HISTORY OF TABARI VOLUME 2 PART 2

HISTORY OF TABARI
VOLUME 2

TARIKH WA RASUL AL MULK



  According to `Abdallah b. Abi Ziyad-Rawh--Saiid b. Abi `Arubah-Qatadah-al-Hasan-Samurah: The Prophet said, "Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth [Yafith].11 'Abdallah continues : Rawh said, "Go, keep in your memory [the name] Yafith." But I once heard it pronounced Yafit. This tradition has been related on the authority of 'Abd al-Ma b. 'Abd al A`la-Said-Qatadah-al-Hasan-Samurah and `Imran b. Hasin-the Prophet.

  According to 'Imran b. Bakkar al-Kala`i-Abu al-YamanIsmail b. 'Ayyash-Yahya b. Said: I heard Said b. al-Musayyib saying, "Noah begat three, each one of whom begat three: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Shem begat the Arabs, Persians, and Byzantines, in all of whom there is good. Japheth begat the Turks, Slavs, Gog, and Magog, in none of whom there is good. Ham begat the Copts, Sudanese, and Berbers."

  It is related by Damrah b. Rabi`ah-Ibn `Ata'-his father: Ham begat all those who are black and curly-haired, while Japheth begat all those who are full-faced with small eyes, and Shem begat everyone who is handsome of face with beautiful hair. Noah prayed that the hair of Ham's descendants would not grow beyond their ears , and that wherever his descendants met the children of Shem, the latter would enslave them.

  The people of the Torah claim that Shem was born to Noah when the latter was five hundred years old. Then Arpachshad was born to Shem when Shem was one hundred and two years old. According to what has been asserted, Shem lived for six hundred years altogether. Then Qaynan was born to Arpachshad, and Arpachshad lived four hundred and thirty-eight years. Qaynan was born to Arpachshad when he was past the age of thirty-five, and Shelah in turn was born to Qaynan after the latter was thirty- nine . The length of Qaynan' s life is not given in the books with the others, because of the reason we have mentioned. [72. The biblical Kenan (Qaynin) was the son of Enosh son of Seth son of Adam. See Gen 5 and I Chron i. No other occurrence of the name is found in the Bible, asTabari states] Then Eber was born to Shelah after Shelah was thirty. Shelah lived four hundred and thirty - three years in all. Then Peleg was born to Eber , as was Peleg ' s brother Joktan. Peleg was born forty years after the flood.

  When the people had become more numerous they planned, in spite of their recent experience with the flood , to build a city so large it would contain them all so that they would not have to disperse , or a tall edifice which would save them from drowning if the flood came again . Mighty and powerful God desired to weaken and disappoint them in order to teach them that power and strength were His . So He dispersed them and scattered their company and separated their languages.

  Eber lived four hundred and seventy-four years. Then Reu was born to Peleg, and Peleg lived two hundred and thirty-nine years . When Reu was born to Peleg the latter was past thirty. Then Serug was born to Reu. Reu lived two hundred and thirtynine years, and Serug was born to him after he had passed the age of thirty- two. Then Nahor was born to Serug , whose life spanned two hundred and thirty years , Nahor being born to him when he was thirty . Following that, Terah, the father of Abraham, was born to Nahor. This name was the one Terah's father had given him , but when Terah became Nimrod's custodian of the treasury of his gods , he named him Azar. It has been said that Azar was not the name of Abraham ' s father , but was rather the name of an idol; this latter tradition is related on the authority of Mujahid . [73. See above, n. 55] It has also been said that the word czar means "crooked" and that he disgraced him with it . This was after twenty - seven years of Nahor ' s life had passed. Nahor lived two hundred and forty - eight years in all. Abraham was born to Terah . Between the Flood and Abraham ' s birth, one thousand and seventy- nine years elapsed . Some people of the book say that the period between the Flood and Abraham's birth was one thousand two hundred and sixty - three years, and that this was three thousand three hundred and thirty-seven years after the creation of Adam.

  To joktan the son of Eber was born Ya'rub and Ya ' rub begat Yashjub b . Ya'rub and Yashjub begat Saba' b. Yashjub and Saba' begat Himyar b. Saba' and Kahlan b. Saba' and 'Amr b. Saba' and al-Ash'ar b. Saba' and Anmar b. Saba' and Murr b. Saba' and 'Amilah b. Saba'. 'Amr b. Saba' begat 'Adi b. 'Amr and 'Adi begat Lakhm b. 'Adi and Judham b. 'Adi.

