How many nations and tribes were destroyed ? Where, how

How many nations and tribes were destroyed ? Where, how

Various prophets and apostles were sent by Allah to the nations that went astray. Among those prophets whose names we know, only five of them are Arabs. The other prophets belong to other races. The following is stated in a hadith regarding the issue:

Among those prophets whose names are included in the Quran, only five of them are Arabs.
They are as follows: Hz. Ismail, Hz. Shuayb, Hz. Salih, Hz. Hud and Hz. Muhammad (peace be upon them).

They were all prophets in the regions where Arabs lived.
- Hz. Shuayb lived in the region of Madyan,
-Hz. Salih in the region of Hijr and
-Hz. Hud in the region of Ahqaf;
almost all of their nations were destroyed.

The destruction of the nations of Ad, Thamud and the nation of Shuayb, the Flood of Arim, which destroyed the nation of Saba, the incident of Ashab al-Uhdud and the incident of Feel (Elephant) all took place on Arab land known as Bilad al-Arab.

The place where the Pharaoh and his men, who were enemies of Hz. Musa, where Qarun (Croesus) and Haman were destroyed was Egypt.

The disaster that eliminated the nation of Lut, and the slight punishment given to the nation of Ilyas took place in Bilad ad-Dimashq (Damascus).

The destruction of the nation of Nuh, the destruction of Nimrod, who was an enemy of Ibrahim, and Nimrod's men and what happened to the nation of Yunus, who were saved from Allah's wrath in the last minute, took place in Iraq.

It is possible to mention a special property that distinguishes a prophet from others whose stories are narrated in the Quran.

For instance, we see that each one of the prophets mentioned in the chapter of al-Anam has different characters and is a pioneer of something.

Accordingly, Hazrat Nuh is the first prophet who struggled against idolaters.
Hazrat Ishaq and Hz. Yaqub are the ancestors of all the prophets sent to Children of Israel.
Hz. Dawud and Hz. Sulayman are distinguished by their property and sultanate; Hz. Ayyub and Hz. Yusuf differ from other prophets in terms of testing and patience.
Hz. Musa and Hz. Harun are distinguished with the power of weakening, majesty and overwhelming power. Hz. Zakariyya, Hz. Yaqub, Hz. Isa and Hz. Ilyas are models for asceticism, spirituality and sacrifice.

Similarly, each individual and nation that is destroyed has different properties from others and they are the first ones that committed those bad deeds among people.

It is possible to divide human history into three periods in terms of this issue. Besides, it is possible to deal with the destruction of individuals and nations under two headings as before Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) and after him.

The eras of human history according to the Quran:

Qurun al-Ula (The First Generations): The period between Hz. Adam and Hz. Moses when the Pharaoh was destroyed and the Torah was sent down.

The Nation of Nuh, the Prophet Nuh: It is stated in the Quran that Ashab ar-Ras denied their prophets along with the nation of Nuh, Ad and Thamud; there is no other information.

The Nation of Ad, the Prophet Hud
The Nation of Thamud, the Prophet Salih
The Nation of Lut, the Prophet Lut
The Nation of Shuayb (the People of Madyan and Ayka), the Prophet Shuaib

Qurun al-Wusta (the Middle Generations): The period from the time of the destruction of the Pharaoh or the revelation of the Torah to the time when Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) was sent.

Ashab al-Qarya: Ashab al-Qarya is a Quranic expression meaning the people of village or town. The phrase Ashab al-Qarya mentioned in the chapter of Yasin indicates a community that lived in Antakya (Antioch), Turkey. Allah sent two messengers and then one more messenger to the people of this town. When the messengers told them that they were messengers sent to them by Allah, they denied the messengers by saying, "You are only men like ourselves." (Yasin, 36/15)
They even said to the messengers that they brought evil omen to them and threatened to stone them if they did not leave.
During this conversation, somebody from the other end of the town arrived there by running and told the people of the town to believe in those messengers. The ferocious unbelievers killed this person, who expressed the truth logically. When those three messengers, whom they did not believe in, left that town, a strong noise caught the people of the town. They were destroyed with that sound.

The Nation of Saba' (Sayl al-Arim): Saba is mentioned in two chapters in the Quran. In the chapter of an-Naml (27/20-44), it is stated that Saba, which was a rich and powerful country, was directed by a queen, that its people worshipped the sun, that Hz. Sulayman sent a messenger to that queen and asked her and her nation to become Muslims, that the queen who wanted to deal with the issue through peace went to Jerusalem to meet Sulayman, that she understood during this meeting that he was a real prophet when she noticed his bodily and spiritual power and that she accepted his domination. There are narrations in history and tafsir resources that Hz. Sulayman married her or he married her off to the king of Hamdan and allowed her to remain as the queen of Saba. In the chapter of Saba, whose name is derived from this nation, it is stated that the powerful nation of Saba with wealth and welfare gave up worshipping Allah by obeying Satan despite so many bounties given to them, that they were punished by a big flood (Flood of Arim), that their fertile land was transformed into arid land and that their bounties were transformed into shortages. Regarding the date of the demolition of the wall, historians mention various dates between 4th century BC and 6th century AD. This difference can be explained by the possibility of the repetition of the disaster.

