A Strom of Stones (1)
The thinker then said, "O young man, beware of those matters divert you in a way that you are not to be excused. You are busy doing something else. If this diversion is intentional then the obligatory acts of worship have been violated, and if it was unintentional, its owner will be excused and it will be considered a form of forgetfulness. The heart can be diverted and the limbs can be misused and that is why they are gathered together. That is why Allah says in Surah At-Takathur[102]:1-8, "Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you, until you visit the graveyards. No! You are going to know. Then no! You are going to know. No! If you only knew with knowledge of certainty. You will surely see the Hellfire. Then you will surely see it with the eye of certainty. Then you will surely be asked that Day about pleasure."
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas, radhiyallahu 'anhu, that he said about the interpretation of Allah's saying, 'Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you,' he says, 'Bragging about your status and lineage has distracted you. 'Until you visit the graveyards,' this is because the Banu Sahm and Banu 'Abd Manaf were bragging to each other about which tribe is larger as concerns the number of its population, and found out that the Banu 'Abd Manaf were more numerous. The Banu Sahm said at that point: “We were rooted out by injustice in the pagan era; go and count the living and the dead of our people and the living and the dead of your people”. When they did so they found out that the Banu Sahm were more numerous. Therefore the above verses were revealed about them: bragging about status and lineage distracted you to the extent that you visited the graveyards to count the dead; it is also said that this means: increase in wealth and children distracts you until you die and be put in the graves.
'No!' this is a reply and threat to them. 'You are going to know', what will be done to you in the graves!
'Then no! You are going to know,' what will be done to you when you die! 'Then no! You are going to know,' what will be done to you on the Day of Judgement, with a sure knowledge!, what you bragged about in the life of the world! Then, on that day on the Day of Judgement, you will be asked concerning pleasure, you will be asked about whether you gave thanks for all the bounties you enjoyed, of food, drink, clothing, etc'.
A worker can use his body in his work while his heart is not diverted by his activity. Allah did not mention the object of their competition in order to keep it general. Whatever the servants are mutually pilling up rather than obeying Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and every matter that will be useful to him on the day of his Resurrection, is to be included in this mutual rivalry. Mutual rivalry could be money, power, authority, women, speech, or knowledge. This is especially true when the person is in need of this object. It could extend to those things that are not necessary, like further books, volumes, and unnecessary questioning and its branches. Mutual rivalry is when man seeks to acquire more than others and this is dispraised unless it is for something that will bring him close to Allah. Mutual rivalry includes competing in doing good deeds. Muslim recorded that Abdullah bin Ash-Shikhkhir, radiallahu anhu, narrated, 'I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as he was reciting, "The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you ..." He (ﷺ) said, 'The son of Adam claims, 'My wealth, my wealth.' And he (ﷺ) said, 'O son of Adam! Is there anything that really belongs to you, except that which you consumed, which you utilized, or which you wore and then it was worn out or you gave as charity and sent it forward for yourself?"
The thinker paused, he frowned as if remembering something. Then he said, "O young man, know that the people of 'Aad were destroyed by a Hasib, a violent storm. Allah punished them because of their pride." The wayfarer asked, "What happened to the people of 'Aad?" The thinker said, "We have previously mentioned what happened to Noah's people. After Noah died, his children inhabited in the world they lay. Some peoples became tyrannical and insolent against Allah and Noah. Allah sent a messenger to them, but they did not believe him, and they persevered in their error, so Allah destroyed them. These were two tribes descended from Aram ibn Shem ibn Noah. One of them was 'Ad ibn Uz ibn Aram ibn Shem ibn Noah, also called 'Aad, and next was Thamud ibn Gether ibn Aram ibn Shem ibn Noah. They were the 'Aribah Arabs." The wayfarer said, "What is the 'Aribah Arabs?" The thinker said, "In the book of Sahih lbnu Hibban from Abu Dharr relates to a very long hadith about the Messengers and Prophets. In the hadeeth, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Among them are four Prophets who came from the Arabs (ie): Hud, Salih, Shu'aib and your Prophet, O Abu Dharr."
The Arabs who existed before Ishmael were named 'Aribah Arabs. They consist of various tribes, including: 'Aad, Thamud, Jurhum, Thams, Judais, Amim, Madin, 'Umlaq,' Abid, Jasim, Qahthan, Bani Yaqthan, and so on. While Muta'arribah Arabs was a descendant of Ishmael ibn Abraham al-Khalil. Ishmael was the first non-Arab person to speak fluent Arabic. Ishmael learned Arabic from the tribe of Jurhum who stopped at his mother's place when they were about to emigrate. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala taught him Arabic in eloquence and great clarity as the language spoken by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
According to Ibn Kathir, the people of 'Aad lived many years in the windswept hills of an area between Yemen and Oman. They were physically well built and renowned for their craftsmanship especially in the construction of tall buildings with lofty towers. They were outstanding among all the nations in power and wealth, which, unfortunately, made them arrogant and boastful. Their political power was held in the hand of unjust rulers, against whom no one dared to raise a voice. They were not ignorant of the existence of Allah, nor did they refuse to worship Him. What they did refuse was to worship Allah alone. They worshipped other gods, also, including idols. This is one sin Allah does not forgive.
According to At-Tabari, Allah sent them Hud ibn 'Abdallah ibn Ribah ibn al-Khalud ibn 'Ad ibn Uz ibn Aram ibn Shem ibn Noah. Some genealogists claim that Hud was Eber ibn Shelah ibn Arpachshad ibn Shem ibn Noah. The 'Aad tribe had three idols which they worshipped, one of which they called Sada, another Samud, and the third al-Haba'
Hud condemned idol worship and admonished his people. "My people, what is the benefit of these stones that you carve with your own hands and worship? In reality it is an insult to the intellect. There is only One Deity worthy of worship and that is Allah. Worship of Him and Him alone, is compulsory on you. He created you, He provides for you and He is the One Who will cause you to die. He gave you wonderful physiques and blessed you in many ways. So believe in Him and do not be blind to His favors, or the same fate that destroyed Noah's people will overtake you." With such reasoning Hud hoped to instill faith in them, but they refused to accept his message. His people asked him: "Do you desire to be our master with your call? What payment do you want?" Hud tried to make them understand that he would receive his payment (reward) from Allah; he did not demand anything from them except that they let the light of truth touch their minds and hearts.
Allah says in the Quran surah Hud [11]:50-52, "And to 'Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, "O my people, worship Allah ; you have no deity other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood]. O my people, I do not ask you for it any reward. My reward is only from the one who created me. Then will you not reason? And O my people, ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in showers and increase you in strength [added] to your strength. And do not turn away, [being] criminals."
(Part 2)