  Some Persian genealogists claim that Noah was the same person as Afaridhun who overcame al-Azdahaq and deprived him of his rule, while others claim that Afaridhitn was Dhu alQarnayn, the companion of Ibrahim [74. Generally identified with Alexander of Macedonia, but Muslim commentators also hold him to have been a contemporary of Abraham- thus distinguishing an earlier and a later figure by this name. Thus the Dhu al-Qamayn mentioned here is the earlier figure bearing this name, who is considered by some commentators to have been a prophet , by others merely a devout, believing ruler . See Ell, s.v. al-Iskandar ; Shorter Encyc., 175-6, s.v. al-Iskandar; ibid., 76, s.v. Dhu'l-Kamain; Friedlander, Die Chadhirlegende, 294 ff.] who achieved at Beersheba what God mentioned in His book. Others say that he was Sulaiman b. Daud. I mention Afaridhiin here only because of the statement which I previously quoted about him-the statement to the effect that he was Noah. His story was similar to Noah's in that he, too, had three sons, was a just man, comported himself well, and was reportedly responsible for destroying al-Dahhak. It is said that Noah killed al-Dahhak when he was sent ( on his mission '. This is according to the statement of the one whom I mentioned . It is also said that Noah was sent only to his own people, and that this was the people of al-Dahhak.

  As for the Persians, they ascribe to him the genealogy I mention. That is to say, they claim that Afaridhun was a descendant of jam Shadh, the king whom al-Azdahaq slew. We have already explained the story of Jam Shadh. Between Afaridhun and jam were ten ancestors. [75. So in Anklesaria , 295, where the entire genealogy of ten generations is given . Each figure in the genealogy lived for one hundred years, thus equaling the one thousand years of the evil reign of al-Dahhak.]

  According to Hisham b. Muhammad b. al-Sa'ib: We received word that Afaridhun-who was of the stock of jam, the king before al-Dahhak, and asserted that he was the ninth of  jam's sons and that his birthplace was in Danbawand-went forth until he came to the dwelling of al-Dahhak, and he seized the latter , and bound him up, and ruled for two hundred years. He turned back injustices and commanded the people to worship God and (to act with) equity and benevolence. He directed his attention to the lands and other things which al-Dahhak had seized from the people by force, and he returned them all to their owners except when the owner could not be found. When that happened he endowed the property for the poor and the common people. It is said that he was the first to name the food- animals, and the first to concern himself with medicine and with the stars, and that he had three sons . The eldest was named Sarm, the second Tuj, and the third lraj. [76. In Iranian tradition the three sons are called Salm (see n . gr, below), Tuj (Tur), and Airaj( Iraj). See Dinkart 8, IX, x 8.] Afaridhun feared that his sons would not agree with one another and would wrong each other, so he divided his kingdom into three parts among them. He indicated the division by means of arrows on which the names of the regions were written. [77. This division by means of arrows does not occur in the Shahnameh, where Afaridhun simply divides the realm among his three sons.] He  then ordered each one of them to choose an arrow. Byzantium and the region to the west fell to Sarm; the Turks and Chinese to Tuj; while the third son, Iraj, received Iraq and India.

  Afaridhun handed over the crown and the throne to him and then died, whereupon Iraj's two brothers fell upon him and killed him. Between them they ruled the world for three hundred years. The Persians assert that Afaridhun had ten forefathers, all of whom were named Athfiyan. [78. See Anklesaria, loc. cit. The name, given here and in other Arabic texts as Athfiyan, is there Aspyan.] They reportedly did that out of fear of what al-Dahhak might do to their descendants. This was because they possessed a narrative prophesying that one of them would snatch al-Dahhak's rule from him, thereby avenging jam . They were known and distinguished by the nicknames which they were given. One of them was called Athfiyan owner of the red cattle. Another was Athfiyan owner of variegated cattle. There was Athfiyan owner of such-andsuch cattle. He was Afaridhun son of Athfiyan Burkaw, [79. An Arabic rendering of Persian purgaw, "possessor of many cows."] the meaning of which is "owner of much cattle," son of Athfiyan Naykkaw, [80. Persian nekgaw, " good cow."] meaning "owner of excellent cattle," son of Athfiyan Sirkaw, [81. Persian sirgaw, "full, well-fed cow."] meaning "owner of big, fat cattle," son of Athfiyan Burkaw, [82. Persian burgaw, "bay, reddish-brown cow Bundahishn, 295: borgaw.] meaning "owner of cattle which are the color of wild asses," son of Athfiyan Akhshin Kaw, [83. Meaning unclear] meaning "owner of yellow cattle," son of Athfiyan Siyahkaw , [84. Siyahgaw or Siyahgaw in Persian; Bundahishn, 295: siya gaw] meaning "owner of black cattle," son of Athfiyan Asbidh Kaw, [85. Asfidgaw or Sefidgaw in Persian ; Bundahishn, loc. cit: sped gaw.] meaning "owner of white cattle," son of Athfiyan Kabarkaw, [86. Meaning unclear. Perhaps gabz/kabz, "big or grand of body;" op. cit.: gepr gaw] meaning "owner of ash-grey cattle," son of Athfiyan Ramin, [87. Persian ramakin/ ramakin, " one whose cattle are in herds;" ibid.: ramagaw.] meaning "every variety of color and of herds," son of Athfiyan Banfarusan son of jam al-Shadh.