Ashab al-Jannah (People of the Garden): The issue mentioned at length in verses 17-32 of the chapter of al-Qalam (68) is about some siblings who did not make good use of the garden like Paradise they inherited from their father and their ungrateful attitude toward Allah, who granted them that bounty, and their losing this bounty. It is said that this incident that happened to the People of the Garden was known by Arabs.

Ashab as-Sabt: The punishment of Ashab as-Sabt is mainly mentioned in the chapter of al-Araf and also in the chapters of al-Baqara and an-Nisa. When Ashab as-Sabt (the People of Saturday) is mentioned, Jews come to mind. However, when Ashab as-Sabt is mentioned in the Quran, not all Jews but the Jews that disobeyed Allah by violating the holiness of Saturday and that were transformed into monkeys and pigs because of it come to mind.

Ashab al-Uhdud: The term Ashab al-Uhdud is mentioned only in verse 4 of the chapter of al-Buruj in the Quran. Ashab al-Uhdud means the people of the ditch. This story is about a fire made by a group of unbelievers in order to burn the believers, the test the believers undergo in these ditches of fire and the destruction of those unbelievers. This incident is very well known by the Makkan polytheists; therefore, they are threatened by the terrible punishment given to them and the believers who are exposed to the tortures of the unbelievers are reassured. This story will continue to serve as a morale booster for the believers and as a threat to unbelievers.

The Nation of Tubba': It is mentioned in two places in the Quran:
the chapter of ad-Duhan and the chapter of Qaf.
It is controversial whether Tubba is a person or a dynasty of kings. It is reported from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, "I do not know whether Tubba is a prophet or not." Hz. Aisha said, "Do not curse Tubba because he was a righteous person. Allah criticized his nation, not him."

Ibn Abbas said he was a prophet. According to a view, Tubba used to be a fire-worshipper but he became a Muslim afterwards and called his nation to accept Islam. His nation opposed him and committed big sins; therefore, they were destroyed. The most important characteristic of the nation of Tubba was probably the fact that they were the closest community to the Makkan polytheists among the destroyed nations. (For narrations and more information, see Zamakhshari, Kashshaf, IV, 279-280)

Ashab al-Fil: A very short time before the advent of Islam, an astonishing incident took place in the Arabian Peninsula. Abraha built a very big church called "Qullays" in the city of San'a in Yemen. Thus, he aimed to make all Arabs abandon the Kaaba, which they visited for hajj, and come to his church. Abraha, who wanted to demolish the Kaaba with this intention, and his army were destroyed. The chapter of al-Fil, which was sent down upon this incident is as follows:

"Seest thou not how thy Lord dealt with the Companions of the Elephant? Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? And He sent against them flights of Birds, Striking them with stones of baked clay. Then did He make them like an empty field of stalks and straw, (of which the corn) has been eaten up."

Qurun al-Ukhra (The Last Generations): It is the time period between the advent of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) with Islam and the Doomsday, which is also called the end of time.

Those killed in Badr: Ashab al-Kalib (Makkan polytheists)
Jews around Madinah

o Banu Qaynuqa
o Banu Nadr
o Banu Qurayza

The individuals that were punished by Allah and mentioned in the Quran
Before the Messenger of Allah (pbuh):
-Nuh's Son
-Nuh's Wife
-Lut's Wife
-Nimrod

The Pharaoh and Children of Israel
-Qarun
-Haman
-Samiri
-Bal'am
-Jalut

One of the two men, whose garden (property) was destroyed only
During the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
-Abu Lahab
-Abu Jahl
-Walid B. Mughira
-Nadr B. al-Harith
-Ka'b B. Ashraf
-Abu Amir, a Christian priest

The examples of the incidents related to the wrath of God presented by the Quran serves to make man avoid the deeds of those people. Therefore, the elements of time and date are not mentioned much in those incidents.

There is no information in the Quran stating that such and such a nation lived in this or that year, stating the date exactly. Similarly, the element of place is not given much importance in the Quran.

The reason for this is the viewpoint of the Quran related to history. When the Quran narrates historical incidents, it deals with the characteristics of the people and the attitudes of the communities; it analyzes them in detail. The Quran emphasizes how attitudes are evaluated by Allah.

Thus, the Quran gives man a list of things he needs to do and not to do.

While doing so, the Quran explains in detail and in a way that man can understand the basic philosophy and approach that need to be dominant in his deeds in order to attain happiness both in the world and the hereafter.

