"Iram"

[Zarmeena Haseeb]

Salam to all.  Does the Quran state the word "Iram" to mean Heaven ?  Does the Quran denote this word as the name of some man ?   Is it connected with the tribe of Aad ?   I have heard lots of lectures on this, someone says something, someone else says something else.  I am confused.  Please help to make clear from exact Quranic information.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Walaykum As Salam.

Yes sure, InshAllah.

Definition of word Iram:

In Urdu "Iram" is defined as Paradise, and sometimes also defined as 'flower.'  But in the Noble, though this word is stated in V.89:7 of Surah Al-Fajr, there are no such references to its definition. 


Iram and Aad:

The Quranic reference to the term "Iram" is to a particular tribe or a township of the past that lived somewhere in the Arabian peninsula not specified in the Noble Quran.  The Noble Quran also gives no reasons to presume that the community of Iram was linked to the tribe of Aad nor was Iram the same as Aad.  These speculations have risen from extra-Quranic sources including the altered Bibles.  Abu Ala Maududi presumes Iram to be the same as Aad from Verses 26:128-129 of Surah Ash-Shuara where Prophet Hud (pbuh) tells the people of Aad, quote as follows:

"Do you build a landmark on every high place to amuse yourselves?" 26:128.
"And take for yourselves palaces and fortresses that you might abide eternally?" 26:129.

But just because the people of Aad built structures is no evidence to presume that they were the same as Iram.  From that perspective the people of Thamud of the community of Prophet Salih (pbuh) were also known for building plenty of structures.  Following Verses as evidence when Prophet Salih told the people of Thamud:

"And remember how He made you viceroys after A'ad and gave you station in the earth. You choose castles in the plains and hew the mountains into dwellings.  So remember (all) the bounties of Allah and do not evil, making mischief in the earth."   7:74 Al-Araf.

Also as stated in Surah Al-Fajr:

"And with (the tribe of) Thamud, who clove the rocks in the valley;"  89:9 Al-Fajr.

Therefore, the Noble Quran makes it very easy to gauge that Aad, Thamud and Iram were all separate or different communities.

If you read the following translation of V.89:7 from different sources, it will be clear that Iram was a separate ancient community which was disobedient to Allah Almighty similar to the disobedient communities of Aad, Thamud and Pharaoh. 

89:7  Al-Fajr -  "[With] Iram - who had lofty pillars,"  (Sahih international translation).
89:7  Al-Fajr -     "Of the (city of) Iram, with lofty pillars,"   (Yusuf Ali translation).
89:7 Al-Fajr  -     "Iram, possessors (of) lofty pillars,"  (word by word translation from Corpus Quran).

This point will be even clearer if you read Surah Fajr from Verses 89:6 -14 where, throughout, Allah Almighty is speaking about a group of different communities who were disobedient and thus were punished by Him, and the tribe (or town) of Iram was one of them.


Iram name of man?

It is also ample clear that the Quran does not mention “Iram” as the the name of any person.  It is simply the name of one of the many communities of the ancient past who were not interested in seeking guidance from Allah and were punished.

The notion of Iram being the name of a man is again unreliable and evidence-free, coming from the altered Bibles.  Ibn Kathir has given several commentaries on the lineage of Prophet Noah (on whom be peace) but his source of information is entirely the altered Bibles that cannot be trusted.   

According to Andrew Rippins who was a senior Professor of history and Islamic studies in the University of Victoria, British Columbia (Canada), wrote "some modern speculation has associated Iram—and thus ʿĀd—with the buried city referred to as Ubar (Wabār), located at Shisur, Oman, because of the pillars found at that site."  This is a total speculation from the altered Bibles, not Quranic information at all, and therefore we cannot accept it as confirmed.  It’s just a guesswork.  Moreover there are ruins of structures and pillars buried in many desert locations, not only in Oman. 

Then again, quoting Abu Ala Maududi on the aspect of Iram as the name of a man, quote  "The ancient `Ad are called Ad lram for the reason that they belonged to that branch of the Sematic race which descended from Iram son of Shem son of Noah (peace be upon him). Several other sub-branches of this main branch are well known in history one of which were the Thamud, who have been mentioned in the Qur'an; another are the Aramaeans, who in the beginning inhabited the northern parts of Syria and whose language Aramaic occupies an important place among the Sematic languages."  However, the community of Aad is simply referred to as "Aad" in the Noble Quran, not "Ad Iram" as Maududi puts it. I don't know from where he picked that.  It is surely not from the Quran to the best of my knowledge.  The Noble Quran mentions that the son of Prophet Noah (pbuh) was not a believer and thus he was drowned in the heavy flood as punishment.  His name is not mentioned in the Quran anywhere and certainly not the name "Shem."  Also there is absolutely no mention in the Quran of Prophet Noah having any grandson named Iram.  Even if the people of these different communities had gradually branched-off separately in different regions as Maududi describes, it signifies that over the passage of time they got established as separate clans.  Having a common ancestral patriarch (if at all that idea is correct as only Allah knows such details) hundreds or thousands of years earlier does not make each one of those communities a single family.

I hope this makes everything easier for you to understand.

[Zarmeena Haseeb]

Thanks a lot, very good read.   So when our lecturers narrate those bible borrowed stories, should I ignore it?

[Ruhi_Rose]

It’s in the interest of our own soul to ignore any information from unreliable and controversial sources like the altered bibles and the man-written ahadith.  Unless some content we read or hear is confirmed by the Noble  Quran or is clearly in conformity with the principles of the Noble Quran, we are not under any obligation to accept that content.

[Zarmeena Haseeb]

Jazek’Allah Khairan.

[Mehr-un-nissa Safeer]

Doesn't the word Iram mean pillars?  But you are pointing to it as a town or community.

[Ruhi_Rose]

No, Iram does not mean pillars.  Please read V,89:7 carefully.  The Arabic term used in this Verse for 'lofty pillars' is 'al-imadi.;   Iram is the name of a community or tribe.