People of Rass: Difference between revisions

The [[Qur'an]] mentioned the People of Rass beside the [[People of 'Ad]], the [[People of Thamud]] and the People of Noah (a):

There are different reports about who were the People of Rass:

In a [[hadith]] from [[Imam Ali (a)]], the People of Rass are introduced as people who lived after [[Prophet Solomon (a)]] and worshiped a poplar tree. It is said that it was planted by Japheth b. Noah (a) beside a river called "Roshab" and no one was allowed to drink or use that water. Every year, they gathered there during Eid times and tied different pieces of cloth to that tree and then began supplicating and made [[sacrifice]]s. Then, [[Satan]] went and shook the branches of the tree and expressed happiness for their actions. The People of Rass engaged in pleasure-seeking actions including lesbian sex. God sent the grandson of Judah, the son of [[Prophet Jacob (a)]] to guide them, but they did not believe in him and began harassing him. After the [[supplication]] of their prophet, that tree became dry and the People of Rass considered him guilty for it and threw him in a well. It incurred the wrath of God upon them; so, God sent them clouds and winds and made the earth for them hot like fire and they were melted like iron.<ref>Thaʿlabī, ''ʿArāʾis al-Majālis'', vol. 10, p. 151-153; Miybudī, ''Kashf al-asrār'', vol. 7, p. 33-35; Ṣadūq, ''Maʿānī al-akhbār'', p. 48-49.</ref>

In a number of hadiths, 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 sex. 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.<ref>Hamidānī, ''al-Aklīl'', vol. 1, p. 123-124; Nuwayrī, ''Nihāyat al-arab'', vol. 13, p. 88.</ref> 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.<ref>Hamidānī, ''al-Aklīl'', vol. 1, p. 123-124; Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', vol. 14, p. 160.</ref> In some of these hadiths, a woman called Dilhath, the daughter of [[Iblis]] is mentioned who taught women lesbian sex and urged them to commit those acts.<ref>Thaʿlabī, ''ʿArāʾis al-Majālis'', vol. 10, p. 151; Miybudī, ''Kashf al-asrār'', vol. 7, p. 33.</ref>

===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 [[repentance|repented]] from their deeds and had released that prophet.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Jāmiʿ al-bayān'', vol. 19, p. 10-11.</ref>

Some [[exegete]]s considered the people of Rass to be actually the [[people of Ukhdud]] and considered Rass as Ukhdud.<ref>Zamakhsharī, ''al-Kahsshāf'', vol. 3, p. 280; Abū l-Futūḥ al-Rāzī, ''Rawḍ al-jinān'', vol. 8, p. 272.</ref> It is said that some people including [[Ka'b al-Ahbar]] and Maqatil considered Rass, the name of a well in Antioch where people of Mu'min Al Yasin killed [[Habib Najjar]] and [[Mu'min Al Yasin]] and threw them into the well.<ref>Miybudī, ''Kashf al-asrār'', vol. 7, p. 32; Ṭūsī, ''al-Tibyān'', vol. 7, p. 491; vol. 9, p. 361; Qurṭubī, al-Jāmiʿ li-aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 13, p. 32.</ref>

:"and 'Ad and Thamud, and the inhabitants of Rass, and many generations between them." ([[Qur'an 25]]:38)  

Part 16 of ''[['Uyun akhbar al-Rida (a)]]''<ref>Ṣadūq, ''ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā'', vol. 1, p. 205-209.</ref> and also a part of the second volume of ''[[Hayat al-qulub]]'' is about the story of the people of Rass.