إِذِ انبَعَثَ أَشقاها

When the most wretched of them rose up.

EXEGESIS

The verb inbaʿatha means to incite someone to do something.^{‎[1]Tabrisi, 10/755; Ibn Ashur, 30/329.} As such, the verse would mean: When the most corrupt of them incited them. Others have taken it to mean to rise up.^{‎[2]Mudarrisi, 18/139.}

Ashqā is the superlative form of the root shaqaya, and means the most wretched (from amongst them).

EXPOSITION

This verse further describes how exactly the people of Thamūd belied their prophet. They encouraged the most wretched, a man by the name of Qudār ibn Sālif, to slaughter the camel. Perhaps the reason why he was described as the most wretched is because he rose to carry out an action that no one else in the community was willing to undertake.^{‎[3]Mudarrisi, 18/139.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. The Holy Prophet is reported to have said: ‘The most wicked person among the ancient ones was the murderer of the harmless she-camel of Ṣāliḥ, and the most wicked person of the latter age is the murderer of Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib (a), a wicked one who will dye red his [Ali’s] beard from the blood of his forehead.’^{‎[4]Tabrisi, 10/756.}
2. It has been reported by Ṣadūq, that the Prophet gave a sermon on the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, at the end of which Imam Ali (a) stood up and said: ‘O Prophet of God! What are the noblest of deeds in this month?’ The Prophet said: ‘O Abū al-Hasan (a)! The noblest of deeds in this month are abstaining from what the honourable and exalted God has forbidden.’ Then the Prophet cried. Imam Ali (a) asked him: ‘O Prophet of God! Why do you cry?’ The Prophet said: ‘O Ali! I cried for what will be done to you in this month. It is as if I see you while you are praying to your Lord, and the most wicked of those of the ancient and those of the later times – as wicked as he who killed the she-camel of Thamūd – will stand up and deliver such a blow to your head that your beard will get dyed [with blood].’ The Commander of the Faithful (a) said: ‘O Prophet of God! Will my religion remain intact in this situation?’ The Prophet said: ‘Your religion will be intact.’ The Prophet then added: ‘O Ali! Whoever kills you has indeed killed me. Whoever despises you has indeed despised me. Whoever swears at you has indeed sworn at me. This is because you are from me and just like myself. Your spirit is from my spirit. Your clay is from my clay. In fact, the blessed and sublime God has created you and me, and appointed you and me. God chose me for prophethood and chose you for divine leadership. Whoever denies your divine leadership has, in fact, denied my prophethood. O Ali! You are my trustee, the father of my grandchildren, the spouse of my daughter, the caliph over my nation, during and after my life. Your orders are just like my orders. Your admonishing is just like my admonishing. I swear by Him who has appointed me to prophethood and established me as the best of the people, that you are God’s proof for His creatures, the one entrusted with His secrets, and His successor over His servants.’^{‎[5]Uyun, 1/28, h. 53.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

It has been reported from Ibn Abbas that ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muljam was from the children of Qudār, the slayer of the she-camel of Ṣāliḥ, and their stories are one, because Qudār was in love with a woman called Rubāb, just as Ibn Muljam was in love with Quṭām, for whom they both did what they did.^{‎[6]Manaqib, 3/309.}

[1] Tabrisi, 10/755; Ibn Ashur, 30/329.
[2] Mudarrisi, 18/139.
[3] Mudarrisi, 18/139.
[4] Tabrisi, 10/756.
[5] Uyun, 1/28, h. 53.
[6] Manaqib, 3/309.