  It is said that Afaridhun was the first to be named with kay,88 for he was called Kay [88. Kay, New Persian, probably from Avestan k avi . A title used by the second dynasty of Persian kings, the Kayinids (Achaemenids). Afaridhun belonged to the first dynasty, the Pishwdidi kings or "primordial monarchs."] Afaridhun. Kay may be explained as meaning "pure, free from blemish," just as when ruhdni is said, they mean by it that its subject is virtuous, pure, infallible, and related to spiritual things. It is also said that the meaning of kay is "anything seeking defect." Some assert that kay has to do with "splendor" and that splendor covered Afaridhun when he slew al-Dahhak. The Persians mention that he was a large, handsome, splendid, experienced man, and that most of his fighting was done with an iron mace topped with the head of an ox. They say also that the reign of his son Iraj over Iraq and its vicinity was during his lifetime, and that Iraj's days are thus included in Afaridhun's reign. He was the ruler of all the climes and he wandered through the lands. When he sat upon his busy themselves with being just and spreading goodness  among themselves . He urged them to be grateful and devoted to God. He appointed seven men to the rank of Quhiyari [89. Persian kuhyar for kuhzad or kuhdad, one who is born or created in the mountain." Afaridhun was reared in the mountains as a child, where he was hidden from al-Qahhik.] 'meaning " those who transform the mountains." Each of them was given a region in Danbawand and elsewhere as a sort of conveyance of property.

  They say that when Afaridhun captured al-Dahhak, the latter said to him, "Do not kill me, by your grandfather jam!" afaridhun, disapproving of his words, said to him, "Your ambition became lofty and great within you, and you let it lead you on and coveted it for itself." He informed al-Dahhak that his father was too great a man to be compared with him (alDahhak). He told al-Dahhak that he would kill him with an ox which was in his grandfather's house. [90. That is, the ox-headed mace mentioned above.]

  It is said that Afaridhun was the first to tame elephants and ride them, and to produce mules , and to use geese and pigeons. He was also the first to treat with theriac , to fight enemies and to kill and banish them. It is further reported that he divided the earth among his three sons Tuj , Salm, [91. As in the Persian sources. Seen. 76, above.] and Iraj . He gave Tuj sovereignty over the lands of the Turks, Khazars, and Chinese, and this region was called Sin Bugha . [92. The text reads Sinbughaw . Probably Sinbagh but written with an extra-iw, perhaps by analogy with the - giw suffix of the names above.] He also attached to Sin Bugha the regions adjoining it. To his second son Salm he assigned rule over the Byzantines , the Slavs, the Bulgars, and whatever was within their borders.

  He apportioned the middle of the earth and its cultivated land-that is, the clime of Babylon which they called Khunirath [93. Actually used as the name of Afaridhun ' s realm, it refers to Middle Persian Khwanirah ! from Avestan, Kh"aniratha !, the "central , inhabited continent of the earth ." See Noldeke, Nationalepos.]-to Iraj, his youngest son and the one most beloved to him. He did that after he had attached to that clime the areas contiguous with it-Sind, Hind, the Hijaz, and the like. For that reason the clime of Babylon was named Iranshahr. In it,throne on the day he took power, he said, "We are those who are victorious, by God's help and assistance, over al-Dahhak; those who subdue Satan and his minions." Then he exhorted the people and ordered them to deal equitably and to too, enmity broke out between the descendants of Afaridhun and their children thereafter. The kings of Khunarath and the Turks and the Byzantines began to fight and to seek each other out over questions of spilled blood and inheritance.

  It is said that when Tuj and Salm learned that their father had favored Iraj and given him precedence over them, they showed great hatred to him and grew more and more envious of him. Eventually they attacked their brother Iraj, and together they killed him. Tuj threw a lasso at him and strangled him. This is why the Turks have used the lasso ever since. [94. A reference to the struggle between the Iranians, descendants of Iraj, and the Turanians , descendants of Tur (Tuj(, which occupies the whole of the mythical portion of the Shahnameh . Afaridhun lives to see his grandson Manuchihr avenge Iraj's death by killing both of his uncles, Salm/Sarm and Tur/Tuj. According to the Shahnameh Tur slew Iraj with a dagger, not a lasso.]

