سُوْرَةُ الْفُرْقَانِ
Surah Al-Furqaan (25) — Ayah 38
وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَا۟ وَأَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلرَّسِّ وَقُرُونًۢا بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ كَثِيرًا ﴿38﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (also) ‘Âd and Thamûd, and the Dwellers of Ar-Rass, and many generations in between.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَعَادًۭا
waʿādan
And Ad
وَثَمُودَا۟
wathamūdā
and Thamud
وَأَصْحَـٰبَ
wa-aṣḥāba
and (the) dwellers
ٱلرَّسِّ
l-rasi
(of) Ar-rass
وَقُرُونًۢا
waqurūnan
and generations
بَيْنَ
bayna
between
ذَٰلِكَ
dhālika
that
كَثِيرًۭا
kathīran
many
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 38) ➊ {وَ عَادًا وَّ ثَمُوْدَاۡ وَ اَصْحٰبَ الرَّسِّ :} Noah (peace be upon him) is the first prophet whose nation was drowned because they denied him, and Moses (peace be upon him) is the last of these prophets upon whom, due to not believing, Pharaoh and his people were drowned. In this verse, there is mention of those people in between who were destroyed by means other than water. The meaning of {’’ الرَّسِّ ‘‘} is "well," and its plural is {’’رِسَاسٌ‘‘}. Ibn Jarir said: "In the speech of the Arabs, {’’ الرَّسِّ ‘‘} refers to any dug place, such as a well or a grave, etc." Therefore, some have taken this to mean "the people of the trench (Ashab al-Ukhdud)" as well. Shanqiti said: "The story of 'Ad and Thamud has come in many verses of the Qur'an; as for {’’اَصْحٰبَ الرَّسِّ ‘‘}, neither the details of their story nor the name of their prophet has come in the Qur'an." There are many statements of the commentators about them, all of which are without evidence, so we have not mentioned them. {’’ الرَّسِّ ‘‘} is also the name of a valley, which Zuhair has mentioned in his Mu'allaqah:
{بَكَرْنَ بُكُوْرًا وَاسْتَحَرْنَ بِسُحْرَةٍ ¤ فَهُنَّ لِوَادِي الرَّسِّ كَالْيَدِ لِلْفَمِ }
➋ { وَ قُرُوْنًۢا بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ كَثِيْرًا:’’ قَرْنٌ‘‘} are people of an era who continued to meet one another, and by {’’فَهُوَ مِنَ الْاِقْتِرَانِ۔‘‘ ’’بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ ‘‘} (in between) is meant the time between Noah and Moses (peace be upon them) or the time between 'Ad and Thamud and the people of the well. Elsewhere, regarding their abundance, it is said: «{ اَلَمْ يَاْتِكُمْ نَبَؤُا الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوْحٍ وَّ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوْدَ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهِمْ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ }» [ إبراہیم : ۹ ] "Has there not come to you the news of those before you, the people of Noah and 'Ad and Thamud and those after them, whom none knows except Allah?" And it is said: «{ وَ كَمْ اَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُوْنِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ نُوْحٍ }» [ بني إسرائیل : ۱۷ ] "And We destroyed how many generations after Noah." From this, it is known that the counting of ancestors and years between Noah and Moses (peace be upon them) based on the Bible and so on is not reliable, nor is there any certain knowledge of the duration of the world. The statements of scientists are also based merely on conjecture and estimation.
{بَكَرْنَ بُكُوْرًا وَاسْتَحَرْنَ بِسُحْرَةٍ ¤ فَهُنَّ لِوَادِي الرَّسِّ كَالْيَدِ لِلْفَمِ }
➋ { وَ قُرُوْنًۢا بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ كَثِيْرًا:’’ قَرْنٌ‘‘} are people of an era who continued to meet one another, and by {’’فَهُوَ مِنَ الْاِقْتِرَانِ۔‘‘ ’’بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ ‘‘} (in between) is meant the time between Noah and Moses (peace be upon them) or the time between 'Ad and Thamud and the people of the well. Elsewhere, regarding their abundance, it is said: «{ اَلَمْ يَاْتِكُمْ نَبَؤُا الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ قَوْمِ نُوْحٍ وَّ عَادٍ وَّ ثَمُوْدَ وَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِهِمْ لَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ }» [ إبراہیم : ۹ ] "Has there not come to you the news of those before you, the people of Noah and 'Ad and Thamud and those after them, whom none knows except Allah?" And it is said: «{ وَ كَمْ اَهْلَكْنَا مِنَ الْقُرُوْنِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ نُوْحٍ }» [ بني إسرائیل : ۱۷ ] "And We destroyed how many generations after Noah." From this, it is known that the counting of ancestors and years between Noah and Moses (peace be upon them) based on the Bible and so on is not reliable, nor is there any certain knowledge of the duration of the world. The statements of scientists are also based merely on conjecture and estimation.
