Al-Fajr (The Dawn): (6) Have you not seen how...

Regarding the Oath's Response

There are two interpretations concerning the response to the oath:

1. The response is the statement: {Indeed, your Lord is in wait/ambush} (إن ربك لبالمرصاد). The verses between the oath and this statement are considered an interjection (parenthetical clause).
2. The author of Al-Kashshaf suggests that the subject of the oath is omitted, and it is "We will surely punish the disbelievers." This is supported by the subsequent verses, starting from {Have you not seen...} up to {then your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment} (فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب). This second view is preferable because when the subject of the oath is unspecified, the mind wanders to various possibilities, which enhances the warning. When the punishment of the disbelievers is subsequently mentioned, it clarifies that this was the intended subject of the initial oath.

Regarding the verse: {Have you not seen...} (ألم تر)

There are two issues concerning this phrase:

It means "Have you not known" (ألم تعلم). This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) could not have physically witnessed the events concerning the people of 'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh. The term "seeing" (رؤية) is used here metaphorically for knowledge.

The news of 'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh was transmitted through widespread, continuous reports (Tawātur). 'Ad and Thamud were in the Arabian Peninsula, and the news about Pharaoh was heard by them from the People of the Book, as Pharaoh's lands were adjacent to the Arabian lands. News transmitted by Tawātur yields necessary knowledge (ʿilm ḍarūrī), which is equivalent to direct sight in its certainty, clarity, and freedom from doubt. Therefore, {Have you not seen} means "Have you not known."

Although this phrase appears to address the Prophet (PBUH) outwardly, it is general and applies to everyone who knows these accounts. The purpose of God mentioning their stories is to serve as a deterrent to the disbelievers against persisting in the actions that led to the destruction of 'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh and their people, and to encourage the believers to remain steadfast in their faith.

Regarding the verse: {‘Ad * Iram of the Pillars} (بعاد * إرم ذات العماد)

There are several issues here:

God mentions the stories of three groups of past disbelievers—'Ad, Thamud, and the people of Pharaoh—in a summarized manner here, stating: {then your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment} (فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب). He did not detail the nature of this punishment. In Surah Al-Haqqah, He clarified what was left ambiguous here, saying: {As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overwhelming blast. And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a fierce, raging wind... And Pharaoh and those before him and the overthrown cities came with sin.} (Al-Haqqah: 5-9).

'Ad was 'Ad ibn ʿAwṣ ibn Aram ibn Sām ibn Nūḥ. The term 'Ad became the name of the tribe, similar to how the descendants of Hāshim are called Hāshim. They referred to the earlier generations of this tribe as 'Ad al-Ūlā (the First 'Ad), as stated: {And that He destroyed ‘Ad, the first} (An-Najm: 50). The later generations were called 'Ad al-Ākhirah (the Last 'Ad).

As for Iram, it is the name of the ancestor of 'Ad. There are different opinions regarding its meaning here:

1. The early generations of the 'Ad tribe were called 'Ad al-Ūlā, so they were also named Iram after their ancestor.
2. Iram is the name of their city. Some say this city was Alexandria, and others say it was Damascus.
3. Iram refers to monuments or structures built by the people of 'Ad, resembling minarets or tombs. Abū al-Daqīsh said: Al-Arūm are the tombs of 'Ad, quoting poetry to support this.

Some critics reject the view that Iram was Alexandria or Damascus, arguing that the dwelling places of 'Ad were between Amman and Hadramawt, which are lands of sand and high ground (al-Aḥqāf), as mentioned in {And remember the brother of ‘Ad when he warned his people in Al-Ahqaf} (Al-Ahqaf: 21). Alexandria and Damascus are not lands of sand.

Iram is a diptote (does not take tanwīn) whether it refers to the tribe or the land, due to both the proper noun status and the feminine ending (implied by the structure, though not explicitly a tā’ marbūṭah in this form, it is treated as such for grammatical reasons related to proper names of places/tribes).

There are two possibilities:

1. If Iram is the name of the tribe, then {Iram} is an apposition (ʿaṭf bayān) to ‘Ad, indicating they were the ancient, first 'Ad.
2. If Iram is the name of the city or the monuments, the implied structure is "the people of 'Ad of Iram" (بعاد أهل إرم), where the possessor (the noun ahl) is omitted, and the possessed (إرم) takes its place, similar to {And ask the town} (واسئل القرية) (Yusuf: 82). This is supported by Ibn al-Zubayr's recitation: ‘Āda Iram (with iḍāfah—genitive construction).

