In the Holy Qur’ān the Companions of al-Rass have been mentioned twice.
﴿وَعَادًا وَثَمُودَاْ وَأَصْحَابَ الرَّسِّ وَقُرُونًا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ كَثِيرًا﴾
“And `Ād, Thamūd, the Companions of al-Rass, and many generations between them”.
(Sūrah al-Furqān (25): verse 38)
﴿كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَأَصْحَابُ الرَّسِّ وَثَمُودُ﴾
“Before them rejected: the people of Nūḥ, the Companions of al-Rass and Thamūd”
(Sūrah Qaf (50): verse 12)
If you notice, Allāh only mentions them by names along with other groups of people who were destroyed by Allāh for their transgressions (i.e. `Ād, Thamūd and the people of Nūḥ). One of the reasons for having the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and the A’immah (عليهم السلام) is to fill in those details that are not found in the Qur’ān.
The first ḥadīth shows that one of the acts of transgression that the companions of al-Rass did was lesbianism, which is unfortunately still prevalent in today’s society. This ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic).
The second ḥadīth is a very long ḥadīth, I have broken up the Arabic into sections so it is easier for the reader. In this lengthy ḥadīth, there are many different lessons that can be derived, apart from the details of the Companions of al-Rass. This ḥadīth is Ṣaḥīḥ (Authentic) as well.
One of the very interesting things I found in this narration was that the twelve towns of al-Rass’ names are the same names as the months of the Persian calendar, and our A’immah (عليهم السلام) said that the Persians derived their calendar’s months from the Companions of al-Rass.
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ وَ هِشَامٍ وَ حَفْصٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَنَّهُ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نِسْوَةٌ فَسَأَلَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْهُنَّ عَنِ السَّحْقِ فَقَالَ حَدُّهَا حَدُّ الزَّانِي فَقَالَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ مَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ذَلِكَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ فَقَالَ بَلَى قَالَتْ وَ أَيْنَ هُوَ قَالَ هُنَّ أَصْحَابُ الرَّسِّ
`Alī b. Ibrāhīm from his father from Ibn Abī `Umayr from Muhḥammad b. Abī Hamzah and Hishām (b. Sālim) and Hafṣ (b. al-Bakhtarī) from Abī `Abd Allāh (عليه السلام) said that a woman entered upon him (عليه السلام) and the woman asked him (عليه السلام) about lesbianism. So he (عليه السلام) said, ‘Her punishment (hadd) is the punishment of an adulterer (al-Zānī). So the woman said, ‘Allāh has not mentioned that in the Qur’ān’ He (عليه السلام) said ‘Yes (He has)’. She said, ‘Where is it?’ He (عليه السلام) said, ‘They were the people of al-Rass’.
حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رضي الله عنه قال حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم عن أبيه قال حدثنا أبو الصلت عبد السلام بن صالح الهروي قال حدثنا علي بن موسى الرضا ع عن أبيه موسى بن جعفر عن أبيه جعفر بن محمد عن أبيه محمد بن علي عن أبيه علي بن الحسين عن أبيه الحسين بن علي ع قال أتى علي بن أبي طالب قبل مقتله بثلاثة أيام رجل من أشراف بني تميم يقال له عمرو فقال يا أمير المؤمنين أخبرني عن أصحاب الرس في أي عصر كانوا و أين كانت منازلهم و من كان ملكهم و هل بعث الله عز و جل إليهم رسولا أم لا و بما ذا أهلكوا فإني لا أجد في كتاب الله عز و جل ذكرهم و لا أجد خبرهم
Aḥmad b. Ziyād b. Ja`far al-Hamadānī (رضي الله عنه) has narrated to us, he has said `Alī b. Ibrāhīm b. Hāshim has narrated to us from his father from Abū al-Ṣalt `Abd al-Salām b. Ṣāliḥ al-Harawī said `Alī b. Mūsa al-Riḍa narrated to us from his father Mūsa b. Ja`far from his father Ja`far b. Muḥammad from his father Muḥammad b. `Alī from his father `Alī b. al-Ḥussayn from his father al-Ḥussayn b. `Alī said,
A reputable man called `Amr from the Banū Tamīm came to `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib (عليه السلام) three days before his murder, and he said, ‘O Amīr al-Mu’minīn, inform me about the people of al-Rass, in which era (did they live)? Where were their homes? Who was their king? Did Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) sent a messenger to them or not? How were they destroyed? I do not find in the Book of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) information about them.
