أَلَم تَرَ كَيفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعادٍ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with [the people of] ʿĀd.
EXEGESIS
Qummī writes that the interrogative phrase alam tara (lit. did you not see) which is translated as Have you not considered, actually means alam taʿlam (lit. did you not know). Rāzī writes the same. The latter argues that the Prophet had not seen these three civilisations mentioned in this tranche of verses with his physical eyes and therefore the phrase ‘did you not see?’ refers to knowledge, i.e. ‘did you not know?’ He further writes that the stories of the people of ʿĀd, Thamūd, and Pharaoh were well known among the Arabs, having been transmitted to them in multiple, consecutive transmissions (tawātur), which engenders certain knowledge similar to witnessing by the physical eyes. He writes that the people of ʿĀd and Thamūd were past Arab communities, while the stories of the Pharaoh had been narrated to the Arabs by the People of the Book, in addition to which Egypt was a neighbouring civilisation and nation. Hence the Arabs at the time of the Prophet knew these past peoples well.
Rāzī’s statement could be understood in light of the following explanation. Arab genealogists divided the Arab tribes into the extinct (bāʾidah) and the extant (bāqiyah). The former are said to number some seven or eight tribes. Lists of the various names of these tribes are given in the sources; however, ʿĀd and Thamūd are always counted among them. The extinct Arabs are said to have become extinct or to have dispersed due to different factors such as strife, natural disasters, oppressive foreign powers, and – especially with regards to the ʿĀd and the Thamūd – due to divine punishment. The extant Arabs are known as the Arabic speaking Arabs (al-ʿarab al-ʿāribah), and the arabicised Arabs (al-ʿarab al-mustaʿribah). The former are identified as the Qahtanite Arabs whose origins lie in the Yemen. The well-known Sabaean and Himyarite kingdoms of South Arabia famed for their sophisticated civilisations belonged to this tribe. From time to time however, these southern Arabs had migrated from their habitat to other parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The arabicised Arabs are identified with the northern Arabs and the progeny of Prophet Ishmael (a), since Prophet Abraham (a) was a non-Arab, albeit a Semite who had settled his son Ishmael (a) in Mecca in antiquity.
Thus the people of ʿĀd and Thamūd were well known to the Arabs at the time of the Quranic revelations where they had become bywords for antiquity and the transience of all things, respectively. The person and poetry of Umayyah ibn Abī al-Ṣalt could be cited as an example of the Arabs’ familiarity with these past Arab communities. A contemporary of Prophet Muhammad (s) and probably older to him in age, he hailed from the oasis town of Taif, which falls to the south-east of Mecca. He is described as belonging to the group of the pre-Islamic monotheists known as the ḥunafāʾ. Despite being a monotheist, he is known to have been an antagonist of Prophet Muhammad (s). His poetry has been transmitted, which includes a rendition of the destruction of the ancient people of Thamūd. Apparently, he was known to compose poetry that treated religious and biblical subjects. Although not all the transmitted poetry ascribed to him has been judged authentic, portions of it have been critically studied and judged authentic and as originating from him, among which is the rendition of the destruction of the tribe of Thamūd.
With regards to the familiarity of the Arabs with the People of the Book, it is known that large Jewish communities lived in Yathrib (later renamed Medina), Khaybar, Wādī al-Qurā, and al-Taymāʾ, among other oases in west Arabia. Moreover, by the late sixth and early seventh century, not only had the inhabitants of Mecca and Medina become conversant with Christianity due to increased trade, but Christianity had also begun to make inroads in Mecca and Medina itself. Mecca of the sixth century CE is reported to have sported such Christian sites as the cemetery of the Christians (maqbarat al-naṣārā), the oratories of Mary (masājid maryam), and the station of the Christians (mawqif al-naṣrānī), in addition to the images of Jesus and Mary said to be located in the Kaaba.
Thus, in light of the aforementioned, Rāzī’s contention seems substantiated that the people of ʿĀd, Thamūd, and that of Pharaoh were well known to the Arabs contemporary to Prophet Muhammad (s) due to the details already cited. Consequently, Mudarrisi writes that this interrogative expression of alam tara tends to be used whenever something is crystal clear, manifestly apparent, and not needing clarification.
