M6:2166 — هم نکر سازید بهر قوم عاد / زود خیزی تیزرو یعنی که باد

Translation: He also made a nukr (servant/executor) for the people of ʿĀd, A swift-rising, fast-moving wind, that is. Meaning: This verse describes the divine punishment inflicted upon the people of ʿĀd, which manifested as a fierce, destructive wind, understood by Mawlana as God's appointed servant (nukr) for this task.

Mawlana, in this verse and the preceding ones, points to fundamental historical and cosmic antagonisms – tazād – which began with Nimrod and Abraham, progressed to Pharaoh and Moses, and continued through the era of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Abu Jahl. These conflicts, in Mawlana's view, are manifestations ultimately leading to divine knowledge. In this context, he refers to divine punishments, illustrating how the Almighty, to resolve the struggle between truth and falsehood, employs the forces of nature.

In this specific verse, Mawlana addresses the fate of the people of ʿĀd. He states: “He also made a nukr (servant/executor) for the people of ʿĀd, / A swift-rising, fast-moving wind, that is.” The word nukr here is key. As I have indicated before, and Nicholson, the great commentator of the Masnavi, also suggested, nukr in my view is precisely nokar, meaning 'servant'. That is, God made the wind His servant and executor to carry out His command. This wind was “swift-rising” and “fast-moving” — it rose quickly and brought devastation.

The Holy Quran precisely describes this event: “He let it loose on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you could see the people lying dead in it as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Do you then see any remnants of them?” This Quranic description profoundly reveals the divine wrath and the destructive power of this “wind,” which was God’s nukr.

The crucial point to grasp here is that Mawlana does not view nature merely as a collection of blind and purposeless forces. Wind, fire, water, and earth – all these can be agents and servants of the divine will. When God shows severity (qahr), bread turns into choking in the throat, and warm clothing takes on the disposition of zamharīr (bitter cold). This world and its elements are all within His grasp and at the service of His command. This insight presents a vision of a dynamic and living cosmos where no phenomenon exists outside the sphere of God's power and will.

Key takeaways

• The Wind as Divine 'Nukr': The wind here is not a blind natural force but a servant and instrument of God’s will.
• Divine Wrath in History: The story of the people of ʿĀd is an example of fundamental historical antagonisms and the manifestation of divine wrath to resolve the conflict between truth and falsehood.
• Elements of Nature as Divine Agents: Mawlana perceives the natural world as alive, where every element can be an agent for executing divine command.
• Masnavi's Quranic Resonance: Mawlana elucidates this narrative with direct reference to Quranic verses, demonstrating the deep connection between the Masnavi's teachings and divine scripture.