Exegesis of Sura al-Fajr

Question: What is the meaning of Allah’s words,
“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ʿĀd—­Iram, those of the lofty pillars, the like of whom had never been created in the lands?” (al-Fajr 89:6-8).
What exactly is meant by “Iram”?

Answer: The tribe Allah mentions here was one of the defiant, disbelieving nations that were beguiled by the power and dominion He had granted them. Because Allah endowed them with exceptional bodily strength, an advanced civilisation, and vast sovereignty, they grew haughty and tyrannical. Allah the Most High says:

“As for ʿĀd, they waxed arrogant in the land without right and said, ‘Who is mightier than we in strength?’ Do they not see that Allah who created them is mightier than they in strength? Yet they persisted in rejecting Our signs. So We unleashed upon them a screaming wind on ill-starred days, that We might make them taste the punishment of disgrace in this worldly life; but the punishment of the Hereafter is even more humiliating, and they will not be helped.” (Fussilat 41:15-16)

When Allah’s prophet Hūd—peace be upon him—came to them and called them to the oneness of Allah and to worship Him alone, they acted arrogantly, behaved tyrannically, and were deluded by their own might. Allah relates their story in many places in His Book, including this passage in Sura al-Fajr: “Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ʿĀd—Iram, those of the lofty pillars….”

Imam Ibn Kathīr—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “These people were obstinate rebels, overbearing tyrants who broke away from obedience to Allah, denied His messengers, and rejected His scriptures. Therefore Allah recounted how He destroyed them, annihilated them, and turned them into stories and lessons, saying: ‘Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ʿĀd—Iram, those of the lofty pillars….’ These are the first ʿĀd, the offspring of ʿĀd son of Iram son of ʿAwṣ son of Sām son of Noah.”

Ibn Isḥāq said: “They are the people to whom Allah sent His messenger Hūd—peace be upon him. They accused him of lying and opposed him, so Allah rescued him and those who had believed with him from their midst, while He destroyed them….”