Tafsir Surah Ash-Shu'ara' ayah 123

Hud's preaching to His People `Ad

Allah tells:

كَذَّبَتۡ عَادٌ الۡمُرۡسَلِينَ

إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

وَمَا أَسۡأَلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍ

إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

`Ad denied the Messengers. When their brother Hud said to them:

Will you not have Taqwa! Verily, I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. So, have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it; my reward is only from the Lord of all that exists.

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Hud, when he called his people `Ad. His people used to live in the Ahqaf, curved sand-hills near Hadramawt, on the borders of Yemen. They lived after the time of Nuh, as Allah says in Surah Al-A`raf:

وَاذكُرُواۡ إِذۡ جَعَلَكُمۡ خُلَفَأءَ مِن بَعۡدِ قَوۡمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمۡ فِى الۡخَلۡقِ بَسۡطَةً

And remember that He made you successors after the people of Nuh and increased you amply in stature. (7:69)

This refers to the fact that they were physically strong and well-built, and very violent, and very tall; they had also been given a great deal of provisions, wealth, gardens, rivers, sons, crops and fruits. Yet despite all of that, they worshipped others besides Allah. So Allah sent Hud, one of their own, as a Messenger bringing them good news and delivering warnings. He called them to worship Allah alone, and he warned them of Allah's wrath and punishment if they were to go against him and treating him harshly.

He said to them, as Nuh had said to his people:

أَتَبۡنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ايَةً تَعۡبَثُونَ

Do you build on every Ri` an Ayah for your amusement!

The scholars of Tafsir differed over the meaning of the word Ri`. In brief, they said that it refers to an elevated location at a well-known crossroads, where they would build a huge, dazzling, sturdy structure, this is why he said:

أَتَبۡنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ ايَةً

(Do you build on every Ri` an Ayah) i.e., a well-known landmark,

تَعۡبَثُونَ

(for your amusement), meaning, `you are only doing that for the purpose of frivolity, not because you need it, but for fun and to show off your strength.'

So their Prophet, peace be upon him, denounced them for doing that, because it was a waste of time and exhausted people's bodies for no purpose, and kept them busy with something that was of no benefit in this world or the next.

He said:

وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَخۡلُدُونَ

And do you get for yourselves Masani` as if you will live therein forever!

Mujahid said,

This means fortresses built up strong and high and structures that are built to last.

لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَخۡلُدُونَ

as if you will live therein forever,

means, `so that you may stay there forever, but that is not going to happen, because they will eventually cease to be, just as happened in the case of those who came before you.'

وَإِذَا بَطَشۡتُم بَطَشۡتُمۡ جَبَّارِينَ

And when you seize (somebody), seize you (him) as tyrants.

They are described as being strong, violent and tyrannical.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

So, have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me.

`Worship your Lord and obey your Messenger.'

Then Hud began reminding them of the blessings that Allah had bestowed upon them.

He said:

وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُم بِمَا تَعۡلَمُونَ

أَمَدَّكُم بِأَنۡعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ

وَجَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ

إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ عَذَابَ يَوۡمٍ عَظِيمٍ

And have Taqwa of Him, Who has aided you with all that you know. He has aided you with cattle and children, and gardens and springs. Verily, I fear for you the torment of a Great Day.

meaning, `if you disbelieve and oppose (your Prophet).'

So he called them to Allah with words of encouragement and words of warning, but it was to no avail

The Response of the People of Hud, and Their Punishment

Allah tells us how the people of Hud responded to him after he had warned them, encouraged them, and clearly explained the truth to them.

قَالُوا سَوَاء عَلَيۡنَا أَوَعَظۡتَ أَمۡ لَمۡ تَكُن مِّنَ الۡوَاعِظِينَ

They said:It is the same to us whether you preach or be not of those who preach.

meaning, `we will not give up our ways.'

وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِتَارِكِى ءالِهَتِنَا عَن قَوۡلِكَ وَمَا نَحۡنُ لَكَ بِمُوۡمِنِينَ

And we shall not leave our gods for your (mere) saying! And we are not believers in you. (11:53)

This is how it was, as Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ سَوَاءٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَأَنذَرۡتَهُمۡ أَمۡ لَمۡ تُنذِرۡهُمۡ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ

Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe (2:6)

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ حَقَّتۡ عَلَيۡهِمۡ كَلِمَةُ رَبِّكَ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ

Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe. (10:96-97)

And they said:

إِنۡ هَذَا إِلاَّ خُلُقُ الاَۡوَّلِينَ

This is no other than Khuluq of the ancients.

Some scholars read this:Khalq.

According to Ibn Mas`ud and according to Abdullah bin Abbas -- as reported from Al-Awfi -- and Alqamah and Mujahid, they meant,

What you have brought to us is nothing but the tales (Akhlaq) of the ancients.

