After mentioning these people, and their worship and obedience, Allah says,
[أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ
فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ ]
(Saw you not how your Lord dealt with `Ad) These were people who were
rebellious, disobedient, arrogant, outside of His obedience, deniers of His
Messengers and rejectors of His Scriptures. Thus, Allah mentions how He
destroyed them, annihilated them and made them legends to be spoken of and an
exemplary lesson of warning. He says,
[أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ
فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ - إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ ]
(Saw you not how your Lord dealt with `Ad Iram of the pillars,) These were
the first people of `Ad. They were the descendants of `Ad bin Iram bin `Aws bin
Sam bin Nuh. This was said by Ibn Ishaq. They are those to whom Allah sent His
Messenger Hud. However, they rejected and opposed him. Therefore, Allah saved
him and those who believed with him from among them, and He destroyed others
with a furious, violent wind.
[سَخَّرَهَا
عَلَيْهِمْ سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَـنِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ حُسُوماً فَتَرَى الْقَوْمَ
فِيهَا صَرْعَى كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ خَاوِيَةٍ - فَهَلْ تَرَى لَهُم مِّن
بَاقِيَةٍ ]
(Which Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession,
so that you could see men lying overthrown, as if they were hollow trunks of
date palms! Do you see any remnants of them) (69: 7-8) Allah mentioned their
story in the Qur'an in more than one place, so that the believers may learn a
lesson from their demise. Allah then says,
[إِرَمَ ذَاتِ
الْعِمَادِ ]
(Iram of the pillars.) This is an additional explanation that adds
clarification who they actually were. Concerning His saying,
[ذَاتِ
الْعِمَادِ]
(of the pillars.) is because they used to live in trellised houses that were
raised with firm pillars. They were the strongest people of their time in their
physical stature, and they were the mightiest people in power. Thus, Hud
reminded them of this blessing, and he directed them to use this power in the
obedience of their Lord Who had created them. He said,
[وَاذكُرُواْ إِذْ
جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَآءَ مِن بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِى الْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً
فَاذْكُرُواْ ءَالآءَ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ]
(And remember that He made you successors after the people of Nuh and
increased you amply in stature. So remember the graces from Allah so that you
may be successful.)(7:69) Allah also said,
[فَأَمَّا عَادٌ
فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَقَالُواْ مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا
قُوَّةً أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْاْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ الَّذِى خَلَقَهُمْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُمْ
قُوَّةً]
(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.) (41:15) And Allah says here,
[الَّتِى لَمْ
يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ ]
(The like of which were not created in the land) meaning, there had been none
created like them in their land, due to their strength, power and their great
physical stature. Mujahid said, "Iram was an ancient nation who were the first
people of `Ad.'' Qatadah bin Di`amah and As-Suddi both said, "Verily, Iram
refers to the House of the kingdom of `Ad.'' This latter statement is good and
strong. Concerning Allah's statement,
[الَّتِى لَمْ
يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ ]
(The like of which were not created in the land) Ibn Zayd considered the
pronoun of discussion here to refer to the pillars, due to their loftiness. He
said, "They built pillars among the hills, the likes of which had not been
constructed in their land before.'' However, Qatadah and Ibn Jarir considered
the pronoun of discussion to refer to the tribe (of `Ad), meaning that there was
no tribe that had been created like this tribe in the land - meaning during
their time. And this latter view is the correct position. The saying of Ibn Zayd
and those who follow his view is a weak one, because if He intended that, He
would have said "The like of which were not produced in the land.'' But He said:
[لَمْ يُخْلَقْ
مِثْلُهَا فِى الْبِلَـدِ]
(The like of which were not created in the land.) Then Allah says,
[وَثَمُودَ الَّذِينَ
جَابُواْ الصَّخْرَ بِالْوَادِ ]
(And Thamud, who hewed (Jabu) rocks in the valley) meaning, they cut the
rocks in the valley. Ibn `Abbas said, "They carved them and they hewed them.''
This was also said by Mujahid, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd. From this
terminology it is said (in the Arabic language), "the hewing of leopard skin''
when it is torn, and "The hewing of a garment'' when it is opened. The word
`Jayb' (pocket or opening in a garment) also comes from Jabu. Allah says,
[وَتَنْحِتُونَ مِنَ
الْجِبَالِ بُيُوتاً فَـرِهِينَ ]
(And you hew in the mountains, houses with great skill.) (26:149)
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