  Iraj had two sons , called Wandan and Istawanah , as well as a daughter named Khuzak, whose name some give as Khushak. [95. The text reads Khuzak. In Persian, Vanidar and Anastob are the sons, and Gum(g) is the daughter. Tabari's rendering Khuzak is probably due to a misreading of kh for i =g.] Tuj and Salm slew Iraj's two sons with their father, but the daughter survived. It is said that the day Afaridhun overcame al-Dalihak was Ruz Mihr of Mihr-Mah, and the people adopted that day as a festival to celebrate the end of alDahhak's oppressive rule over them. They named it al-Mihrjan. [96. See n . 21, above.]

  It is said that Afaridhun was a just ruler , and also a giant; he was nine spear- lengths tall, each spear -length being three fathoms, his waist was three spear -lengths wide , and his chest was four spear- lengths wide. It is also said that he pursued the followers of  Nimrod and the Nabateans who remained in the Sawad; he chased after them until he tracked their leaders down and wiped out the last trace of them. His rule lasted five hundred years.




 Account of The Events Which Took
Place between Noah and Abraham,
the Friend of the Merciful



  We have previously mentioned what happened to Noah and his children, and how they divided the earth among themselves after Noah died, as well as which areas each inhabited and where in the world they lay. Some peoples became tyrannical and insolent against God and Noah. God sent a messenger to them, but they did not believe him, and they persevered in their error, so God destroyed them. These were two tribes descended from Aram b. Sheen b. Noah. One of them was 'Ad b. Uz b. Aram b. Shem b. Noah, also called 'Ad the First, and the second was Thamud b. Gether b. Aram b. Sheen b. Noah. They were the 'aribah Arabs.

As for 'Ad:

  God sent them Hud [97. The prophet Hud is the earliest of the five "Arab " prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, where his story is repeated in several places . See surahs 7:65-72; 11:50- 60; 26 : 123-40; 46:21; and stirah 11, which is named for him. For a discussion of his genealogy and current theories of identification, see E12, s.v. Hud. His story occurs in Tha'labi, Qisas, 53-57, and in Kisa' i, 109-117.] b. 'Abdallah b. Ribah b. al-Khalud b. 'Ad b. Uz b. Aram b. Shem b. Noah. Some genealogists claim that Hud was Eber b. Shelah b. Arpachshad b. Shem b. Noah. The 'Ad tribe had three idols which they worshipped, one of which they called Sada, another Samud, and the third al-Haba' [98. Both Tha 'labi and Kisa l agree with Tabari on two of these names, but have Hird instead of Samud.] Hud called upon them to recognize God's oneness and to worship only Him and none other , and to abandon the unjust treatment of people, but they did not believe him. They said, "Who is stronger than we?" And only a few of them believed in Had. When they persisted in their rebelliousness Hud exhorted them, saying to them, "Do ye build on every high place a monument for vain delight? And do ye seek out strongholds, that haply ye may last for ever? -And if ye seize by force, do ye seize as tyrants ? Rather, do your duty to God and obey me. Keep your duty toward Him who has given you what you know, has given you cattle and sons and gardens and watersprings. I fear for you when the retribution of an awful day comes." [99. Qur'an, 16 :124-135.] Their answer to him was to say, "It is all one to us whether you preach or are not one of those who preach. [100.Ibid ., 16:136.] They said to him, "0 Hud! You have brought us no clear proof and we are not going to forsake our gods on your say - so. We do not believe in you. We believe only that one of our gods has possessed you in an evil way." [I01.Ibid ., 11:53-54.]

  As has been mentioned, God held back rain from them for three years , and they began to suffer because of this , and sent a delegation to pray for rain . Part of their story according to Abu Kurayb-Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyash-'ASim-Abu Wi'il-al-Harith b. Hassan al-Bakri: I was on my way to the Messenger of God when I passed by a woman in al-Rabdhah. [102. Or al - Rabadhah, a place in the vicinity of al-Madinah on the way to Mecca. See Yaqut, Mu'jam, IT, 749.] She said, "Will you carry me to the Messenger of God?" I said yes, and I carried her until I reached al-Madinah . I entered the mosque and there was the Messenger of God on the platform. Bilal [103. Bilal b . Rabah, an early convert to Islam, of Abyssinian origin. He became a companion of the Prophet, serving as his "mace -bearer," steward, and personal servant, accompanying him on all military expeditions.] was there wearing a sword, and there were black banners. I said , " What is this?" They said, "'Amr b. al-'As has returned from his raid."