This is like what the idolators of Quraysh said:

وَقَالُواۡ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ اكۡتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمۡلَى عَلَيۡهِ بُكۡرَةً وَأَصِيلً

And they say:Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon. (25:5)

And Allah said:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ إِنۡ هَـذَا إِلاَّ إِفۡكٌ افۡتَرَاهُ وَأَعَانَهُ عَلَيۡهِ قَوۡمٌ ءَاخَرُونَ فَقَدۡ جَأءُوا ظُلۡماً وَزُوراً

وَقَالُواۡ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ

Those who disbelieve say:This is nothing but a lie that he has invented, and others have helped him in it. In fact, they have produced an injustice and a lie.

And they say:Tales of the ancients... (25:4-5)

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ مَّاذَا أَنزَلَ رَبُّكُمۡ قَالُواۡ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ

And when it is said to them:What is it that your Lord has sent down

They say:Tales of the ancient! (16:24)

Some other scholars recited it,

إِنۡ هَذَا إِلاَّ خُلُقُ الاَۡوَّلِينَ

(This is no other than Khuluq of the ancients), as Khuluq,

meaning their religion.

What they were following was the religion of the ancients, their fathers and grandfathers, as if they were saying:

We are following them, we will live as they lived and die as they died, and there will be no resurrection and no judgement.

Hence they said:

وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ

And we are not going to be punished.

Allah's saying;

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهۡلَكۡنَاهُمۡ

So they denied him, and We destroyed them.

meaning, they continued to disbelieve and stubbornly oppose Allah's Prophet Hud, so Allah destroyed them.

The means of their destruction has been described in more than one place in the Qur'an:

Allah sent against them a strong and furious wind, i.e., a fiercely blowing wind that was intensely cold. Thus the means of their destruction was suited to their nature, for they were the strongest and fiercest of people, so Allah overpowered them with something that was even stronger and fiercer than them, as Allah says:

أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ

إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الۡعِمَادِ

Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with `Ad of Iram Possessors of the pillars. (89:6-7)

This refers to the former `Ad, as Allah says:

وَأَنَّهُ أَهۡلَكَ عَاداً الاٍّولَى

And that it is He Who destroyed the former `Ad. (53:50)

They were descendents of Iram bin Sam bin Nuh,

ذَاتِ الۡعِمَادِ

(Possessors of the pillars),

They used to live among pillars.

Those who claim that Iram was a city take this idea from Israeli narrations, from the words of Ka`b and Wahb, but there is no real basis for that.

Allah says:

الَّتِى لَمۡ يُخۡلَقۡ مِثۡلُهَا فِى الۡبِلَـدِ

The like of which were not created in the land. (89:8)

meaning, nothing like this tribe was created in terms of might, power and tyranny.

If what was meant was a city, it would have said,

The like of which was not built in the land.

And Allah says:

فَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَاسۡتَكۡبَرُواۡ فِى الاٌّرۡضِ بِغَيۡرِ الۡحَقِّ وَقَالُواۡ مَنۡ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاۡ أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِى خَلَقَهُمۡ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنۡهُمۡ قُوَّةً وَكَانُواۡ بِـَايَـتِنَا يَجۡحَدُونَ

As for `Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said:Who is mightier than us in strength!

See they not that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them. And they used to deny Our Ayat! (41:15)

And Allah says:

وَأَمَّا عَادٌ فَأُهۡلِكُوا بِرِيحٍ صَرۡصَرٍ عَاتِيَةٍ

سَخَّرَهَا عَلَيۡهِمۡ سَبۡعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُومًا

And as for `Ad, they were destroyed by a wind, Sarsar `Atiyah! Which Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days Husum, (in succession). (69:6-7)

meaning, consecutively (i.e., seven nights and eight days).

فَتَرَى الۡقَوۡمَ فِيهَا صَرۡعَى كَأَنَّهُمۡ أَعۡجَازُ نَخۡلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ

so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date palms! (69:7)

means, they were left as headless bodies, because the wind would come and carry one of them, then drop him on his head, so that his brains were spilled out, his head was broken and he was thrown aside, as if they were uprooted stems of date-palms. They used to build fortresses in the mountains and caves, and they dug ditches half as deep as a man is tall, but that did not help them against the command of Allah at all.

إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَأءَ لَا يُوَخَّرُ

Verily, the term given by Allah, when it comes, cannot be delayed. (71:4)

Allah says here:

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَأَهۡلَكۡنَاهُمۡ

(So they denied him, and We destroyed them).

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً

وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّوۡمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.

And verily your Lord, He is indeed the Almighty, the Most Merciful.

Ash-Shu'ara': 123

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Ash-Shu'ara': 123