Al-Hasan recited it as ‘Āda Iram (both with fatḥa on the dāl). It was also recited as ‘Ād Iram (with sukūn on the dāl) for abbreviation, similar to the recitation of {your paper money} (بورقكم) (Al-Kahf: 19). It was also recited as ‘Āda Iram Dhāt al-ʿImād (with iḍāfah between Iram and Dhāt al-ʿImād). Another recitation has it as an apposition to the verb of your Lord: "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with 'Ad, making Dhāt al-ʿImād into dust."

Regarding the phrase: {Possessor of the Pillars} (ذات العماد)

There are two issues concerning this phrase:

1. If Iram refers to the tribe: They were nomadic people living in tents and huts, which necessarily require ʿimād (pillars/columns). ʿImād here could be the plural of ʿamad (pillar), or it could mean they were tall in stature, likening their figures to columns. Alternatively, it means they possessed magnificent structures.
2. If Iram refers to the city: It means the city possessed great asāṭīn (columns/pillars), i.e., tall buildings supported by columns. They used to erect columns and build palaces upon them, as indicated by the description: {Do you build on every high place a monument for amusement?} (Ash-Shuʿarā’: 128), meaning a sign or a lofty structure.

It is narrated that 'Ad had two sons, Shaddād and Shadīd, who ruled and conquered. When Shadīd died, the dominion passed to Shaddād, who ruled the world, and kings submitted to him. Hearing about Paradise, he resolved to build its like. He built Iram in a desert near Aden over 300 years. He lived for 900 years. It was a magnificent city with palaces of gold and silver, pillars of emerald and ruby, and contained all types of trees and rivers. When the construction was complete, he set out with his kingdom's people. When he was one day and one night's journey away, God sent a single cry from the sky, and they were destroyed.

It is narrated that 'Abdullāh ibn Qilābah sought his lost camels and reached Shaddād's Paradise. He took what he could carry. When news reached Muʿāwiyah, he summoned him. Ibn Qilābah recounted the story. Muʿāwiyah asked Kaʿb, who confirmed it was Iram Dhāt al-ʿImād. Kaʿb prophesied that a Muslim man, red-haired, fair-skinned, short, with a mole on his eyebrow and another on his neck, would come seeking his camels, and indeed, Ibn Abi Qilābah was that man.

Regarding the verse: {which the like of which was not created in the lands} (التى لم يخلق مثلها فى البلاد)

To what does the pronoun hā (it/her) refer? There are several views:

1. 'Ad themselves: God did not create anyone like 'Ad in the lands in terms of massive physique and great strength. A man among them was 400 cubits tall and could carry a huge rock and throw it upon a gathering, destroying them.
2. Shaddād's City: God did not create a city like Shaddād's city anywhere in the world. Ibn al-Zubayr recited: {which God did not create the like of it} (لم يخلق الله مثلها), referring to God not creating its like.
3. The Pillars (العماد): The pronoun refers to the pillars; God did not create pillars like those in the lands. In this case, ʿImād is the plural of ʿamad.

The purpose of this narrative is to deter the disbelievers. God destroyed them because of their disbelief and rejection of the Messengers, despite the unique qualities they possessed (great strength, magnificent structures). If they were destroyed despite these advantages, then the disbelievers today, who are weak, should be even more fearful if they persist in their disbelief.

Regarding the verse: {And Thamud, who carved out the rock in the valley} (وثمود الذين جابوا الصخر بالواد)

Al-Layth said that Jāb (جاب) means cutting something, like cutting open a garment's opening (jayb). Al-Farrā’ added that they say yujīb jīban (to cut). Ibn ʿAbbās said they traversed the lands, cutting them, and making houses and reservoirs from them, as mentioned in {and you carve out mountains into dwellings} (Al-Aʿrāf: 74). It is said that Thamud were the first to carve mountains, rocks, and marble, and they built 1,700 cities, all made of stone. Muqātil said that {in the valley} (بالواد) refers to the Valley of Villages (Wādī al-Qurā).

