What Does Shahrur Say?
In his presentation of the story of Salih, Shahrur writes that Thamud was “a tribe of the extinct Arabs,” associating it with the early ʿĀd, Jurhum, and Midian. He then states that these tribes “all existed before Ishmael,” attributing this view to the author of “The History of the Beginning and the End.”
Muhammad Shahrur, The Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2
Atlas Explanation
Here, the phrase serves a classificatory function: Thamud is not presented as a group separate from an earlier historical context, but is included among the “extinct Arabs” who preceded Ishmael. Its association with ʿĀd, Jurhum, and Midian is an association within this description; the passage itself provides no evidence that Thamud descended from ʿĀd.
History, Development, and the Laws
Qualified Inference
This classification may be read as part of Shahrur’s use of the narratives to connect figures and peoples to a broader historical context. This is an inference from the way he presents the matter here, not an independent judgment on the accuracy of the historical ordering.
The Qur’anic narrative reveals historical laws and the role of human beings in them
Open Question and Limits of the Evidence
Is it historically valid to classify Thamud, ʿĀd, Jurhum, and Midian within a single framework, or to place them before Ishmael? This passage does not settle the question; it reports a view attributed to “The History of the Beginning and the End.” Nor does this passage cite the verse “successors after ʿĀd,” or establish that Thamud were remnants of ʿĀd.
The Qur’anic Narratives, vol. 2 · The Qur’anic narrative reveals historical laws and the role of human beings in them