Page 122 - The Dark Clan

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The Dark Clan

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E EXAMPLE OF A CLAN: THAMUD’S
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G GROUP OF NINE
nown as the Group of Nine in the Qur'an, this gang
exemplifies clan formation. God draws our attention
K to this clan, which existed at the time of the Prophet
Salih (peace be upon him) and shows us the plot they devised
against him. The one thing members of this group all had in
common was their unanimity in evil. The Prophet Salih had
repeatedly invited his people to believe in God, to obey God's
commands and not to transgress. They did not heed his call
but chose to adopt an aggressive stance against Salih instead,
whose efforts to spread God's religion were perceived as a
threat to their interests. Hence, they came together to plot
against him. Taking the lead in this plot, the Group of Nine
was one of the dark clans of the time. The Qur'an reveals this
plot:
There was a group of nine men in the city causing
corruption in the land and not putting things
right. They said, "Let us make an oath to one an-
other by God that we will fall on him and his fam-
ily in the night and then say to his protector, 'We
did not witness the destruction of his family and
we are telling the truth.' " (Qur'an, 27: 48-49)
It is truly interesting to note that they swore an oath by
God in relation to their plot against Salih. This expression in
the verse shows that the gang members, within their erro-
neous logic, either considered themselves religious or appear
to have used a religious style. This fact could be pointing to
the possibility today that members of the Dark Clan will
claim religious credentials or even that they may camouflage