سورة ق

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): A man asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) about the verse: کَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَ أَصْحابُ الرَّسِّ [The people of Nuh and the dwellers of Ar-Rass rejected before them]. The Imam (peace be upon him) rubbed one of his hands over the other and said: "In this way, women were with women."

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): Ashab al-Rass (the dwellers of Ar-Rass) are those whose men contented themselves with men and whose women made themselves self-sufficient with women — that is, they were polluted with the act of sodomy and lesbianism, and Allah destroyed them. Al-Rass is the name of a river in Azerbaijan.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Some women went to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), and one of them asked the Imam (peace be upon him) about the hadd (prescribed punishment) for musahaqa (lesbianism). He said: "It is the same hadd as that of the fornicator." That woman said: "Allah the Noble and Great has not stated its hadd in the Quran." His Eminence (peace be upon him) said: "Yes indeed! He has stated it." That woman said: "Where in the Quran?" He said: "In the story of Ashab al-Rass."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) and Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Lesbianism among women existed among Ashab al-Rass (a people from the Bani Israil).

Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): [It has been narrated on the authority of Saduq] that a man asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him) about the Ashab al-Rass whom Allah mentioned in the Quran: "Who were they? From what origin and lineage were they? And what people were they?" The Imam (peace be upon him) said: "The Ashab al-Rass were two groups: the first group is other than those whom Allah mentioned in the Quran. They were people of the wilderness and owners of sheep and flocks. At that time, Allah the Exalted sent Salih the Prophet as a messenger to them, but they killed him. Then He sent another prophet to them, and they killed him too. Then He raised another prophet for them and supported him with a righteous servant from His servants. But they killed the prophet, and the righteous servant fought them until he defeated them and overcame them. They used to say: 'Our god is in the sea,' while they themselves stood on its shore. Once a year they held a great festival, and during that festival a huge fish would emerge from the sea and they would prostrate to it. The righteous servant said to them: 'I do not want you to make me a lord, but if that fish obeys me, will you answer my call?' They said: 'Yes,' and gave him firm covenants and pledges on this. Then a fish emerged from the water riding upon four other fish, and when they looked at it, they fell down prostrating. Then the righteous servant went towards that fish and said to it: 'In the name of Allah the Generous, come to me willingly or by compulsion!' So the fish came down from the other fish. The righteous servant said: 'Come to me upon them, so that my people have no doubt whatsoever concerning my matter!' So the fish came towards the land, dragging the other fish with it to the righteous servant. After this event, that people still denied him, so Allah sent a wind upon them that cast them and their cattle into the sea. And Allah revealed to the righteous servant the location of a well in which there was gold and silver. So he set out and obtained that gold and silver and distributed it equally among his companions, young and old. As for those whom Allah mentioned in His Book, they were a people who had a river called al-Rass, and many prophets were sent among them. Then a man asked Imam Kazim (peace be upon him): 'Where is [al-Rass] located?' The Imam said: 'It is a river in the region of Azerbaijan, situated on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. That people used to worship crosses, so Allah raised up thirty prophets among them at one time, and they killed all the prophets. Then Allah sent them another prophet along with a righteous servant who fought that people. And Allah sent Mika'il (peace be upon him) at the time of sowing and planting, and he dried up all the waters, rivers and springs of that land. And He sent the Angel of Death, who destroyed all their cattle. And He commanded the earth to swallow up their gold and silver and their vessels — Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his noble relief) will take possession of what the earth has hidden within itself. In the end they all perished from hunger and thirst, and none of them remained except a sincere group who asked Allah to save them with crops, cattle and water, and to grant these blessings to them in small measure so that they would not fall into transgression and rebellion. When Allah recognised the sincerity of their intention, He answered their prayer. Then that people returned to their homes, but found them ruined. Allah made the rivers flow for them and granted them what they had asked for. So they occupied themselves with Allah outwardly and inwardly, until the era of that people came to an end. Afterwards a generation came onto the scene who obeyed Allah's commands outwardly but not inwardly, and disobeyed Him in various ways and paths. So He sent someone against them who was diligent in killing them, and Allah spread the plague among the small group who remained, so that none of them was left. Their river and homes remained in that same state for two hundred years, without anyone dwelling in them. Then Allah the Exalted replaced them with another people who were among the righteous. Then a group among them arose who committed an ugly and repulsive act, and the men and women began to satisfy their needs with those of their own gender. So Allah the Exalted sent a thunderbolt upon them and none remained.'"

