Al-Rih al-Sarsar
Definition
Al-rih al-sarsar — the furious, freezing wind — was the instrument of 'Ad's destruction. Allah sent upon them a wind described in the Quran as violent, bitterly cold, and sustained for seven nights and eight consecutive days without ceasing. Ibn Kathir's narration emphasizes the completeness of the destruction: the wind lifted their massive bodies like uprooted palm trunks and flung them against the earth, leaving nothing standing. The choice of wind as the instrument of punishment carries a particular irony: the 'Ad had built their civilization on the strength of their bodies, assuming that physical power was ultimate power. A gust of air — invisible, weightless, and irresistible — dismantled their entire civilization in a week.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
Appears in
1 book in the library
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