, which says: “Your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating man from clay. When I have fashioned him, and breathed of My spirit into him, kneel down and prostrate yourselves before him.’“ (38: 7172) These verses also supplement and relate to the verses which define man’s responsibility and accountability for his actions, such as the one in Sūrah 74, The Cloaked One, which reads: “Everyone is held in pledge for whatever he has wrought,” and the verse in Sūrah 13, Thunder, which states that God’s attitude to man is directly related to man’s own behaviour: “God does not change a people’s lot until they change what is in their hearts.” (13: 11) These and similar verses define the Islamic view of man with perfect clarity.

Sūrah ta sai kuma ta ba da misali na faɗuwar waɗanda suke lalata kansu, suke kuma gina shamaki tsakaninsu da shiriyar Allah: "Saboda girman kai na wuce gona da iri, mutanen Samūd suka ƙaryata gaskiya, sa'ad da mafi wahalallen mugu a cikinsu ya fito. Manzon Allah ya ce musu: 'Wannan rakumiyar Allah ce, don haka ku bar ta ta sha ruwanta.' Amma suka ƙi shi, suka kuma yanka ta da zalunci. Saboda zunubin nan nasu, Ubangijinsu ya saukar musu da azaba, ya kuma rusa garinsu baki ɗaya. Shi ba ya jin tsoron abin da zai biyo baya."

The sūrah then gives an example of the failure which befalls those who corrupt themselves, and erect a barrier between themselves and divine guidance: “In their overweening arrogance the people of Thamūd denied the truth, when their most hapless wretch broke forth. God’s Messenger said to them: ‘It is a she-camel belonging to God, so let her have her drink.’ But they rejected him, and cruelly slaughtered her. For this their sin their Lord let loose His scourge upon them, and razed their city to the ground. He does not fear what may follow.” (Verses 11-15)

Labarin Thamūd da annabinsu, Şāliĥ, an ambaci shi sau da yawa a cikin Alƙur'ani. Ana tattaunawa a kansa duk lokacin da ya zo. Mai karatu zai iya komawa ga tafsirin Suratul Fajr, ta 89, a cikin wannan littafi, don ƙarin bayani. Sai dai wannan surar tana bayyana cewa mutanen Thamūd sun ƙi annabinsu, suka kuma zarge shi da ƙarya, saboda kawai girman kai da tsananin rashin kunya. Ta'addancinsu a nan an wakilta shi da cewa, wanda ya fi kowane ƙasƙanci a cikinsu ya garzaya ya yanka raƙumar nan mace. Shi ne mafi ƙasƙanci saboda laifinsa. Manzonsu ya riga ya yi musu gargaɗi, yana cewa: "Ita raƙumar Allah ce, don haka ku bar ta ta sha ruwanta." Wannan shi ne sharaɗinsa lokacin da suka nemi alama daga gare shi. Alamar kuwa ita ce raƙumar tana samun ruwan ita kaɗai a rana ɗaya, sannan ta bar shi ga sauran dabbobi a rana ta gaba. Lallai raƙumar tana da wani abu na musamman, amma ba za mu shiga cikin cikakken bayani ba, domin Allah bai faɗa mana game da shi ba. Sai dai Thamūd ba su kula da gargaɗin manzonsu ba, suka kashe raƙumar. Mutumin da ya aikata laifin, babban mai zunubi, shi ne mafi ƙasƙanci, amma dukkansu an riƙe su da alhakin, domin ba su hukunta shi ba. Maimakon haka, sun yaba abin da ya aikata. Ginshiƙin Musulunci shi ne cewa al'umma tana da alhakin gama-gari a wannan rayuwa. Wannan bai saɓa wa ƙa'idar alhakin mutum ɗaya a lahira ba, inda kowa zai amsa kan ayyukansa. Sai dai laifi ne ba a yi wa juna nasiha ba, ba a kuma yi kira ga bin abin da yake nagari ba, ba a kuma hukunta mugunta da ta'addanci ba.

The story of the Thamūd and their messenger, Şāliĥ, is mentioned several times in the Qur’ān. A discussion of it is given every time it occurs. The reader may refer for further details to the commentary on Sūrah 89, The Dawn, in this volume. The present sūrah, however, states that the people of Thamūd rejected their prophet and accused him of lying simply because they were arrogant and insolent. Their transgression is represented here by the most hapless wretch among them rushing to slaughter the she-camel. He is the most wretched as a result of his crime. Their messenger had warned them in advance, saying, “It is a she-camel belonging to God, so let her have her drink.” This was his condition when they asked him for a sign. The sign was that the she-camel had the water for herself one day and left it for the rest of the cattle the next day. The she-camel must have had something else peculiar to her, but we shall not go into detail because God has not told us about it. The Thamūd, however, did not heed their messenger’s warnings but killed the she-camel. The person who perpetrated the crime, the arch sinner, is the most- wretched, but they were all held responsible because they did not take him to task. On the contrary, they applauded what he did. A basic principle of Islam is that society bears a collective responsibility in this life. This does not conflict with the principle of individual responsibility in the hereafter when everyone is answerable for his own deeds. It is a sin, however, not to counsel and urge one another to adhere to what is good and not to punish evil and transgression.