  When the Messenger of God descended from the platform I went to him and asked his permission to speak. He granted it to me, and I said, "0 Messenger of God! At the gate is a woman of the Banu Tamim who asked me to carry her to you." He said, "0 Bilal! Give her leave." I entered and when I had sat down the Messenger of God said to me, "Was there any trouble between you [that is, your tribe] and Tamim?" I said, "Yes, and luck turned against them. If you think that you should place the desert between us and them, then do so." The woman said, "And if someone harms you, who will avenge you, 0 Messenger of God?" I said, "I am like the scapegoat which carries wrongs. Did I carry you so that you should be an adversary to me? God forbid that I should be like the delegation of 'Ad!" The Messenger of God said, "And what is the delegation of 'Ad?" I said, "Because of the Omniscient One, you have forgotten that 'Ad suffered drought and sent some people to pray for rain . In Mecca they passed by Bakr b. Mu'awiyah, who gave them wine to drink, and whose two slave girls sang their praises for a month. then they sent a man from his place to the mountains of Mahrah, [104. An area of southern Arabia . See Yaqut, Mu',am , IV, 700.] where he prayed, and clouds appeared. And whenever the clouds appeared, he would say, "Go to so-and-so." Then one cloud appeared, and a voice proclaimed, "Take them [meaning the clouds] as fine and copious ashes; leave no one of 'Ad alive." The man heard this but hid the news from them (that is, from 'Ad) until the punishment befell them.

  According to Abu Kurayb, Abu Bakr later said regarding the account of 'Ad: The one who came to them set out, then he came to the mountains of Mahrah and ascended and said, "0 God! I have not come to You for a captive whom I ask You to redeem, nor for a sick person whom I ask You to heal, but to ask You to give rain to 'Ad as You used to." Then some clouds rose up before him from which a voice said, "Choose!" He said, "Go to Banu so-and-so." Then the last of them passed by, a black rain cloud, and the man said, "Go to'Ad." Then a voice proclaimed from it, "Take it as fine and copious ash, do not leave anyone from 'Ad!" He concealed what he had heard from 'Ad while the people were drinking with Bakr b. Mu'awiyah. Bakr b. Mu'awiyah did not want to tell them (of their tribe's destruction) because they were with him; eating his food, so he began to sing and thereby made them aware.

  According to Abu Kurayb-Zayd b. Hubab Salaam Abu alMundhir al-Nahawi-'Asim-Abu Wa'il-al-Harith b. Yazid al-Bakri: I went forth to complain about al-'Ala' b. al-Hadrami to the Messenger of God. I passed by al-Rabdhah and there was an old woman of the Banu Tamim abandoned there. She said, "0 'Abdallah! I need something from the Messenger of God. Can you bring me to him?" So I carried her and we reached alMadinah. Abu Ja'far said, "I think that was I." I saw black banners, so I asked, "What is wrong with the people?" They replied, "They want him to send'Amr b. al Ash somewhere." So I sat until he finished. Then he entered his house (or, in another version, his dwelling). I asked permission to speak and he granted it. I entered and sat down and the Messenger of God said, "Was there any trouble between you and Banu Tamim?" I responded, "Yes, and fortune was against them. I passed by alRabdhah and saw one of their old women abandoned there. She asked me to carry her to you, and she is at the gate now." The Messenger of God granted her permission to come in, and she did so. I said, "0 Messenger of God! Place al-Dahna' between us and Banu Tamim as a barrier!" [105. An area west of al-Bahrayn and north of al- Yamimah. The Banu Tamim were located to the west of this area, i.e., nearer to al-Madinah. The wish expressed here is that they might be to the east of al-Dahna'-a desert area. See Brice, Atlas, 19.] The old woman became furious and excited, and she said, "Where will you force the one who harmed you, 0 Messenger of God?" I said, "I am like the one whom people call 'a scapegoat bearing sins.' I carried this one and did not dream that she would be an adversary to me. I pray to God and His Messenger that I not be like the emissary of 'Ad!" He said, "And what is the emissary of 'Ad?" I said, "Because of the Omniscient One it slipped your mind." But he was making me relish the tale, so I said, "'Ad was suffering drought and sent Qayl as an emissary. He stopped with Bakr, who gave him wine to drink for a month, and two slave girls whom they called the 'two locusts' sang for him. Then he went out to the mountains of Mahrah and proclaimed, 'I did not come for a sick person, to cure him, nor for a captive, to redeem him, 0 God! Give rain to 'Ad as You used to give it!' And black rain clouds passed by him, and from them a voice proclaimed, 'Take them as fine and copious ash, let no one of 'Ad remain!' The woman was saying, 'Do not be like the emissary of 'Ad,' for I have heard that no more wind was sent against them, 0 Messenger of God, than the amount that would blow in my ring." Abu Will also reports this story.

   As for In Ishaq, he said what Ibn Humayd told us: Salamah heard from him that when the drought befell 'Ad, they prepared a delegation to Mecca from among themselves to ask for rain . So they sent Qayl b. 'Anz and Luqaym b. Huzal b. Huzayl b. 'Utayl b. Dadd, the elder son of 'Ad, and Marthid b. Sa'd b. Ufayr, who was a Muslim but hid his conversion, and Jalhamah [106. Kisa ' i, 113, has Jahlamah.] b. al-Khaybari, the maternal uncle of his mother's brother Mu'awiyah b. Bakr. Then they sent Luqman b. 'Ad b. so-and-so b. so-and-so b. Dadd b. 'Ad the Elder. Each of these men went forth accompanied by a group of his relatives, so that the entire delegation numbered seventy men.

