Surah Al-Qamar — Verse 25

Word Meanings:

• الذِّكْر (Adh-Dhikr): The revelation and divine message, specifically the prophecy and the Qur'an.
• أَشِر (Ashir): Arrogant, insolent, and overbearing; one who is swollen with pride and behaves tyrannically due to his arrogance.

Explanation of the Verse:

The people of Thamud, in their denial and mockery, questioned how the Prophet Salih (peace be upon him) could receive the divine revelation and be chosen for prophethood from among them all. They said: "Has the message been sent down upon him alone, out of all of us, while we are more deserving of it than him?" They rejected the idea that an ordinary man from their midst could be singled out by Allah for such a great honor. Then they added, "Rather, he is a liar, arrogant and insolent," accusing him of fabricating his message and behaving with pride and tyranny.

Their words revealed their deep arrogance and envy. They measured prophethood by worldly standards—wealth, status, and lineage—rather than by Allah's wisdom and choice. They failed to recognize that Allah selects whom He wills for His mercy and guidance, and that His choice is based on divine knowledge, not human preference.

The verse carries a powerful lesson: the disbelievers' rejection was not based on evidence or reason, but on pride and self-importance. They could not bear that someone they considered their equal—or even their inferior in their eyes—would be elevated to such a rank. Yet, the Qur'an records their words as a testimony against them, and the following verses reveal the consequence of their arrogance: they would soon see who the true liar and insolent one was when the punishment descended upon them.

A Call to Reflection:

This verse invites every soul to ponder the nature of arrogance and its destructive end. How often do we reject truth simply because it comes from someone we consider "ordinary" or "less than us"? Allah, in His infinite wisdom, chooses the humblest of people to carry the greatest of messages, so that no one may claim superiority by wealth or lineage. Islam teaches us to submit to Allah's choice and to embrace humility, for arrogance was the first sin ever committed—when Iblis refused to bow to Adam, saying, "I am better than him." Let this verse be a reminder that true honor lies not in status, but in faith and righteousness. And let us thank Allah for His guidance, which He grants to whom He wills, and ask Him to keep our hearts free from the disease of pride.