Surah An-Naml
Chapter 27 · Verse 48 · Revealed in Makkah
“And there were in the city nine family heads causing corruption in the land and not amending [its affairs].”
Translation: Saheeh International
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Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
The Plot of the Mischief-Makers and the End of the People of Thamud
Allah tells us about the evildoers of Thamud and their leaders who used to call their people to misguidance and disbelief, and to deny Salih. Eventually they killed the she-camel and were about to kill Salih too. They plotted to let him sleep with his family at night, then they would assassinate him and tell his relatives that they knew nothing about what happened to him, and that they were telling the truth because none of them had seen anything. Allah says:
وَكَانَ فِى الْمَدِينَةِ
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
تِسْعَةُ رَهْطٍ (nine persons - 27:48). The word رَهْطٍ (Raht) is used for a group. Here each of the nine persons is called Raht presumably because they were regarded superior among their clan for having wealth and dignity. Each one of them had his own separate group of people, hence they are called nine groups. They were known as the chiefs of Hijr, which was a city of the people of Salih (علیہ السلام) . Hijr was a well-known city of Syria.
What does this verse bring up for you today?