  When they arrived at Mecca they alighted at the home of Mu'awiyah b. Bakr in the outskirts of Mecca, he having come out of the sanctuary. He sheltered them and honored them, since they were his maternal uncles and in-laws. Huzaylah bt. Bakr was the sister of Mu'awiyah b. Bakr by both his father and his mother, just as Lahdah bt. al-Khaybari was to Luqaym. She had borne him four sons: 'Ubayd b. Lugaym b. Huzal, 'Amr b. Luqaym b. Huzal, 'Amir b. Lugaym b. Huzal, and 'Umayr b. Luqaym b. Huzal. They were with their maternal uncles in Mecca with the family of Mu'awiyah b. Bakr-they were ultimately the only survivors from 'Ad.

  When the 'Ad delegation alighted at the home of Mu'awiyah  b. Bakr they remained with him for a month, drinking wine while the "two locusts ," two female singers of Mu awiyah b. Bakr, sang to them . Their journey took a month , and their stay lasted a month . Mu`awiyah saw how long they remained, while their people had sent them to seek aid against the tribulation which had befallen them. It distressed him, and he said, "My uncles and in-laws have perished while these are staying with me. But they are my guests, who have alighted at my home, and by God, I do not know what to do. I would be ashamed to order them to go away and do what they were sent to do, for then they would realize that they are exasperating me by staying with me while those of their people who stayed behind perish of trouble and thirst." He complained of this to his two female singers, the "locusts ," and they said, " Compose a poem about this and we will sing it to them. They will not know who composed it, but it may make them leave." Mu awiyah b. Bakr accepted their suggestion and recited,

Woe unto you, 0 Qayl, woe! Arise and murmur softly "perhaps God will water us with a light cloud

And He will water the land of `Ad." Indeed 'Ad have become unable to pronounce words

From the terrible thirst; both the old and the young have lost hope

Their women were well off but now their women are longing for milk

And wild beasts approach them openly and fear no arrow from any member of 'Ad

While you remain here with whatever you desire all day and all night long.

May God make ugly your delegation of a people may they receive neither greeting nor peace!

  When Mu`awiyah had recited that song, the "two locusts" sang it to the delegation. When they heard it they said to each other, "Our people have sent us only to seek help through us against this tribulation which has descended upon them, but we have delayed. Let us enter the sanctuary and seek rain for our people!" Marthid b. Sa'd b. 'Ufayr said, "By God! You will not be sent rain through your prayers, but if you obey your prophet and return to him, then you will be given rain." In saying this, he revealed to them the fact that he had converted to Islam. When Jalhamah b . al-Khaybari, the maternal uncle of Mu ' awiyah b. Bakr, heard these words and realized that Marthid b. Sa'd was a follower of Hud, he said:

0 Abu Sa'd, you are of a noble tribe and your mother is of Thamud
Whereas we will never obey you as long as we live, nor will we do what you desire.
Do you ask us to abandon the religion of Rafd and Rami and the family of Dadd and the 'Ubud?
To abandon the religion of noble forefathers who possessed ideas , and to follow the religion of Hud?

  Rafd, Raml, and Dadd were clans of 'Ad, as was al-'Ubud.

   Jalhamah b. al-Khaybari said to Mu'awiyah b. Bakr and his father Bakr, "Restrain Marthid b. Sa'd from [going with] us. We will not let him go to Mecca with us, since he is a follower of the religion of Hud and has abandoned our religion." Then they set out for Mecca to ask for rain for 'Ad there. After they had  left, Marthid b. Sa'd went forth from the dwelling of Mu'awiyah to follow them. He caught up with them in Mecca before they had prayed for anything. When he reached them he arose to pray to God while the delegation of 'Ad was gathered together praying. He said, "0 my God! Grant me my request alone, and do not include me in anything for which the delegation of 'Ad asks.

  " Qayl b. 'Anz was the chief of the delegation of 'Ad. The delegation of 'Ad prayed, "0 God! Grant unto Qayl b. 'Anz whatever he asks of you! And place our request together with his request."

  Luqman b. 'Ad, the master of 'Ad, remained apart from the delegation . Then, when they had completed their prayer, he said, "0 God! I have come to you with my own need, so grant me my request." Whereas when Qayl b. 'Anz prayed, he said, "0 our God! If Hud is telling the truth, give us rain, for we have acted wrongfully and we have perished." So God brought forth three clouds, one white, one red, and one black, and someone proclaimed to Qayl from the clouds, "0 Qayl! Choose from among these clouds for yourself and your people." Qayl replied, "I choose the black cloud, for it is the cloud fullest of water." Thereupon a voice proclaimed to him:

You have chosen fine, copious ash, which will not spare anyone of 'Ad
It will leave neither parent nor child, but it will make them all extinct
Except for Banu al -Lawdhiyyah, the rightly-guided.