However, an alternative explanation has also been suggested for this interrogative phrase. It is observed that this interrogative form of expression, which in this verse is in the second person singular, is repeated frequently in different verses of the Quran with changes in person, and is often used in the Quran to draw attention to the signs of God, to express wonder, to call to reflection, and the consideration of something, rather than having a literal meaning, and the same could be intended here. Now, two verses in the Quran – 29:38 and 27:52 – mention that ʿĀd and Thamūd were a people whose evil fate was evident to the Holy Prophet’s contemporaries due to their existing ruined places which could be observed. Hence it could be argued that the interrogative phrase sought to draw attention to, and called for reflection and consideration of, the well-known ruins attributed to these past Arab peoples, their fate, and the reasons underlying it.
EXPOSITION
Verses 6-14, suggested to contain the predicate or the complement (muqsam ʿalayhi) to the four oaths which occur in the first four verses of this surah, present examples of some of the past intransigent communities that had been granted some capabilities as blessings from God but who were unfortunately beguiled by these capabilities. They engaged in disbelief, oppression, and arrogance. These verses then inform of the painful punishment meted out to these communities, which perished despite their strengths and capabilities. This description of specific past communities thus serves as a warning reminder to stubborn disbelievers in every age and place to pay heed, for otherwise they could meet a fate similar to those of the communities described here.
Although the person addressed in these verses is the person of Prophet Muhammad (s) since the mood of the verses is in the second person singular, yet the address is directed to all, for the Quranic verses were revealed for the guidance of mankind. Consequently, it could be argued that this verse, aiming to warn its immediate listeners – as well as subsequent listeners – but addressed to the Prophet as the first recipient of the revelations, is in the form of the dictum, ‘Though I am addressing you but listen and hearken O neighbour’.
The title ʿĀd is applied to an ancient people to which the Quran refers as the former [community of] ʿĀd (53:50). Ṭabrisī suggests that these people were named after their ancestor ʿĀd, just as the tribe of Banī Hāshim was named after a common ancestor, Hāshim.
These people are said to have inhabited the area of al-Aḥqāf (46:21), a vast, hilly, desert region which is said to have extended between Oman and Hadhramaut in the south of Arabia. The prophet that was sent to them was Prophet Hūd (a) (11:60, 26:124) who was from among them, and these people lived subsequent to the time of Prophet Noah (a) (7:69). It is also suggested that these people were of strong and powerful build (46:26, 11:52), of tall stature (7:69), and were therefore considered fierce warriors. They lived in urban habitations and their habitations were large, populous, and prosperous, consisting of lofty fortresses, while their lands were lush and green (26:129-135).
[1] Qummi, 2/419.
[2] Razi, 31/152.
[3] Arab Prophets of the Qur’an and the Bible, p. 40.
[4] Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam, p. 236.
[5] The Biography of the Prophet and the Orientalists, pp. 31-33.
[6] Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam, pp. 223-224.
[7] Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayyah b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamud, p. 2.
[8] Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayyah b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamud, p. 6.
[9] Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayyah b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamud, pp. 11-12.
[10] Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayyah b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamud, p. 6.
[11] Religious poetry from the Quranic milieu: Umayyah b. Abī l-Ṣalt on the fate of the Thamud, pp. 14-16.
[12] Pre-Islamic Arab Converts to Christianity in Mecca and Medina: An Investigation into the Arabic Sources, p. 67.
[13] Islam and Oriens Christianus: Makka 610-622 AD, pp. 12-13.
[14] Islam and Oriens Christianus: Makka 610-622 AD, pp. 12-13.
[15] Mudarrisi, 18/90.
[16] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 340.
[17] Razi, 31/152; Tibyan, 10/342; Tabrisi, 10/737; Irshād al-Adhhān, 1/598.
[18] Tabrisi.J, 6/486; Razi, 31/152.
[19] Arabic-English Dictionary of Qur’anic Usage, p. 652.