Hansala ibn safwan

The formation of the legend of Hansal apparently began in the 9th century ^[1] . He is not mentioned by Ibn Kutayba among the prophets of Fatra, and al-Masudi in the book of Muruj devotes only a few lines to him. The need for an interpretation of the Qur'anic story about Askhab ar- Rass , which appeared later, led to the widespread legend of the removal or destruction of the fairy bird Anka , whose attacks suffered Askhab ar-Rass ^[2] . In the Quranic verse “... How many abandoned wells and palaces erected!” ^[3] some commentators also see the story of Ashab ar-Rass ^[4] .

According to legend, there was a well near Aden that supplied them with a plentiful amount of water. The king who ruled there was pious and fair. When he died, his people made a statue of his body and urged the shaitan to enter the king’s corpse and proclaim that he was not dead. The people began to worship the idol, which, by the order of the shaitan, was hidden behind the veil. Allah sent the Prophet Hansal (who received revelations only in a dream) to them, so that he would show them the deception of the shaitan and called to worship Allah. Askhab ar-Rass did not believe in his words, killed him and threw his body into the well. Soon God's punishment followed, and people were destroyed, and their country was given to genies and wild beasts ^[4] .

• Ḥanẓala b. Ṣafwān / Pellat, Ch. // Encyclopaedia of Islam . 2 ed . - Leiden: EJ Brill , 1986. - T. 3. - P. 169. (pl.)