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wa-tilka ʿādun jaḥadū bi-ʾāyāti rabbihim wa-ʿaṣaw rusulahū wa-ttabaʿū ʾamra kulli jabbārin ʿanīdin
Such were [the people of] Ad: they impugned the signs of their Lord and disobeyed His apostles, and followed the dictates of every obstinate tyrant.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Hud – Verse 59
59. “And this was (the people of) ‘Ad; they rejected the Signs of their Lord, and disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the command of every obstinate tyrant.”
He summarizes the sins of the ‘Ad into three areas in this verse. First, He says the people of ‘Ad denied the Signs of their Lord obstinately, denying every sign sent as evidence of the authenticity of their prophet. The verse says:
“And this was (the people of) ‘Ad; they rejected the Signs of their Lord...”
Secondly, they opposed the prophets, with a roguish behavior and in an unruly manner. The verse continues:
“…and disobeyed His Messengers...”
Thirdly, they abandoned Allah’s decree and followed the order of any despot instead.
“…and followed the command of every obstinate tyrant.”
What a greater sin can be found that they abandoned faith, opposed their prophets and followed the obstinate tyrants. The Arabic word /jabbar/ is a term used to denote a person who furiously strikes, kills, and destroys and does not follow the rule of reason. And the term /‘anid/ refers to someone who is extraordinarily hostile towards the truth and never acknowledges it. These two characteristics describe the profiles of despots and tyrants who, in every epoch, are noted for never lending their ears to the truth, and whenever they face an opponent they mercilessly torture and eradicate him.