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Imam Husayn (peace be upon him): Three days before the martyrdom of my father Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), a man from the notables of Tamim named Amr asked my father: "O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), inform me about the story of the Ashab al-Rass — in what era they lived, where their dwellings were, who ruled over them, whether Allah sent a prophet to them, and for what reason they were destroyed." My father said: "You have asked about a matter which no one before you has asked me about, and no one after this will speak of it except by relying on my hadith. There is no verse in the Book of Allah the Mighty and Majestic but that I am aware of and know its interpretation, the circumstance of its revelation, and the exact time of its revelation. Indeed, all these sciences are gathered in my breast, but its seekers are few, and soon, when they have lost me, they will regret it. But O brother of the people of Tamim! The story of this people is this: they used to worship a pine tree which they called Shah Darakht (the King Tree). Yafith the son of Nuh (peace be upon him) had planted this tree near a spring called Rushab. They were called Ashab al-Rass because they buried their prophet in a mound of earth. This people lived after the Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him). They had twelve villages, all of them situated on the banks of a river called al-Rass in the lands of the East, and the name of that river was taken from this people. In those days, on the face of the earth there was no river more abundant in water nor sweeter than that river, and no villages more prosperous than the villages of this people." Then the Imam (peace be upon him) enumerated the names of their villages, of which the greatest was called Isfandar. Their king, whose name was Narkudh ibn Ghabur, from the descendants of Nimrud (the Pharaoh of the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)), resided in Isfandar. There ran a spring, beside which stood a mighty pine, and in every village they had planted a seed of this tree and channelled a branch of that spring beside it, and from those seeds great trees had grown. This people forbade themselves and their beasts from drinking of the water of that channel, and anyone who drank of that water they would put to death, saying: "This river is the life of the pine and of our gods, and it is not fitting for anyone to diminish the life of our gods." So they and their beasts drank from the river Rass. In every month of the year, in one village, they held a festival, and they gathered around the pine of that village. On the pine of that village they would throw an embroidered silk cloth, then they would slaughter sheep and cattle as sacrifices beside the tree and light a fire with firewood, and they would burn the sacrifices. When the smoke of them filled the sky and blocked their view of the heavens, they would fall down in prostration and, with weeping and supplication, beseech the pine tree to be pleased with them. Then Satan would come and shake the branches of the tree, and from the trunk of the tree the voice of a child would be heard, saying: "O my servants, I am pleased with you!" Then they would rejoice and find peace of heart, and their eyes would be brightened at that sight. Then they would raise their heads and take to wine-drinking and music-making, they would strike the harp, and they would pass a day and a night in revelry. This people were of the Ajam (the Persians), and the Ajam took the names of their twelve months from these twelve villages. This act was carried out in one village each month, until the time came for their greatest festival, when all of them, small and great, would gather in the village of Isfandar beside their great pine and their great spring, and they would hang canopies of silk and brocade upon that tree, and they made for that canopy twelve entrances, each entrance dedicated to one village. All of them, from outside the canopy, would prostrate to the pine and slaughter and sacrifice their animals, many times over what they sacrificed for the pines of the other villages, before this mighty pine. Then Iblis, the accursed, would draw near and shake the tree violently, and from within it would speak plainly to them, and make them promises and lay obligations upon them. And they, in the state of prostration, would shake their heads, and from the awe of that voice they were unable to rise and take to wine-drinking and music. They would remain in that state for twelve days and nights, corresponding to the number of their festivals and villages. Then they would raise their heads from worship and prostration. When their disbelief in Allah the Mighty and Majestic and their worship of other than Him grew long, Allah sent to them a prophet from the Children of Israel, from the descendants of Yahuda the son of Yaqub (peace be upon him). He remained among them for a long time and called them to the worship of Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to the knowledge of His lordship, but they did not follow him. When their prophet saw the severity of their misguidance and obstinacy, on the night of their greatest festival he prayed at the divine threshold and said: "O my Lord, Your servants deny me, and tomorrow morning they will gather to worship a great tree which has no benefit or need for them. O Allah! Show them Your power and Your dominion, and dry up all their pine trees." In the morning, when the people rose, they saw that all their trees had withered. They were terrified by this and split into two groups. One group said: "This man who claims to be a prophet has bewitched your gods so as to turn you from the worship of the tree towards the worship of his own god." The other group said: "No, rather our tree and our gods have become angry at seeing this man who calls you to the worship of another, and have taken away their beauty and splendour from us. So we must take revenge on this man." So they consulted together and resolved to kill that prophet. They dug a deep well with a narrow mouth and cast their prophet into that well, and covered the mouth of the well with a great stone, and put water-pipes into the well, and said: "O our gods! We hope that you will be pleased with us, for we have killed the one who prevented us from your worship and have buried him beneath our greatest god. Perhaps you will be pleased with this vengeance and will regain your light and freshness." So throughout that whole day, before their prophet drowned, they heard the sound of his lament as he said in his supplication: "O my Master, You see the narrowness of my place and the intensity of my distress, so have mercy upon my weakness and helplessness, and hasten in taking my soul, and bring me sooner to Your presence." This lament continued until the time of his death. Thereafter Allah the Mighty and Majestic revealed to Jibrail: "Have these servants of Mine been deceived by My forbearance and patience and considered themselves safe from My devising, that they have worshipped other than Me and killed My messenger, and supposed that My wrath will not overtake them and that they have gone out of My power and dominion? Yet I take vengeance upon the disobedient who have no fear of My punishment. Indeed, I swear by My Might! I shall make them an admonition and a lesson for the worlds." So on that very day of their festival, a very red and violent wind began to blow, which caused them bewilderment and terror, and they took refuge with one another. Then the earth beneath their feet caught fire like sulphur, and a black cloud cast its shadow over their heads, and burning coals of fire rained down upon them which melted their bodies just as lead melts in fire. We seek refuge in Him from the divine wrath and the descent of His retribution, for there is no power and no strength save with Allah, the Most High, the Great.