فقال له علي ع لقد سألت من حديث ما سألني عنه أحد قبلك و لا يحدثك به أحد بعدي و ما في كتاب الله عز و جل آية إلا و أنا أعرف تفسيرها و في أي مكان نزلت من سهل أو جبل و في أي وقت نزلت من ليل أو نهار و أن هاهنا لعلما جما و أشار إلى صدره و لكن طلابه يسيرة و عن قليل يندمون لو قد يفقدوني
So `Alī (عليه السلام) said to him, ‘You have asked me about story that no one has asked about it before you, and no one can inform you of it after me (unless quoting him). And there is not an ayah of the Book of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) except that I know its tafsīr, and in which place it was revealed on a plain or a mountain, and in what time it was revealed, in the night or the day.’ Pointing to his chest, here there is abundant knowledge, but the seekers of it are few, and they will regret when they lose me.’
و كان من قصتهم يا أخا تميم إنهم كانوا قوما يعبدون شجرة صنوبر يقال لها شاه درخت و كان يافث بن نوح غرسها على شفير عين يقال لها روشاب كانت انبعت لنوح ع بعد الطوفان و إنما سموا أصحاب الرس لأنهم رسوا نبيهم في الأرض و ذلك بعد سليمان بن داود ع و كانت لهم اثنتا عشرة قرية على شاطئ نهر يقال له الرس من بلاد المشرق و بهم سمي ذلك النهر و لم يكن يومئذ في الأرض نهر أغزر و لا أعذب منه و لا أقوى و لا قرى أكثر و لا أعمر منها تسمى إحداهن آبان و الثانية آذر و الثالثة دي و الرابعة بهمن و الخامسة إسفنديار و السادسة پروردين و السابعة أردي بهشت و الثامنة أرداد و التاسعة مرداد و العاشرة تير و الحادية عشرة مهر و الثانية عشرة شهريور
‘O brother from Tamīm, this is their story. They were people who used to worship the Pine Tree, and they called it Shāh Darakht (the King Tree). Yāfith b. Nūh planted it on the border of a spring, and he called it Rūshāb, and it had sprung out after Nūḥ’s (عليه السلام) flood, because they buried their prophet in the earth that came after Sulaymān b. Dawud (عليه السلام). They had towns along the coast of the river, and they called it (the river) al-Rass it was in the Eastern Hemisphere. And they were named that after the river. And there was no river more abundant and fresh on the earth that day than it. There were no towns stronger and more developed than them. They names (of the towns) were.
1. Ābān
2. Ādhar
3. Day
4. Bahman
5. Isfandiyyār
6. Parwardīn (Farvardin)
7. Urdū Bihisht (Urdi Behesht)
8. Urdād (Khurdād)
9. Murdād
10. Tīr
11. Mihr (Mehr)
12. Shahriwar (Shahrivar)
و كانت أعظم مدائنهم إسفنديار و هي التي ينزلها ملكهم و كان يسمى تركوذ بن غابور بن يارش بن سازن بن نمرود بن كنعان فرعون إبراهيم ع و بها العين و الصنوبر و قد غرسوا في كل قرية منها حبة من طلع تلك الصنوبرة فنبتت الحبة و صارت شجرة عظيمة و أجروا إليها نهرا من العين التي عند الصنوبرة فنبتت الصنوبرة و صارت شجرة عظيمة و حرموا ماء العين و الأنهار فلا يشربون منها و لا أنعامهم و من فعل ذلك قتلوه و يقولون هو حياة آلهتنا فلا ينبغي لأحد أن ينقص من حياتها و يشربون هم و أنعامهم من نهر الرس الذي عليه قراهم و قد جعلوا في كل شهر من السنة في كل قرية عيدا يجتمع إليه أهلها فيضربون على الشجرة التي بها كله من حرير فيها من أنواع الصور ثم يأتون بشاة و بقر فيذبحونها قربانا للشجرة و يشعلون فيها النيران بالحطب فإذا سطع دخان تلك الذبائح و قتارها في الهواء و حال بينهم و بين النضر إلى السماء خروا للشجرة سجدا من دون الله عز و جل يبكون و يتضرعون إليها أن ترضى عنهم فكان الشيطان يجيء و يحرك أغصانها و يصيح من ساقها صياح الصبي إني قد رضيت عنكم عبادي فطيبوا نفسا و قروا عينا فيرفعون رءوسهم عند ذلك و يشربون الخمر و يضربون بالمعازف و يأخذون الدستبنذ فيكونون على ذلك يومهم و ليلتهم ثم ينصرفون
Their largest city was Isfandiyār, it is where their king dwelled, his name was Turkūdh b. Ghābūr b. Yārish b. Sāzin b. Nimrūd b. Canaan, the fir`awn of Ibrāhīm. And the spring and pine tree were in it. They had planted a seed of it in every town, and from that the pine tree grew and became a big tree. They carried (water) from the spring which was near the pine tree, and put it on the (smaller) pine tree, and it became a big tree. And they forbade the water of the spring. And they (forbade) drinking, nor could their animals (drink from it). Whoever did that, they killed him and they said, “It (the water) is the source of our life of our gods. It is not appropriate for anyone to take from its life, and drink from it, nor the animals (drink) from the river of al-Rass which their towns were on. They made in every month of the year in each town an Eid. Its people would gather for it, and surround the tree with silk tents of images. Then they would bring a sheep and a cow and they would slaughter it for sacrifice to the tree. And they would ignite a fire by firewood on them (the animals). When the smoke of the sacrifices fill the air, and the condition between them and the sky had gotten blocked, they would fall down into prostration to the tree, and they prostrated to other than Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) and they cried and supplicated to it (the tree), to please the tree. And shaytān would come and shake its branches, and he would yell like a child from its trunks, ‘I am pleased with you my slaves, be happy and pleased, they have cooled the eyes. Then they raised their heads from that, and they drank khamr, and they beat the ma`āzif (drums), and they play al-Dastbandh (stringed instrument) throughout the night, then they departed.
