People of Rass: Difference between revisions

'''Companions of the Rass''' or '''Asḥāb al-Rass''' (Arabic: {{ia|أَصْحَابُ الرَّس}}) or '''People of Rass''' are people who threw their prophet into a well. People of Rass are introduced as those who refused to worship [[God]] and their women performed lesbian actions. God sent a [[prophethood|prophet]] to guide them, but they threw him into a well and thus God punished them. There are different views about the time and place they lived and also the name of their prophet.

The [[Qur'an]] mentioned the people of Rass beside [[People of 'Ad]], [[People of Thamud|Thamud]] and the [[people of Noah (a)]]: "The people of Noah denied before them, and [so did] the inhabitants of Rass and Thamud" ([[Qur'an 50]]:12) According to the Qur'an, the people of Rass refused to worship God and were afflicted by His [[reward and punishment|punishment]]. Some exegetical references related the story of the people of Rass with verse 45 of [[Qur'an 22]] and Bi'r Mu'talla (abandoned wells).

=== First Report ===

In a number of [[hadith]]s, the place the people of Rass lived was mentioned Hadramaut in [[Yemen]] and their prophet was mentioned Hanzala b. Safwan. It is also mentioned that they committed lesbian acts. Hanzala tried to stop them from doing such actions, but they began harassing him and threw him in a well; so, God sent 'Aram flood to them. It is said that a note was found in the grave of Hanzala on which he wrote that he was the prophet of God and was chosen from Yemen to guide Himyar, 'Arib and 'Aziz, but they killed him. In some of these hadiths, a woman called Dilhath, daughter of [[Iblis]] is mentioned who taught women lesbian acts and urged them to commit those acts.

=== Third Report ===

Based on a hadith from the [[Prophet (s)]], Muhammad b. Ka'b b. Qarzi transmitted it, God sent a prophet for people who rejected him. They threw him into a well and put a big rock on the well. In their land, a slave lived who gathered firewood and sold for living. He had believed in that prophet and every day brought him water and food. One day, he had gone to collect firewood, but he went to sleep and by the will of God, he slept for 14 years. When he woke up, he thought that he slept for one hour; so, he prepared some food and went to the well, but there was no sign of the prophet. Based on this hadith, while he was in sleep, God had afflicted those people with punishment; so, they repented from their deeds and had released that prophet.

People of Rass have also been considered a branch of Thamud tribe and Bedouins of Hadura tribe whose prophet was Shu'ayb b. Dhi Mahra'. In some hadiths, the people of Rass have been introduced as nomads and stockbreeders whose prophet was [[Shu'ayb (a)]].

Different places have been mentioned as the place the people of Rass lived. The region of Aras river, Hadramaut in Yemen and Yamama. It is said that [[Dhu al-Qarnayn]] was the first person who visited their city.

The time of the people of Rass is considered an era after [[Prophet Noah (a)]], Prophet Solomon (a), or between the prophethood of [[Jesus (a)]] and [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] or even at the time of [[Khalid b. Sanan]]. The Qur'an used the word "qurūn" to refer to the period between the people of Rass and other nations in the verse "and 'Ad and Thamud, and the inhabitants of Rass, and many generations between them." ([[Qur'an 25]]:38) Exegetes interpreted the word "qarn" (century), a period equal to 40, 70 or 120 years. [[al-'Allama al-Majlisi]] compared different reports and the time period suggested by writers previous to him for the people of Rass.