Surah Al-Qamar, Ayah 18

Ad denied their prophet, Hud (peace be upon him). So reflect- O people of Makkah - how was my punishment to them? And how was my warning to others about their punishment?

'Ad denied; then how was My torment and My warnings (18)Verily, We sent against them a violently cold (Sarsar) wind on a day of calamity, continuous (19)Plucking out men as if they were uprooted stems of date palms (20)Then, how was My torment and My warnings (21)And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any that will remember (22)

The Story of 'Ad

Allah states that 'Ad, the People of Hud, denied their Messenger, just as the people of Nuh did. So, Allah sent on them,

عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا

(against them a violently cold (Sarsar) wind), means, a bitterly cold and furious wind,

فِي يَوْمِ نَحْسٍ

(on a day of calamity), against them, according to Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah and As-Suddi,

مُسْتَمِرٍّ

(continuous), upon them because the calamity, torment and destruction that they suffered in this life on that day continued with that of the Hereafter,

تَنْزِعُ النَّاسَ كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ مُنْقَعِرٍ

(Plucking out men as if they were uprooted stems of date palms.)

The wind would pluck one of them and raise him high, until he could no longer be seen, and then violently send him down on his head to the ground. His head would be smashed and only his body would be left, headless,

كَأَنَّهُمْ أَعْجَازُ نَخْلٍ مُنْقَعِرٍ - فَكَيْفَ كَانَ عَذَابِي وَنُذُرِ - وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَّكِرٍ

(as if they were uprooted stems of date palms. Then, how was My torment and My warnings? And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember; then is there any that will remember?)