  The Banu al-Lawdhiyyah were the children of Luqaym b. Huzal b. Huzaylah, daughter of Bakr. They lived in Mecca together with their maternal uncles, and were not with the rest of the 'Ad in their land, for they were the other 'Ad. They were the only 'Ad people who survived. God sent the black cloud, which Qayl b. 'Anz had chosen, with the vengeance it carried against 'Ad. It came toward them from a valley of theirs called al-Mughith. [107. See n. 70, above.] When they saw it, they took it for a good omen and said, "Here is a cloud bringing us rain." God said, "Nay, but it is that which ye did seek to hasten, a wind bearing painful torment, destroying all things by commandment of its Lord" [108. Qur'an, 46:24-25.] that is to say, destroying everything which it was commanded to destroy. The first one to realize what was in it and to know that it was an ill wind was a woman of 'Ad called Muhaddid.[ 109. The name means "menacing, threatening," from the basic root meaning "to break, crush, demolish."]  When she discerned what was in it, she screamed and lost consciousness. When she awoke they said, "What did you see, 0 Muhaddid?" She replied, "I saw a wind which had something like fire in it. There were men in front of it, leading it."

  God "employed it against them for seven long nights and eight long days," [110. Qur'an, 69 : 7. In Arabic : Sab'a layalin wa-thamaniyata ayyamin husuman.] as God has said; al-lhusam means "lasting." It left no one alive of 'Ad, whereas Had and those believers who were with him hid themselves in an enclosure. None of it struck him or those with him except what would be gentle to the skin and pleasant to the soul . It passed from 'Ad, piercing everything between heaven and earth, marking everything with stones. The delegation of 'Ad left Mecca and traveled until they passed by Mu'awiyah b. Bakr and his father, and they stopped there. While they were with him, a man approached on a camel on a moonlit night , the third evening after the smiting of 'Ad. He told them what had happened, and they asked, "And where did you part from Had and his companions?" He said, "I parted from them at the seacoast." And while they were doubting what he had told them, Bakr's daughter Huyzaylah said, "He is telling the truth, by the Lord of Mecca! And Muthawwib b. Yaghfur, son of my brother Mu'awiyah b. Bakr is with them."

  It has been said-and God knows best-that when Marthid  b. Sa'd, Lugman b. 'Ad, and Qayl b. 'Anz prayed in Mecca, they were told, "You were granted your desire, so choose for yourselves, except that there is no path to eternal life; death is inevitable." And Marthid b. Sa'd said, "0 Lord! Grant me righteousness and truth." And he was granted that. Lugman b. 'Ad said, "Grant me life!" But he was told, "There is no way to eternal life, so choose for yourself the length of existence of sheep droppings, or a boar on a mountain, or a rugged place on which only a trickle flows, or of seven eagles ." [111. The eagle or vulture, nasr, was reputed to live one thousand years, and symbolizes long life in Arabic poetry . This story of Lugman and the eagle occurs in Tha ' labi, Qisas, 56-57, but not in Kisa'i.] So Luqman chose for himself the eagles, and it is asserted that he did indeed live the lifespan of seven eagles. He would take the fledgling as it emerged from its egg, keeping the male for its strength until , when it died, he would take another. He continued doing this until he reached the seventh. It is said that each eagle lived eighty years. When only the seventh remained, a brother' s son said to Luqman, "0 uncle ! Only this eagle's life span remains of the span of your life." And Luqman said to him, "O nephew! This is Labad!" Labad in their language meant " time " or "fate ." When death overtook Lugman' s eagle and his life ended , the (other) eagles flew in the morning from the mountaintop , but Labad did not rise with them. Those eagles of Lugman's were always with him, and never left him. When Luqman did not see Labad fly up with the other eagles, he rose to go to the mountain to see what Labad was doing. Lugman found in himself a weakness which he had never felt before, and when he reached the mountain he saw his eagle Labad fallen from among the other eagles . He called, " Rise up, 0 Labad!" Labad tried to rise up, but was unable to do so, for his forefeathers had fallen out , and so they died together.

