Description of the
People of Ad
The people of 'Ad lived many years in the windswept hills of
an area between Yemen and Oman. They were physically
well-built and renowned for their craftsmanship especially
in the construction of tall buildings with lofty towers.
They were outstanding among all the nations in power and
wealth, which, unfortunately, made them arrogant and
boastful. Their political power was held in the hand of
unjust rulers, against whom no one dared to raise a voice.
They were not ignorant of the existence of Allah, nor did
they refuse to worship Him. What they did refuse was to
worship Allah alone. They worshiped other gods, also,
including idols. This is one sin Allah does not forgive.
Description of Hud(pbuh)
Allah wanted to guide and discipline these people, so He
sent a prophet from among them. This prophet was Hud(pbuh),
a noble man who handled his task with great resoluteness and
tolerance.
Ibn Jarir reported that he was Hud(pbuh)
Ibn Shalikh, Ibn Arfakhshand, Ibn Sam, Ibn Noah(pbuh).
He also reported that Prophet Hud(pbuh)
was from a tribe called 'Ad Ibn 'Uus Ibn Sam Ibn Noah(pbuh),
who were Arabs living in Al-Ahqaf in Yemen between Oman and
Hadramaut, on a land called Ashar stretching out into the
sea. The name of their valley was Mughiith.
Some traditions claimed that Hud(pbuh)
was the first person who spoke Arabic, while others claimed
that Noah(pbuh)
was the first. It was also said that Adam(pbuh)
was the first.
Commentary - Hud's(pbuh)
Appeal to his People
Hud(pbuh)
condemned idol worship and admonished his people: "My
people, what is the benefit of these stones that you carve
with your own hands and worship? In reality it is an insult
to the intellect. There is only One Deity worthy of worship
and that is Allah. Worship of Him, and Him alone, is
compulsory on you.
"He created you, He provides for you and He is the One Who
will cause you to die. He gave you wonderful physiques and
blessed you in many ways. So believe in Him and do not be
blind to His favors, or the same fate that destroyed Noah's(pbuh)
people will overtake you."
With such reasoning Hud(pbuh)
hoped to instill faith in them, but they refused to accept
his message. His people asked him: "Do you desire to be our
master with your call? What payment do you want?"
Hud(pbuh)
tried to make them understand that he would receive his
payment (reward) from Allah; he did not demand anything from
them except that they let the light of truth touch their
minds and hearts.
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Hud's(pbuh)
Appeal to his People - Qur'anic
Allah the Almighty states:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 11 Hud, Verse 50-57 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
To the 'Ad
People (We sent) Hud, one of
their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye
have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) ye do nothing
but invent!
"O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message).
My reward is from none but Him who created me: Will ye not
then understand?
"And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn
to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring
abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye
not back in sin!"
They said: "O Hud! No Clear (Sign) that hast thou brought
us, and we are not the ones to desert our gods on thy word!
Nor shall we believe in thee!
"We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may
have seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call Allah to
witness, and do ye bear witness, that I am free from the sin
of ascribing, to Him,
"Other gods as partners! so scheme (your worst) against
me, all of you, and give me no respite.
"I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is
not a moving creature, but He hath grasp of its fore-lock.
Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.
"If ye turn away,- I (at least) have conveyed the Message
with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another
people to succeed you, and you will not harm Him in the
least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all things." |
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Hud(pbuh)
explains the Day of Judgment
Hud(pbuh)
tried to speak to them and to explain about Allah's
blessings: how Allah the Almighty had made them Noah's(pbuh)
successors, how He had given them strength and power, and
how He sent them rain to revive the soil.
Hud's(pbuh)
people looked about them and found they were the strongest
on earth, so they became prouder and more obstinate. Thus
they argued a lot with Hud(pbuh).
They asked: "O Hud! Do you say that after we die and turn
into dust, we will be resurrected?" He replied: "Yes, you
will come back on the Day of Judgment and each one of you
will be asked about what you did."
A peal of laughter was heard after the last statement. "How
strange Hud's claims are!" The disbelievers muttered among
themselves. They believed that when man dies his body decays
and turns into dust which is swept away by the wind. How
could that return to its original state? Then what is the
significance of the Day of Judgment? Why do the dead return
to life?
All these questions were patiently received by Hud(pbuh).
He then addressed his people concerning the Day of Judgment.
He explained that belief in the Day of Judgment is essential
to Allah's justice, teaching them the same thing that every
prophet taught.
Hud(pbuh)
explained that justice demands that there be a Day of
Judgment because good is not always victorious in life.
Sometimes evil overpowers good. Will such crimes go
unpunished? If we suppose there is no Day of Judgment, then
a great injustice will have prevailed, but Allah has
forbidden injustice to be incurred by Himself or His
subjects. Therefore, the existence of the Day of Judgment, a
day of accounting for our deeds and being rewarded or
punished for them, reveals the extent of Allah's justice.
Hud(pbuh)
spoke to them about all of these things. They listened but
disbelieved him.
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The Disbelievers' Attitude
Allah recounts Hud's(pbuh)
people's attitude towards the Day of Judgment:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 23 Al-Muminun, Verse 33-38 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
And the chiefs
of his people, who disbelieved and denied the Meeting in
the Hereafter, and on whom We had bestowed the good
things of this life, said: "He is no more than a man
like yourselves: he eats of that of which ye eat, and
drinks of what ye drink.