The issue of wrath is present in the parts that are known as stories. From this point of view, the most important topic of stories is the incidents related to wrath. The first addressees of the Quran described the Quran as "tales of the ancients" (al-An'am 6/25) when they denied it. Today, the issue that those who deny the Quran refer to the most is the stories in the Quran.
The orientalists, who does it using scientific methods, and their representatives in the Islamic world work hard in order to bring about doubts in the minds of people regarding the stories in the Quran and to show them as unreal stories.

It is true that some of the stories that exist in the Torah also exist in the Quran. However, there are usually differences between them.

Regarding those stories narrated both in the Quran and the Torah, the Quran is a judge, showing the real nature of the distorted parts of the Torah.

Besides, another important aspect of the stories is that some stories that are present in the Quran do not exist in the Torah. The Quran has a different originality in terms of this aspect. Even the Makkan polytheists, the first addressees of the Quran that regarded the Quran as the tales of the ancient people, were surprised when they heard these stories, which were sent through revelation; they did not object to them at all.

The reason why stories and especially the scenes describing individuals and communities hit by the wrath of Allah exist so much in the Quran is that it aims to enable man to protect himself from these possible dangers that will happen when he deviates. From this point of view, the parts of the Quran that include scenes of wrath are the most important parts of the Quran, which is a divine warning. As a matter of fact, it functioned like that for the first people it addressed and it will continue functioning so in the future too. Allah reminded the polytheists that they knew what happened to the previous nations and that they will be hit by the wrath of Allah like the previous nations if they do not accept the signs of Allah.

The main idea of these parts is that among the nations that will exist up to the Day of Judgment, the end of those who oppose the orders and prohibitions of Allah and who insist on unbelief, polytheism, oppression and cruelty will not be any different from that of the previous nations.

To sum up, the reason why the verses of wrath are present abundantly without emphasizing the elements of place and time but emphasizing the characteristics of the people in the Quran is to tell people that Allah's law functions in the same way for similar situations and to enable them to protect themselves from falling into a bad situation like that.

Thus, through stories, the message of the Quran “If they do not accept the signs of Allah, they will be destroyed like the previous nations" to its addressees makes its addresses understand the message fully in the form of unforgettable scenes thanks to the scenes from real events.

The stories repeated so much in the Quran has been a point of interest for especially historians and tafsir scholars. However, the fact that some stories also existed in the Torah and that some scholars completed some of the stories that were not explained in the Quran with the information included in the Torah and Gospel caused some superstitions and wrong information to be included in those history and tafsir resources.

What is saddening here is the fact that the scholars who included these kinds of narrations in their books did not usually mention whether they took them from the Bible or another source knowingly or unknowingly. These parts that are presented as the interpretation of verses pose the danger of being understood as the explanation of the religion and the revelation regarding the issue since the source of the information is not stated.

In fact, God did not explain those issues because they were not important. While filling the parts of the story that are not explained with sources out of Islam, the source of the information must be mentioned and warnings as the following ones must be included: “The issue is explained based on the Torah or based on such and such a person.”

Divine wrath, which forms the most horrible disaster in the universe, and destruction as a result of this wrath were conducted very few times in the history of mankind but it is a divine law that is repeated if people form the conditions necessary for it.

The infliction of wrath upon an individual or a community takes place after the formation of a long transformation process. During this process, the Creator sends various warnings to those who deny and go astray. These warnings tell the individuals and communities who rebel against Allah and who are in a war against Allah that a big misfortune is coming. Those who get the message and abandon fighting religious, holy things, who give up the claim of being a deity and avoid oppression protect themselves from the wrath due to the nature of divine laws.

However, the deniers who insist on unbelief, who do not give up fighting against divine values and who dedicate themselves to fighting religious values attract the wrath of Allah are punished and destroyed by Him.

The types of wrath and disasters sent to the previous deniers from the ground and sky will serve to remain as a fact that can take place anytime and anywhere Allah wishes.:
“Say: "He hath power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover you with confusion in party strife, giving you a taste of mutual vengeance― each from the other.” (al-An’am 6/65)

The interest in and the tendency toward the changes contrary to revelation in the nature of man that the Quran dwells upon will end up with the loss of those who do so as the Quran states.

At that point, the Quran lays emphasis on the criteria and principles of saving man from loss. It does so by drawing attention to the previous ummahs, prophets and the changes that they underwent.

There is no doubt that there are ways of protection from this big disaster in the law of Allah, who imposes all of the rules of the universe perfectly down to the last detail.

The Quran, which is the holy script of the last religion, informs us about those ways of protection.

The first one of it is as follows: man needs to remember that he is a slave in the eye of his Creator and act accordingly. He must not struggle against Allah by forgetting that he is a slave.

The second one: Man needs to pray Allah, ask for forgiveness and repent for his sins throughout his life. Similar ways of protection from divine wrath are mentioned in the Quran.