وَثَمودَ فَما أَبقىٰ

And Thamūd, sparing none [of them].

EXEGESIS

Abqā (sparing) comes from ibqāʾ meaning to maintain. Here it means God did not allow Thamūd to remain.^{‎[1]Tabari, 27/46.} It is also possible that Thamūd is connected to the verb ahlaka (destroyed) in the previous verse.^{‎[2]It could also be connected to the verb abqā, so that it should be understood as fa mā abqā thamūda (so He did not allow Thamūd to remain).} In this case, abqā would be referring to both ʿĀd and Thamūd. This would also be supported by the verse describing the destruction of ʿĀd, So do you see any trace (bāqiyah) of them (69:8).^{‎[3]Razi, 29/283; Muhit, 10/27.} Hence the verse could be understood that God allowed neither of them to remain.

EXPOSITION

Thamūd were the people of Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a), another ancient Arabian civilisation, although coming after ʿĀd.

We may also note the counter play of the words ūlā (first) in the previous verse and abqā (maintained) in this one. As we mentioned earlier in the commentary of verse 39, one of the subthemes of these verses is to explore the idea that man is in ownership of nothing but his actions. What truly remains is not the achievements of past civilisations or their grand, ancient structures, but rather the actions of each individual for which he must soon answer. This understanding is aided by the fact that we know that descendants of some individuals survived from these tribes, as did many of their structures and some oral history, as per the verse, And ʿĀd and Thamūd, [whose fate] is evident to you from their habitations (29:38). Therefore, another aspect of the fact that nothing maintained of them should mean that they left no good actions for themselves to remain as storage for the hereafter.

Some have claimed that this verse means that no one from Thamūd survived and they were all, every single one, destroyed. However, this is contrary to what is known in that Prophet Ṣāliḥ (a) and some of his followers survived at least, as per verse 41:18.^{‎[4]Muhit, 10/27; Mizan, 19/50.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Jesus departed from the temple and was leaving when His disciples came to show Him the temple buildings. Jesus answered them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.’^{‎[5]Matthew 24:1.}

[1] Tabari, 27/46.
[2] It could also be connected to the verb abqā, so that it should be understood as fa mā abqā thamūda (so He did not allow Thamūd to remain).
[3] Razi, 29/283; Muhit, 10/27.
[4] Muhit, 10/27; Mizan, 19/50.
[5] Matthew 24:1.