19256 - On the authority of al-Miqdām ibn Maʿdīkarib, from the Prophet, may Allāh bless him and grant him peace, that he mentioned Iram, who had lofty pillars, and said: "A man among them would come to a rock, carry it upon his shoulder, and cast it upon whichever tribe he willed, thus destroying them."

His statement, the Exalted: "Which had not been created like it in the lands."

19257 - On the authority of Qatādah, he said: We used to be told that Iram was a tribe of ʿĀd that used to be called: "Who had lofty pillars," for they were people of tent-poles. Regarding "which had not been created like it in the lands," he said: It was mentioned to us that they were twelve cubits tall reaching into the sky.

19258 - On the authority of ʿIkrimah, he said: Iram is Damascus.

19259 - On the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, he said: The word Iram means destruction. Do you not see that it is said: "The people of so-and-so are Iram," meaning they have perished.

19260 - On the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, regarding "lofty pillars," he said: Possessing strength and power.

His statement, the Exalted: "And [with] Thamūd, who carved out the rocks in the valley..." His statement, the Exalted: "And [with] Pharaoh, possessor of the stakes."

19261 - On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās regarding His statement: "who carved out the rocks in the valley," he said: They used to carve houses out of the mountains. Regarding "And [with] Pharaoh, possessor of the stakes," he said: The stakes are the soldiers who fortify his authority for him.

His statement, the Exalted: "So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment."

19262 - On the authority of Mujāhid regarding "who carved out the rocks," he said: They perforated the mountains and made them into houses. Regarding "And [with] Pharaoh, possessor of the stakes," he said: He used to fasten people with stakes. Regarding "So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment," he said: That with which they were punished.

19263 - On the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, he said: Pharaoh was only called "possessor of the stakes" because platforms used to be built for him upon which he would slaughter people. On the authority of al-Ḥasan, he said: He used to punish [people] with stakes.

19264 - On the authority of al-Suddī, he said: When Pharaoh wanted to kill someone, he would bind him to four stakes upon a rock, then send a rock upon him from above him, crushing him while he looked at it, having been bound by each of his limbs to a peg.