و إنما سمت العجم شهورها بآبانماه و آذرماه و غيرها اشتقاقا من أسماء تلك القرى لقول أهلها بعضهم لبعض هذا عيد قرية كذا حتى إذا كان عيد قريتهم العظمى اجتمع إليها صغيرهم و كبيرهم فضربوا عند الصنوبرة و العين سرادقا من ديباج عليه أنواع الصور و جعلوا له اثني عشر بابا كل باب لأهل قرية منهم فيسجدون للصنوبرة خارجا من السرادق و يقربون لها الذبائح أصناف ما قربوا للشجرة التي في قراهم فيجيء إبليس عند ذلك فيحرك الصنوبرة تحريكا شديدا و يتكلم من جوفها كلاما جهوريا و يعدهم و يمنيهم بأكثر مما وعدتهم و منتهم الشياطين في تلك الشجرات الأخر للبقاء فيرفعون رءوسهم من السجود و بهم من الفرح النشاط ما لا يفيقون و لا يتكلمون من الشرب و العزف فيكونون على ذلك اثني عشر يوما و لياليها بعدد أعيادهم سائر السنة ثم ينصرفون
The `ajam (Persians) derived the names of their months, Ābān, Ādhar, etc., from those names of the towns. Its people used to say to one another this is the Eid of this such town, until it came to their biggest town’s Eid, and they gathered them, their young, their old, and surrounded the Pine tree and spring and they sewed a silk garments made with pictures upon. And they made twelve (12) doors, every door was for the people of the towns, and they would prostrate to the pine tree, outside the pavilion. And they offered to it sacrifices to the tree for each of their towns. And Iblīs would come to that (tree), and shake the pine tree a lot, and he would talk from inside it aloud, and he would promise them and bless them much more than the (other) Satan promised them in that other remaining tree. Then, they raised their heads from sajdah, and they would black out from the happiness and energy, and they would not wake up. They were not able to speak because of drinking and (listening) to music. They would spend twelve (12) days and nights in Eid for the rest of the year, then they departed.
فلما طال كفرهم بالله عز و جل و عبادتهم غيره بعث الله عز و جل إليهم نبيا من بني إسرائيل من ولد يهودا بن يعقوب فلبث فيهم زمانا طويلا يدعوهم إلى عبادة الله عز و جل و معرفة ربوبيته فلا يتبعونه فلما رأى شدة تماديهم في الغي به و الضلال و تركهم قبول ما دعاهم إليه من الرشد و النجاح و حضر عيد قريتهم العظمى قال يا رب إن عبادك أبوا إلا تكذيبي و الكفر بك و غدوا يعبدون شجرة لا تنفع و لا تضر فأيبس شجرهم أجمع و أرهم قدرتك و سلطانك فأصبح القوم و قد يبس شجرهم كلها فهالهم ذلك و قطع بهم و صاروا فريقين فرقة قالت سحر آلهتكم هذا الرجل الذي يزعم أنه رسول رب السماء و الأرض إليكم ليصرف وجوهكم عن آلهتكم إلى إلهه و فرقة قالت لا بل غضبت آلهتكم حين رأت هذا الرجل يعيبها و يقع فيها و يدعوكم إلى عبادة غيرها فحجبت حسنها و بهاءها لكي تغضبوا لها فتنتصروا منه فاجتمع رأيهم على قتله فاتخذوا أنابيب طوالا من رصاص واسعة الأفواه
When their kufr (disbelief) in Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) spread, and their worship to other than Him, Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ) sent to them a Prophet from the Banī Isrā`īl, from the sons of Yahūd b. Ya`qūb. He remained with them for a long time calling them to the worship of Allāh (عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ), and recognizing in His divinity, but they did not obey him. When he saw their great persistence in sin, misguidance and abandoning what they have been calling to from guidance and success, then he attended their biggest town’s Eid, and he (عليه السلام) said: ‘O Lord, These servants of yours do nothing except deny me and disbeliever in You. They worship a tree that neither benefits them nor harms them, so dry up all of their trees and show them Your power and Your Authority. Then all of their trees dried up, and the people were horrified by that. They were divided and they separated into two groups (farīqayn). (One) Group said, ‘This man, (who) claims that he is a messenger upon you of the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth, has bewitched your god, in order to alter your direct from your god to his god!’ (The other) group said, ‘No, rather your gods have become mad, because when they saw this man (expose) its faults and says thing about them, and he calls you to worship other than it. (Because of the gods anger) He has covered up his goodness and beauty in order that they become angry and triumph over him. So they all gathered their views together to kill him. Then they took a long lead pipe and (placed) it at its great opening.
