Al-Furqan: (38-39) And 'Ad and Thamud...

Issue 1: Grammatical Attachment of {‘Ād}

The word {‘Ād} is either conjoined to the pronoun {hum} (them) in {wa ja‘alnāhum} (and We made them), or to {al-ẓālimīn} (the wrongdoers), implying the meaning: "And We promised the wrongdoers."

Issue 2: Reading of {Thamūd}

The word {Thamūd} is read in two ways:

1. With the case ending indicating the tribe (as a proper noun for the people).
2. In the accusative case, interpreted as referring to the tribe (as a collective noun) or because it is the name of the progenitor (the ancestor).

Issue 3: The Meaning of al-Rass (The Well/The Burial)

Abu ‘Ubaydah said that al-Rass means a well that has not been lined (or constructed). Abu Muslim said that there is a place in the land called al-Rass, so it is possible that this valley was their dwelling place. Among the Arabs, al-Rass means burial, and the digging is also called rass. One says rassa al-mayyit (he buried the dead) when he is hidden in the pit. In exegesis, it is stated to be a well. Whatever the case, Allah informed us about the people of al-Rass that they were destroyed. (End quote).

Issue 4: Interpretations Regarding the People of al-Rass

The exegetes have mentioned several views regarding the People of al-Rass:

1. First View: They were idolaters who owned wells and livestock. Allah sent Shu‘ayb (peace be upon him) to them. When they persisted in their transgression and harming him, Allah caused the ground to swallow them and their dwellings while they were gathered around the well of al-Rass.
2. Second View: Al-Rass was a village in the region of Yamāmah. They killed their prophet and were subsequently destroyed, being the remnants of Thamūd.
3. Third View: They were the people of the Prophet Ḥanẓalah ibn Ṣafwān, who were afflicted by the ‘Anqā’ (a giant bird, so named for its long neck). This bird used to nest on their mountain, called Fatḥ, and would swoop down on their young children, snatching them if other prey was scarce. Ḥanẓalah prayed against it, and lightning struck it. Afterward, they killed Ḥanẓalah, and thus they were destroyed.
4. Fourth View: They were the People of the Trench (Aṣḥāb al-Ukhdūd), and al-Rass refers to the trench itself.
5. Fifth View: Al-Rass is Antioch, where they killed Ḥabīb al-Najjār, or it is said they kadhabūhu (rejected him) and rassūhu fī bi’r (cast him into a well), meaning they thrust him into it.
6. Sixth View (from ‘Alī, peace be upon him): They were a people who worshipped a pine tree. They were named the People of al-Rass because they rassū (buried/thrust) their prophet into the earth.
7. Seventh View: The People of al-Rass were people who had villages along a river called al-Rass in the East. Allah sent them a prophet from the descendants of Judah, son of Jacob. They rejected him. He remained among them for a long time and complained to Allah about them. So, they dug a well and cast him into it, saying, "We hope our Lord will be pleased with us." They spent most of their day hearing the groans of their prophet saying, "My God and my Master, You see the narrowness of my place, the severity of my distress, the weakness of my heart, and the scarcity of my means. Hasten the taking of my soul so that I may die." Allah then sent a violent, intensely red storm wind. The earth beneath them turned into burning sulfurous rock, and a black cloud overshadowed them, melting their bodies like lead melts.
8. Eighth View (Narrated by Ibn Jarīr from the Prophet, peace be upon him): Allah sent a prophet to the people of a village, and none believed except a black slave. Then they attacked the Prophet, dug a well for him, and threw him into it, covering him with a huge stone. That slave used to gather firewood, buy food and drink for the Prophet, lift the rock, and lower the provisions to him as Allah willed. One day, while carrying his bundle, he felt sleepy and lay down. Allah caused him to sleep for seven years. When he awoke, he stretched and turned to his other side and slept for another seven years. Then he woke up, carried his bundle, thinking he had only slept for an hour. He went to the village, sold his bundle, bought food and drink, and went to the pit, but found no one. His people had already extracted the Prophet, believed in him, and confirmed him. The Prophet used to ask them about the black man, and they would say, "We do not know his condition," until Allah took the Prophet’s soul and the black man’s soul. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "That black man will be the first to enter Paradise."

Know that the soundest opinion is that of Abu Muslim: none of these narrations are established by the Qur’an or by a strongly authenticated report. However, whatever their situation, Allah informed us that they were destroyed due to their disbelief.

Issue 5: The Length of a Generation (Qarn)

Al-Nakha‘ī said a generation is forty years. ‘Alī (peace be upon him) said seventy years, and it is also said one hundred and twenty years.

Issue 6: The Meaning of {Bayna dhālik} (Between that)

The phrase {bayna dhālik} refers to what was previously mentioned. A speaker might mention various things and then point to them with dhālik, or a calculator might count numerous figures and then say, "So that is such and such," meaning that which has been calculated or counted.

As for His saying: {Wa kulla(n) ḍarabnā lahu al-amthāl} (And to all of them We set forth examples), this means We clarified things for them and removed their excuses. When they rejected the truth, We utterly destroyed them (tabbīran).

It is also possible that {Wa kulla(n) ḍarabnā lahu al-amthāl} means We responded to the doubts they raised in rejecting the Messengers, just as your people, O Muḥammad, raised doubts. When that was ineffective, We utterly destroyed them. Thus, Allah warns His people, the people of Muḥammad (PBUH), against persisting in disbelief, lest the same fate that befell those nations befall them, both swiftly and later.

Issue 7: The Case of {Kallā} (Nay/Indeed)

The first {Kallā} is in the accusative case due to what is implied by {ḍarabnā lahu al-amthāl} (We set forth examples for them), which is an implied command like "We warned them" or "We cautioned them." The second {Kallā} is accusative because it is the object of the verb {tabbarnāhum} (We destroyed them).

Issue 8: The Meaning of Tadbīr

Al-Tadbīr means shattering and breaking into pieces. From this root is al-Tibr, which means fragments of gold, silver, or glass.

The Fourth Story: The Story of Lot (Peace Be Upon Him)