"If ye obey a man like yourselves, behold, it is certain
ye will be lost.
"Does he promise that when ye die and become dust and
bones, ye shall be brought forth (again)?
"Far, very far is that which ye are promised!
"There is nothing but our life in this world! We shall
die and we live! But we shall never be raised up again!
"He is only a man who invents a lie against Allah, but we
are not the ones to believe in him!" |
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The
Disbelievers Question Hud(pbuh)
The chiefs of Hud's(pbuh)
people asked: "Is it not strange that Allah chooses one of
us to reveal His message to?"
Hud(pbuh)
replied: 'What is strange in that? Allah wants to guide you
to the right way of life, so He sent me to warn you. Noah's(pbuh)
flood and his story are not far away from you, so do not
forget what happened. All the disbelievers were destroyed,
no matter how strong they were."
"Who is going to destroy us, Hud?" the chiefs asked.
"Allah," replied Hud(pbuh).
The disbelievers among his people answered: "We will be
saved by our gods."
Hud(pbuh)
clarified to them that the gods they worshiped would be the
reason for their destruction, that it is Allah alone Who
saves people, and that no other power on earth can benefit
or harm anyone.
The conflict between Hud(pbuh)
and his people continued. The years passed, and they became
prouder, more obstinate, mare tyrannical and more defiant of
their prophet's message.
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Hud(pbuh)
Warns his People
Furthermore, they started to accuse Hud(pbuh)
of being a crazy lunatic. One day they told him: "We now
understand the secret of your madness: you insulted our gods
and they harmed you; that is why you have become insane."
Almighty Allah repeated their words in the Quran:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 11 Hud, Verse 53-54 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
They said:
"O Hud! No Clear (Sign) that hast thou brought
us, and we are not the ones to desert our gods on thy word!
Nor shall we believe in thee!
"We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may
have seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call Allah to
witness, and do ye bear witness, that I am free from the sin
of ascribing, to Him |
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Hud(pbuh)
had to return their challenge. He had no other way but to
turn to Allah alone, no other alternative but to give them a
threatening ultimatum. Almighty Allah recounts Hud's(pbuh)
declaration to them:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 11 Hud, Verse 54-57 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
"We say
nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may have
seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call Allah to
witness, and do ye bear witness, that I am free from the
sin of ascribing, to Him,
"Other gods as partners! so scheme (your worst) against
me, all of you, and give me no respite.
"I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is
not a moving creature, but He hath grasp of its fore-lock.
Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.
"If ye turn away,- I (at least) have conveyed the Message
with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another
people to succeed you, and you will not harm Him in the
least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all things." |
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The Punishment
Thus Hud(pbuh)
renounced them and their gods and affirmed his dependence on
Allah Who had created him. Hud(pbuh)
realized that punishment would be incurred on the
disbelievers among his people. It is one of the laws of
life. Allah punishes the disbelievers, no matter how rich,
tyrannical, or great they are.
Hud(pbuh)
and his people waited for Allah's promise. A drought spread
throughout the land, for the sky no longer sent its rain.
The sun scorched the desert sands, looking like a disk of
fire which settled on people's heads.
Hud's(pbuh)
people hastened to him asking: "What is that drought, Hud?"
Hud(pbuh)
answered: "Allah is angry with you. If you believe in Him,
He will accept you and the rain will fall and you will
become even stronger than you are."
They mocked him and became more arrogant, sarcastic and
perverse in their unbelief. The drought increased, the trees
turned yellow, and plants died.
A day came when they found the sky full of clouds. Hud's(pbuh)
people were glad as they came out of their homes crying: "A
cloud which will give us rain!"
The weather changed suddenly from burning dry and hot to
stinging cold, with wind that shook everything: trees,
plants, buildings, men and women. The wind increased day
after day and night after night.
Hud's(pbuh)
people started to flee. They ran to their homes to hide, but
the gale became stronger, destroying their houses. They then
tried to hide under cloth covers, but the gale became
stronger still and tore away the covers. It slashed clothing
and skin. It penetrated the apertures of the body and
destroyed it. It hardly touched anything before it was
destroyed or killed, its core sucked out to decompose and
rot. The storm raged for eight days and seven nights.
Almighty Allah recounts:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 46 Al-Ahfaq, Verse 24-25 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
Then, when
they saw the (Penalty in the shape of) a cloud
traversing the sky, coming to meet their valleys, they
said, "This cloud will give us rain!" "Nay, it is the
(Calamity) ye were asking to be hastened!- A wind
wherein is a Grievous Penalty!
"Everything will it destroy by the command of its Lord!"
Then by the morning they - nothing was to be seen but (the
ruins of) their houses! thus do We recompense those given to
sin! |
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Allah the Exalted described it thus:
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Al-Quran,
Chapter 69 Al-Haqqa, Verse 6-7 |
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In
the Name of Allah, The Benevolent, The Merciful |
And the
'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious Wind, exceedingly
violent;
He made it rage against them seven nights and eight days
in succession: so that thou couldst see the (whole) people
lying prostrate in its (path), as they had been roots of
hollow palm-trees tumbled down! |
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The Believers are saved
The violent gale did not stop
until the entire region was reduced to ruins and its wicked
people destroyed, swallowed by the sands of the desert. Only
Hud(pbuh)
and his followers remained unharmed. They migrated to
Hadramaut and lived there in peace, worshipping Allah, their
true Lord.
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