سورة ق

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): وَ أَصْحابُ الْأَیْکَةِ [And the dwellers of the grove], [they] were the people of ghayzah (wrath).

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): A man from the people of Sham set out and came and said, "O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him)! I have a few questions for you." And he said, "Why has Tubba been called Tubba?" He said, "He was a young scribe and the secretary of a king. Whenever he wrote a letter, he would begin the letter with بسم الله الذی خلق صبحا و ریحا [In the name of Allah who created the dawn and the wind]." The king said, "When you write a letter, begin it with the name of the king of thunder." He said, "I do not begin with anything except the name of my Lord; after that, tell me whatever you wish and I will write it." Allah appreciated his belief and rewarded him such that after this king the kingship came to him, and the people followed and obeyed him, and for this reason he was named Tubba.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Tubba said to the Aws and the Khazraj, "Stay here (Madinah) until this Prophet rises up, but as for me, had I lived to meet him, I would have served him and gone out with him."

Ibn Abbas (may Allah have mercy on him): Let the matter of Tubba not be confused for you; he was a Muslim.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): Do not revile or curse Tubba (the king of Yemen), for he was a Muslim.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Isma'il ibn Jabir said: I was on the road between Mecca and Medina with a companion of mine, and we began to talk about the Ansar. One of us said, "They are the nazi'in (those cut off) from the various tribes." The other said, "They are from the people of Yemen." Then we reached Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him). The Imam was sitting in the shade of a tree, and without our asking him anything, the Imam himself began to speak and said: "When Tubba (the king of Yemen) came from the direction of Iraq, accompanied by the scholars and the sons of the prophets (peace be upon them), to the valley of Hudhayl, a group from the tribes came to him and said: 'You have come to a land whose people have been trifling with people for a long time, so that they have made their own land a sanctuary, and they take what their own hands have made to be a god or goddess.' The king said: 'If it is as you say, I will fight their warriors, take their children captive, and demolish their buildings.' At that moment his eyes flowed out and fell upon his cheeks. He summoned the scholars and the sons of the prophets and said: 'Look at me and tell me what has happened to me.' They refused to answer him until the king put them under oath. Then they said: 'Tell us what you have been thinking to yourself.' He said: 'I thought to myself that I would kill the men of this land, take their families captive, and demolish their houses.' They said: 'In our view, the only reason for what has afflicted you is this very thought and decision.' He asked: 'Why?' They said: 'Because this land is the sanctuary of Allah, and the House is the House of Allah, and its inhabitants are the offspring and descendants of Ibrahim Khalil al-Rahman (peace be upon him).' He said: 'You speak truly! Now what is the remedy for this ailment of mine?' They said: 'Think to yourself in another way; perhaps Allah will remove this affliction from you.' The king then thought good and virtuous thoughts about them, and immediately his eyes returned to their original state and settled back in their place. Then he summoned those who had advised him to demolish the Ka'bah and kill its inhabitants, and he killed them. Then he went to the Ka'bah, threw a covering over it, and fed the people for thirty days. Each day he sacrificed a hundred camels, to the extent that they carried the meat of the sacrifices to the wild beasts on the peaks of the mountains, and they gathered fodder and spread it out in the plains for the grazing animals. Then he went from Mecca to Medina, and a group of the Ghassanids from the people of Yemen settled there (in Medina), and they are the ones called the Ansar."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Tubba composed this poem about the Prophet of Islam: Until a rabbi scholar from the tribe of Banu Qurayza came to me, who — by your life — was esteemed among the Jews. I forgave them and did not desire Yathrib, and I left them for the everlasting day. I left Yathrib for the sake of Allah, and I hope for His pardon on the Day of Resurrection from the blazing Fire. There I left behind a few men from my people who were of noble household, and persons worthy of praise. Men whose progeny would bring forth a helping lineage, and by this deed I hope to receive a reward from the Lord of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). I did not think that the shining House of Allah in the valley of Mecca would be a place of worship. They said: in Mecca there is an old treasury, and its treasures are of pearl and chrysolite. I formed an intention which my Lord prevented, and Allah defends against the destruction of the Mosque. So I abandoned my desire concerning them, and I made them an example for the people of the sanctuary of Mecca. He said: 'He (the rabbi) had informed him that from this city — meaning Mecca — a Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) would come forth whose place of migration would be Yathrib; therefore he settled a group of the Arabs of Yemen there along with the Jews, so that when the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was raised up they would help him.' And concerning this too he composed a poem: I bear witness concerning Ahmad (peace be upon him and his family) that he is a messenger from Allah, the Creator of mankind. If my life were to last until his time, I would be his supporter and his cousin. And I would be a torment upon the polytheists, pouring into their mouths the cup of death and grief.