وَفِي — “And in”
A repeated entry into each sign in this section, tying ‘Aad to the same thread of lessons alongside Musa and Thamud, echoing the sign left in the account of Lut (as).
Key verse and thematic focus
Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:41 — The ‘Aqeem Wind
وَفِي عَادٍ إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّيحَ الْعَقِيمَ
“And in ‘Aad (there is a sign) when We sent against them the ‘Aqeem wind”. A sign in the story of ‘Aad: a wind described as ‘Aqeem — barren, fruitless, devoid of life-giving benefit.
Context overview
In this passage of signs, after mentioning Ibrahim (as), Lut (as), and Musa (as), the discourse reaches further back in history to the earlier nations of ‘Aad and Thamud.
Linking phrase: وَفِي مُوسَىٰ • وَفِي عَادٍ • وَفِي ثَمُودَ
Each “Wa Fee …” points back to the idea of a sign (آيَة) left as in: وَتَرَكْنَا فِيهَا آيَةً related to the people of Lut (as). Thus: also in Musa, ‘Aad, and Thamud there is an ayah — a sign, a lesson.
Language, imagery, and nuance
أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ — “We sent against them”
From أرسل (arsala): conveys letting something loose, unleashing. The wind is not incidental; it is released upon them with intent.
الْعَقِيمَ — “barren, fruitless”
From عَقَمَ (ʿaqama): to be barren and fruitless; to dry and become ineffectual — like joints that lose suppleness.
- Used for a war: حَرْبٌ عَقِيم — a war that yields no benefit or resolution, only destruction without attaining anything worthy.
Life-bearing winds vs. ‘Aqeem wind
Life-bearing at the start of the Surah
Winds carry water and pollen — sustenance for life and vegetation.
‘Aqeem wind here
Devoid of benefit; it carries only death — its blessings stripped away.
Designed deprivation
Wind is ordinarily a blessing. Here, it is fashioned with its blessings removed — a wind that gives no benefit, only desolation.
Symbolism of “ʿAqeem” in the Surah
Barrenness that births a legacy
The wife of Ibrahim (as), described as عَجُوزٌ عَقِيمٌ, becomes the mother of a great nation with a long line of Prophets.
Power that ends in extinction
‘Aad, seeking to be the most powerful, is wiped out by a wind that is عَقِيم — leaving no generations after them.
A profound contrast: from a barren woman emerges enduring Prophethood; from a mighty nation emerges utter severance — by a barren wind.
Opinion of a Tafsir scholar
Al-Alousy on “Al-ʿAqeem”
“It (i.e., the wind) was called عَقِيمٌ (‘Aqeem “barren”) because it annihilated them and cut off their lineage. That is because there is a metaphor (استعارة – Ista’aarah) at play: Their destruction and the severing of their progeny is likened to the barrenness of women who do not bear children, due to the shared outcome of eliminating offspring. Then, the word used for the compared thing (i.e., barrenness of women) was borrowed and applied to the matter resembling it (i.e., the wind), and from it the word الْعَقِيمَ (Al-‘Aqeem) was brought forth (here)”. — Al-Alousy
Key takeaways
Structure of signs
- “Wa Fee …” introduces each sign: Musa, ‘Aad, Thamud.
- All point back to the concept: وَتَرَكْنَا فِيهَا آيَةً.
Semantic precision
- أرسل: letting loose, unleashing — intentional sending against them.
- عقيم: barren/fruitless; dryness and ineffectuality.
Imagery and contrast
- Earlier winds: carriers of life (water, pollen).
- Here: a wind stripped of blessing — bringing only death.
Metaphor (Istiʿārah)
“Barren” is borrowed: from a woman who bears no children to a wind that cuts off a people’s lineage — shared outcome of eliminating progeny.