Regarding the verse: {And Pharaoh, possessor of the pegs} (وفرعون * ذى * الاوتاد)

A full exposition of this is found in Sūrat Ṣād. Here, we mention a few interpretations:

1. He was called the possessor of pegs due to the large number of his soldiers and their encampments, where they drove pegs when they stopped.
2. He used pegs to torture people, tying them to them until they died. It is narrated from Abū Hurayrah that Pharaoh drove four pegs for his wife, placed a millstone on her chest, and exposed her to the sun. She raised her head to the sky and prayed: "My Lord, build me a house near You in Paradise." God revealed her house in Paradise, and she saw it.
3. Dhū al-Awtād means possessing firm dominion and strong men, as a poet said: "In the shade of a firmly pegged dominion."
4. Qatādah narrated from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr from Ibn ʿAbbās that the pegs were places of recreation where people played beneath them for Pharaoh's sake.

Know that the statement is open to all these meanings. God revealed to His Messenger that all these things—great might, powerful speech, and large numbers—did not prevent a great destruction from befalling them. This is why He said: {who transgressed in the lands} (الذين طغوا فى البلاد).

The pronoun in {who transgressed} might refer specifically to Pharaoh (as it immediately follows him), or it might refer to all those previously mentioned ('Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh), which is the more likely interpretation.

The best grammatical analysis is that it is in the accusative case (نصب) as an object of condemnation (dhamm). It could also be in the nominative case (رفع) as a predicate (i.e., "they were those who transgressed"), or in the genitive case (جر) as an adjective describing 'Ad, Thamud, and Pharaoh.

{who transgressed in the lands} (طغوا فى البلاد) means they committed sins and acted tyrannically toward God's prophets and the believers. Their transgression is then explained by: {and spread much corruption therein} (فأكثروا فيها الفساد). Just as righteousness encompasses all forms of good deeds, corruption encompasses all forms of sin. Whoever acts against God's command and judges His servants unjustly is a corrupter.

Then God said: {then your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment} (فصب عليهم ربك سوط عذاب). It is said that the whip was poured upon them, covered them, or struck them repeatedly. Mentioning the whip is an allusion to the great punishment they received in this world being merely a whip compared to the punishment prepared for them in the Hereafter, just as a whip is insignificant compared to other forms of torment.

Al-Qāḍī said that the comparison is to the whip that falls repeatedly upon the struck person, leading to their destruction. Al-Hasan, when reciting this verse, used to say: "God has many whips, and He took them with one of them."

If someone asks: Does not the verse {And if Allah were to impose punishment upon the people for their wrongdoing, He would not leave upon it any moving creature} (An-Nahl: 61) imply that the full recompense is delayed until the Hereafter? How can these two verses be reconciled?

The answer is that this verse implies the completion of the recompense is delayed until the Hereafter, while what occurs in this world is a portion or a precursor to that punishment.

Then God said: {Indeed, your Lord is in wait/ambush} (إن ربك لبالمرصاد). This was previously discussed in relation to the verse {It was a place of waiting} (An-Naba’: 21). Al-Mirṣād is the place where the watcher lies in wait (mifʿāl from raṣadahu), like mīqāt from waqatahu. This is a metaphor for God lying in wait for the disobedient with punishment, ensuring they cannot escape Him. Some Arabs, when asked, "Where is your Lord?" replied, "In Al-Mirṣād."

The commentators have several views on this:

1. Al-Hasan said: He lies in wait for the deeds of the children of Adam.
2. Al-Farrā’ said: To Him is the final return.

These two views apply generally to both believers and disbelievers. Some commentators restrict this verse either to the warning for disbelievers or the warning for sinners:

• Al-Zajjāj restricted it to the disbelievers: He lies in wait with punishment for those who disbelieve in Him and turn away from obedience.
• Al-Ḍaḥḥāk restricted it to the sinners: He lies in wait for the people of injustice and sin.

These views are closely related.

Al-Fajr (The Dawn): (7) As for man, when his Lord tries him...

{As for man, when his Lord tries him, honors him, and grants him blessings, he says, "My Lord has honored me." But as for when He tries him and restricts his provision for him, he says, "My Lord has degraded me."} (فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه ونعمه فيقول ربىأكرمن * وأمآ إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه فيقول ربىأهانن)