ثم أرسلوها في قرار العين إلى أعلى الماء واحدة فوق الأخرى مثل البرابخ و نزحوا ما فيها من الماء ثم حفروا في قرارها من الأرض بئرا عميقة ضيقة المدخل و أرسلوا فيها نبيهم و ألقموا فاها صخرة عظيمة ثم أخرجوا الأنابيب من الماء و قالوا نرجو الآن أن ترضى عنا آلهتنا إذا رأت إنا قد قتلنا من كان يقع فيها و يصد عن عبادتها و دفناه تحت كبيرها ليشتفي منه فيعود لنا نورها و نضرتها كما كان فبقوا عامة يومهم يسمعون أنين نبيهم ع و هو يقول سيدي قد ترى ضيق مكاني و شدة كربتي فارحم ضعف ركني و قلة حيلتي و عجل بقبض روحي و لا تؤخر إجابة دعائي حتى مات ع فقال الله تبارك و تعالى لجبرئيل يا جبرئيل أ يظن عبادي هؤلاء الذين غرهم حلمي و أمنوا مكري و عبدوا غيري و قتلوا رسلي أن يقوموا لغضبي أو يخرجوا من سلطاني كيف و أنا المنتقم ممن عصاني و لم يخش عقابي و أني حلفت بعزتي لأجعلنهم عبرة و نكالا للعالمين
Then they sent it at the bottom of the spring, they (stacked) one unto another like a water pipe. Then they drained the water that was in it, and they dug in the bottom of the earth a deep narrator entrance to the well. Then they threw their prophet in it, and they covered the top of it (the well) with a huge rock, then they took out the pipes from the water. They said, ‘We hope now that our Gods are happy with us, when they will see that we have killed who was talking about it, and keeping us away from its worship, and he have buried him under its big well. And from it they could hear their Prophet moan and he would say, ‘O My master, you see the narrowness of my place, I am in great agony, have mercy on my weakness, not having a way out. Please hurry to take my spirit, and do not delay in answering my du`ā’ ‘.’ Then he (عليه السلام) died. Allāh (تبارك و تعالى) said to Jibra’īl (عليه السلام), ‘O Jibra’īl, does my servants think, those who have fooled My Patience (Ḥilm), and (they think) they are secure from My Wrath, and they worship other than Me, and they killed My Messenger. Do they (think) they can face My Anger, or escape from My Dominion? I shall take revenge to those who disobeys Me, and does not fear My punishment. I swear by My Glory, that I will make them an example and an exemplary punishment for the Worlds.’
فلم يدعهم و في عيدهم ذلك إلا بريح عاصف شديد الحمرة فتحيروا فيها و ذرعوا منها و تضام بعضهم إلى بعض ثم صارت الأرض من تحتهم حجر كبريت يتوقد و أظلتهم سحابة سوداء مظلمة فانكبت عليهم كالقبة جمرة تتلهب فذابت أبدانهم كما يذوب الرصاص في النار فتعوذ بالله من غضبه و نزول نقمته
And they did not call in their Eid except an extremely stormy wind of redness came, and they were confused by it, so they came to one another, then He made the earth from underneath them turn to blazing glowing sulfur, and a black cloud overshadowed them, and dropped a molten dome upon them, like fire over them. Their bodies melted like lead melts in the fire. And we seek refuge in Allāh from His Anger and His Revenge he sends down.
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