Page 113 - The Truth of the Life of This World

they were going about their daily lives as usual – vividly portray details
pertaining to the Roman way of life. The disaster struck Pompeii, together
with the neighbouring city Herculaneum, on a summer day, just at a time
when the region was crowded with wealthy Romans spending the season
in their glorious villas.
The date was the 24th August 79CE. Investigations at the site reveal that
the eruption progressed in discrete stages. Before the eruption, the region
was shaken several times. Distant, high-pitched rumblings, deep and terri-
ble, coming from the volcano, accompanied these quakes. At first,
Vesuvius ejected a column of steam and ash. "Then this roiling cloud rose
high into the atmosphere carrying pieces of old rock torn from the vol-
cano's conduit and millions of tons of fresh, glassy pumice. Prevailing
winds carried the ash cloud toward Pompeii, where 'small stones' began to
fall. As the sun-extinguishing canopy extended over the city, pumice and
ash rained down on Pompeii, accumulating at the rate of six inches an
hour." 13
Herculaneum was closer to Vesuvius; most of its residents fled the city

terrified by the fast-moving pyroclastic surge that roared towards them.
Those who did not leave the city immediately, did not live long to regret
their delay. The pyroclastic surge on reaching Herculaneum killed these
tarriers while a slower-moving pyroclastic flow engulfed the town, burying
it. Excavations at Pompeii, on the other hand, reveal that a majority of its
inhabitants were reluctant to leave the city. They thought they were not in
danger because Pompeii was not very close to the crater. For this reason,
most wealthy Pompeiians did not abandon their homes and instead took
refuge in their houses and shops, hoping the tempest would soon blow
over. They all perished before they had time to realise that it was too late.
In just one day, Pompeii and Herculaneum along with six nearby villages
were wiped off the map. The Qur'an declares that events such as these are
a reminder to all:

These are some of the stories of communities that We relate to you: of them,
some are standing, and some have been mown down (by the sickle of time).
(Surah Hud: 100)

The Truth of the Life of This World 111