  When Qayl b. 'Anz heard what was said to him in the rain cloud, he was told, "Choose for yourself as your companion chose." He said , "I choose that what befell my people should befall me ." He was told that that was destruction, and he said, "I do not care. There is no purpose in my surviving them." So the punishment which befell 'Ad also befell him, and he perished. When Marthid b. Sa'd b. 'Ufayr heard the words of the rider who informed them of the destruction of 'Ad, he said:

'Ad rebelled against their prophet and so became thirsty; the heavens did not wet them.
Their deputies were sent out for a month to seek rain but heavy clouds followed on thirst.
For their open denial of their Lord, destruction wiped them out.
Indeed , God deprived ' Ad of discernment for their hearts were a wasteland, air,
From the clear account, that they heed it, and neither good counsel nor misfortune is enough.
May my soul, my two daughters and the mother of my children be ransom for the soul of our prophet Hud;
He came to us when hearts were intent upon tyranny, and the light had departed. We have an idol who is called Samud, facing him are a corpse and dust.
Those who were delegated to him, saw him while misfortune overtook those who disbelieved.
As for me, I shall reach the people of Hud and his brothers when night falls.

  It is said that their chief and greatest man at the time was al-Khuljan.

  According to al-`Abbas b. al-Walid-his father-Ismail b. `Ayyash-Muhammad b. Ishaq: When the wind went forth against 'Ad from the wadi, seven of them, one of whom was alKhuljan, said, "Come, let us stand at the rim of the wadi and turn it back." But the wind went beneath each one of them and lifted him up, then dropped him and broke his neck. It left them, as God has said, "lying overthrown, as though they were hollow trunks of palm trees," [112. Qurln, 69:7.] until only al-Khuljan remained. He turned toward the mountain and took hold of one side of it and shook it, and it trembled in his hand. Whereupon he composed the following:

Only al-Khuljan alone remained. o what a day, after the day which has struck me
With firm tread, mighty in its destructiveness. had it not come to me, I would have come to it to find out about it.

  Hud said to him, "Woe unto you, 0 Khuljan! Surrender [to God] and you will be safe!" Al-Khuljan asked, "And what will I have with your Lord if  I surrender? " Hud replied, "Paradise." Al-Khuljan said , " And what are those I see in the clouds, as though they were Bactrian camels?" Hud responded, "They are angels of my Lord." Al-Khuljan said, "And if I surrendered, would your Lord protect me from them?" Hud replied, "Woe unto you! Have you ever seen a king protect someone from his own troops?" Al-Khuljan said, "Would that He might do as I wish." Then the wind came and took him and joined him with his companions.

  Abu Ja'far said: God destroyed al-Khuljan and put an end to `Ad, except for those few who remained. They perished, but God saved Hud and those who believed in him. It is said that Hud lived one hundred and fifty years.

  According to Muhammad b. al-Husayn-Ahmad b. al-Mufaddal-Asbat-al-Suddi: And unto `Ad (was sent) their brother Hud, who said, "0 my people! Serve God! You have no other god save Him!" [113.Ibid ,50.] This means that Hud came to 'Ad and admonished them, reminding them of what God had related in the Qur an, but they persisted in disbelieving him, and challenged him to punish them. So he said to them, "Knowledge is with God alone. I pass on to you that with which I have been sent." [114. Ibid, 46:23.] When 'Ad were unbelievers, they were smitten with a drought so terrible that they became extremely exhausted. For Hud prayed for their misfortune and God sent them the barren wind, that is, the wind that does not pollinate trees. When they saw it , they thought it was just a passing incident of the rainy season . But when it came near to them they saw camels and men which it was blowing around between heaven and earth. When they saw that, they rushed into their houses. When they entered their houses it came upon them and destroyed them there. Then it forced them out of their houses and brought them "a day of constant calamity." [115. Ibid., 54:19.]

  "Constant calamity " (nabs ) is lasting misfortune . The wind went on punishing them for " seven long nights and eight grueling days." [116. Ibid ., 69:7; see n . 110, above.] It wiped out everything in its path. When it took them out of their houses, God said, "Sweeping men away [from their houses] as though they were uprooted trunks of palm trees" [117. Ibid ., 54:20] uprooted from their foundations and "hollow’' [118. Ibid ., 69:7; lit. munqa'irin.] they became hollow and fell down.

  And after God had destroyed them, He sent black birds tothem which picked them up and carried them out to sea, and cast them into it. It is as He said, "And morning found them so that naught could be seen of them save their dwellings." [119. Ibid ., 46:25.]

  The wind blew normally except for that day when it blew against the treasure-house and overcame them. They could see no limit to its power , for it was as He said , "They were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind." [120. Ibid ., 69:6. In Arabic : Fa-uhliku bi-rihin sarsarin ' atiyatin] Sarsar means that which has a powerful sound.

  According to Muhammad b. Sahl b. 'Askar-Ismail b. 'Abd al-Karim-'Abd al-Samad-Wahb: When God punished 'Ad with the wind which castigated them, it tore up huge trees by the roots, and smashed their houses down upon them. Whoever was not in a house was blown by the wind until it split the mountains with him, and thus all of them were destroyed.