Trees made of gold with branches hanging with musks and...

Trees made of gold with branches hanging with musks and amber were put up in plush gardens. Everytime the wind blew, the sweet scent OT their perfume would spread around. Pretty women were accommodated there to beautify the dream setting. All valuable metals and materials were supplied and it took some three hundred years to complete it. In those very olden days, people used to live very long. Prophet Noah had lived for 900 years. Similary Shaddad was informed that he would live about that long.

So he was extremely anxious to enter and live in his lavish man made paradise before his death. He gave orders to all people to proceed to the walls of dazzling city of high and magnificient pillars described in the holy Quran as IRAM ZATIL IMAD. Then he himself came out of his residence in Hadramont with his large army for opening ceremony. As he neared the paradise of his imagination, suddenly he saw a deer with trunk and legs of gold and silver.

He gave chase to capture it but in so doing he got separated from his army. Now alone, unexpectedly he was faced with a frightful horseman who in raised voice said: "Oh Shaddad! You imagined that you will be saved from death and live for ever after entering this man-made paradise on earth." Shaddad on hearing this trembled and inquired who he was. "I am MALAKOL MAUT" - (the angel of death) came the reply. "What do you want and why are you obstructing me?" asked Shaddad.

"I have come to take away your soul", he replied. Shaddad pleaded for sometime at least to be able to enter his paradise but the angel of death refused saying he had no permission from Allah to do so. He then fell from his horseback and his soul instantly departed from his body. His army heard a deafening and frightening sound from the sky and they also perished on the spot. None of them could fulfil their ardent desire of entering the fictitous paradise.

The whole decorated structure crumbled and got buried under the Arabian sands. What a splendid example of the consequence of one who thought he could challenge the Might of Allah, who had become arrogant as a result of this enormous wealth. What a tragedy that he could not even step into his man- made paradise. The Holy Quran has truly described such people in these words: "Nay!