قالوا إِنّا تَطَيَّرنا بِكُم ۖ لَئِن لَم تَنتَهوا لَنَرجُمَنَّكُم وَلَيَمَسَّنَّكُم مِنّا عَذابٌ أَليمٌ

They said: ‘Indeed we take you for a bad omen. If you do not relinquish, we will stone you, and surely a painful punishment will visit you from us.’

EXEGESIS

Taṭayyarnā (we take a bad omen) is from the infinitive taṭayyur, which literally means to set birds to fly. When the Arabs desired to set about an affair, they passed by the places where birds lay upon the ground and roused them in order to learn by the direction of their flight whether they should proceed or refrain. They augured a bad omen if they flew left. Later, taṭayyur was used generally for a bad omen. They also augured evil from the croaking of the crow and from the motions of gazelles.^{‎[1]Lane, p. 1904.}

La-narjumannakum (surely we will stone you) is a conjugate of the verb rajama, which has an implicit subject pronoun (we) and an attached object pronoun kum (you). The lām of emphasis is repeatedly used to indicate their swearing and determination to kill and torture the messengers without hesitation.

The infinitive rajm literally means throwing or casting of stones. However, it is used to indicate the act of slaying in any manner but specifically putting to death by stoning. Another meaning of rajm could indicate the act of reviling, insulting, and abusing, and uttering foul or evil speech against someone. The third meaning signifies the act of driving away, expelling, or placing away at a far distance, such as Satan, who was expelled from the mercy of God, and hence he is called rajīm (abundantly accursed one). The fourth meaning is to speak out of conjecture as in the verse, They will say: ‘[They are] three; their dog is the fourth of them.’ They will say: ‘[They are] five, their dog is the sixth of them,’ taking a shot at the invisible (rajman bil-ghayb) (18:22), which in this context means taking a wild guess or speaking conjecturally of that which is hidden or unknown.^{‎[2]Lane, p. 1048.}

Some other prophets in the Quran were also threatened to be stoned by their people, such as Prophet Shuʿayb (a) (11:91) and Prophet Abraham (a) (19:46).

EXPOSITION

When the blind-hearted people of the town were unable to respond rationally to the arguments of the messengers, they claimed their presence had caused misfortune and a bad omen for them. Thus, they threatened them that if they did not quit preaching, they would stone them, or as some exegetes say, defame them and inflict painful torture upon them.^{‎[3]Tabrisi, 8/655.}

Apparently, when the messengers arrived and were rejected, the people of the town were struck by difficulties and misfortune as a divine warning. Qurṭubī indicates that they did not have rainfall for an extended period of time and did not pay heed to it. Neglecting that their sins could have caused such problems, they considered the messengers to be the cause of their misfortune and for bringing a bad omen. 

And surely a painful punishment will visit you from us may refer to death by stoning, which is a painful execution, or it may mean that they would torture them severely before stoning them. They thought that the messengers would submit to their threats, but they did not realise that the messengers of God never submit to threats. On the contrary, their perseverance increases. The moment they take on the mission of God, they are ready to sacrifice their lives and everything they own.^{‎[4]Amthal, 14/150.}

A message that can be learned from this verse is that one should submit to reality, accept the truth, and repent instead of using irrational excuses and the language of threat with the people who invite to God. When faced with difficulties, they should turn to God and rely upon Him while observing patience and believing that fate is in the hands of God and according to His will, which is caused by our deeds rather than false perceptions of omen and bad luck.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. The Messenger of God said: ‘Taking bad omen is polytheism.’ He also said: ‘The best of omens is the good deed.’^{‎[5]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}
2. The Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever abstains from doing whatever he needs to do due to a bad omen, has committed an act of polytheism.’^{‎[6]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}
3. The Messenger of God said: ‘Whoever goes out intending to travel but [changes his mind and] returns due to taking bad omen, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad (s).’^{‎[7]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}
4. The Messenger of God said: ‘The one who predicts a bad omen and the one who seeks it, the fortune tellers and those who seek it, and those who do magic and those for whom magic is done, are not from us.’^{‎[8]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}
5. It has been narrated that the Holy Prophet used to instruct whoever saw something that he hated and considered it a bad omen to say: ‘O God, no one can bestow the good except You, and no one can push away the evil except You, and there is no power [to prevent evil] and no strength [to do good] except through You.’^{‎[9]Bihar, 77/153.}
6. Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) said: ‘The bad omen is how you make it; if you belittle it, it will be belittled, and if you were tightened to it, it would be tightened [upon you and affect you], and if you consider it nothing, it will be nothing.’^{‎[10]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}
7. The Messenger of God said: ‘The atonement of considering a bad omen is reliance on God.’ He also said: ‘If there is something that could cause a bad omen, it would be the tongue.’^{‎[11]Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The people of the town were of the view that a false oath would cause misfortune. So when they saw the messengers swearing an oath that was false in their view, they took it as a bad omen and regarded it as the cause of their misfortunes and calamities, so they threatened the messengers with stoning.^{‎[12]Razi, 26/262.}

There are two probabilities in their threats of rajm. The first probability could be pelting with words such as cursing them, so they may have meant: we will curse you and then torture you. So, they would have hurt and punished the messenger in two ways: verbally and physically. The second probability is pelting with stones as was practiced by many ancient nations towards rebellious sinners and outlaws, as mentioned previously. Death by stoning was in itself severely painful torture, and thus there was no punishment more severe than that.^{‎[13]Razi, 26/262.}

The evil response of the people of the town was due to their corrupt intellect, love of vices, obedience of lust, and acceptance of the guidance of Satan who promises them deprivation, commands them to practice immorality, makes them think wrongly about God, and imposes them to abandon God, truth, and righteousness, and their rejection of the messengers of God. Therefore, those who allow the whispers of Satan to overtake their intellect and do not resist it would be inflicted with calamities and punishments. One of those punishments would be that they would despise the people of truth and consider them a bad omen, whereas, on the contrary, they are the cause of eternal mercy and gladness. A person who wishes to confront Satan’s destructive and immoral whispers should embed the degradation of worldly materialism and its seekers in his perfect enlightened intellect. In addition, he should listen to godly servants who gave up materialism and all those who could bring him closer to God, and accompany them.^{‎[14]Sadra, 5/54.}

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens [or augury], engages in witchcraft.^{‎[15]Deuteronomy 18.}
2. Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it. Do not practice divination or seek omens.^{‎[16]Leviticus 19.}
3. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practised divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do devil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.^{‎[17]2 Kings 17.}
4. My hand will be against the prophets who see delusion and announce lying omens.’^{‎[18]Ezekiel 13.}
5. Jesus told his Disciples, ‘Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and all nations will hate you because of me.’^{‎[19]Matthew 24.}
6. Some of the Disciples of Jesus were stoned; As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, “Lord Jesus, please welcome me!” He knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t blame them for what they have done.” Then he died.^{‎[20]Acts 7.}
7. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.^{‎[21]Acts 14.}

[1] Lane, p. 1904.
[2] Lane, p. 1048.
[3] Tabrisi, 8/655.
[4] Amthal, 14/150.
[5] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[6] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[7] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[8] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[9] Bihar, 77/153.
[10] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[11] Muhammad Rayshahri, Mīzān al-Ḥikmah, 2/1760.
[12] Razi, 26/262.
[13] Razi, 26/262.
[14] Sadra, 5/54.
[15] Deuteronomy 18.
[16] Leviticus 19.
[17] 2 Kings 17.
[18] Ezekiel 13.
[19] Matthew 24.
[20] Acts 7.
[21] Acts 14.