The Ashab al-Aykah, also known as the Companions of the Wood, were a tribe of Arabs who lived in a region of Arabia known as Madyan (now modern-day Jordan). The members of the tribe were one of the greediest tribes in Arabia. They were the first to impose fees and tolls on travellers who passed through or by their land. Some of the members were also bandits, who robbed or killed any traveller they thought to be rich or influential. Indeed, they were one of the most feared tribes in ancient Arabia.
The worst thing that the Ashab al-Aykah did was to worship nature instead of Allah. The tribe did not worship Allah, the creator of nature, but rather, the tribe worshipped His creations. They would worship the trees and grass, hence their name ‘Al-Aykah’ which means ‘tree’ or ‘thick wood’ in Arabic. Maybe, they were one of the first people to actually touch grass. But they were firm believers in polytheism, and they ignored Allah. Instead of immediately punishing them, Allah sent down a Prophet to teach them the error of their ways and to guide them to Islam.
The name of this Prophet was Shu'ayb, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. He was also known as ‘Yathrun’ by the Jews of Yathrib. Prophet Shu'ayb told the tribe, “There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers.” He further reminded them of what had happened to the disobedient tribes of previous Prophets, saying, “And oh my people, let not your dissension from me cause you to be struck by that similar to what struck the people of Nuh or the people of Hud or the people of Saleh. And the people of Lut are not from you far away.”
The chief of the tribe was tired of Prophet Shu'ayb preaching to him and his tribe. So he requested that Shu'ayb return to the religion of his forefathers. Shu'ayb denied the request. The tribe ignored Prophet Shu'ayb and continued to live their greedy and extravagant lifestyles. However, there were a few people who believed in the Message which Shu'ayb told the tribe, and they became Muslims. These Muslims disassociated from their tribe and accompanied Shu'ayb.
Allah sent down His divine wrath on the Ashab al-Aykah. A loud shriek was heard, and the disbelievers in their homes instantly died on the spot from shock and horror. Some of the disbelievers survived, and they ran away from their village. But the people could not escape from Allah's punishments. They were exposed to the hot and scorching glare of the Sun for a week, and they tried cooling down with water but to no avail. One day, a large dark cloud appeared. Believing it to be rain, they ran under that cloud and stayed there. But Allah made the cloud rain down droplets of fire, and a large earthquake occured. The Ashab al-Aykah had completely perished, and only Prophet Shu'ayb and his followers remained as survivors.
It is mentioned in the Qur'an; “The Companions of the Wood, and the People of Tubba', each one of them rejected the messengers, and My warning was duly fulfilled in them.”
Source:
Surah Al-Shu'ara, Surah Hud and Surah al-Araf
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, volume 7
No comments:
Post a Comment