Tafsir of Al-Haqqah 69:7

"He subjected them upon them..." is an incipit provided to explain the manner of their destruction by the wind. It has been suggested that it is an additional description, and that it was brought forth to negate the misconception that it was due to the conjunctions of certain planets or their descent into specific lunar mansions. For even if the conjunctions that necessitate certain occurrences were to exist, it would be by His command—Exalted is He—and His causation, not by the essence of the stars themselves independently.

The cause that naturalists mention for the wind is the condensation of air in the direction toward which it turns, and the accumulation of parts of it upon others due to a decrease in its temperature. This reduces its expansion, causing it to condense and leaving most of the space it previously occupied empty. Alternatively, it is caused by a sudden gathering in the vapors dispersed in the air, leaving their places vacant. On both accounts, the adjacent air rushes with force to occupy that place, causing the wind to arise and persist until the space is filled and the air within it reaches equilibrium, at which point it subsides.

The speed of the wind varies in rapidity and slowness. According to some, the moderate wind traverses about a farsakh in one hour; the average wind, about four farsakhs; the strong wind, about eight farsakhs; what is stronger than that, called the ‘asif (gale), about seventeen farsakhs; and what is even stronger, called the mu’tafika (the upturner), about twenty-nine farsakhs. It may even traverse about thirty-six farsakhs in an hour; this is the most reported regarding the speed of the wind. They have developed an instrument which they claim to be a scale used to determine the strength or weakness of the wind's blowing, and this is not far from human capability. What they mention regarding the cause is similar to what you have heard earlier. The meaning of "He subjected them upon them" is that He—Exalted is He—empowered it over them by His power.

"...seven nights and eight days, husuman (in succession)..." That is, consecutively, as stated by Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Qatadah, and Abu Ubaydah. It is the plural of hasim, similar to shuhud (witnesses) as the plural of shahid (witness), derived from "one has hasam the animal," meaning he persisted in branding it for the ailment, one time after another, until it was eradicated (inhasama). It is a metaphorical usage (figurative) where the restricted term—which is the hasm (branding)—is applied to the absolute meaning of sequence. In al-Kashshaf, it is borrowed from hasm in the sense of branding; the days are likened to the brand, and the wind to the branding iron due to its association with them and its blowing during them. The persistence of its description is like the persistence of the description in expressions such as "a cold day" and "a hot day," etc., caused by the days—each blow of it is a branding, and their sequence is the sequence of the brandings until inhasam (eradication) is achieved, meaning the extraction of the ailment, which is the intended meaning. The meaning, after summarization, is: the blowing of the winds continued until it came upon them and eradicated them. Or, it means "ill-omened" or "sinister," as al-Khalil said. It is said the meaning is: "cutting off good through their ill-omen and misfortune," in which case the object of husuman is omitted. Or it means "they cut off," i.e., it cut off their roots and destroyed them down to the last of them, as Ibn Zayd said.

Al-Raghib said: Al-hasm is the removal of a thing by the trace of another. It is said: "He cut it, so he hasam it," meaning he removed its substance. By this, the sword is called husām. And the hasm of an ailment is the removal of its trace by cauterization. The misfortune that removes the trace of what it touches is called husūm. Regarding husūman in the verse, it is said it means: cutting off their trace; or cutting off their news; or cutting off their lives. All of this is included in its generality, so do not overlook this.

It is also possible that husūman is an infinitive (masdar) rather than the plural of hasim. Its accusative case is either due to an implicit verb as a state (hal), meaning: "He subjected them, eradicating them," or as a causal reason, meaning: "He subjected them for the sake of eradication," or as an adjective, meaning: "possessing husūm (eradicating qualities)." The infinitive interpretation is supported by the recitation of al-Suddi, hasuman (with a fathah on the ha), as a state of the wind, meaning: He subjected it, eradicating [them], necessitating it to be singular.

These were the "days of the old woman" (ayyam al-‘ajuz), from the morning of Wednesday, eight days remaining of Shawwal, until the sunset of the following Wednesday. They are called the "days of the old woman" because an old woman of ‘Ad hid in a burrow, and the wind snatched her on the eighth day and destroyed her, or because they are the "end" (‘ajuz) of winter, as al-‘ajuz also means the end. Their names are: al-Sinn, al-Sunbar, al-Wabar, al-Amir, al-Mu’tamir, al-Mu‘allil, Mutfi’ al-Jamr (extinguisher of embers), and Mutfi’ al-Za‘n (extinguisher of the travelers' departure). This eighth one was not mentioned by those who said they are seven, not eight, which is the preferred view.

"So you would see the people therein..." Meaning, if you were present at that time. The address here is hypothetical.

"...therein..." That is, in the days and nights. It is also said: in the paths of the wind, or in their dwellings. The first is more apparent.

"...prostrate..." That is, perished. It is the plural of sari‘ (fallen/prostrate).

"...as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees." Meaning, the bases of palm trees. Abu Nahik read it as a‘juz (on the measure of af‘ul like dab‘ and adbu‘). Al-Akhfash reported that it was recited as nakhil (with a ya).

"...hollow." Their insides became empty due to decay and corruption. Ibn Shajarah said: "The wind would enter through their mouths and expel what was in their insides—the contents—from their backs, so they became like hollow trunks of palm trees." Yahya ibn Salam said: "Their bodies were emptied of their souls, and so they became as such." Ibn al-Mundhir narrated from Ibn Jurayj that he said: "They were in torment for seven days, then on the eighth they died, and the wind cast them into the sea."

"And that is His saying, the Exalted..."