Stories Of The Prophets

Prophet
Hud

 

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 worshipped other gods, also, including
idols. This is one sin Allah does not forgive.

Description
of Hud

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 this task with great resoluteness and
tolerance.

Ibn Jarir reported that he was Hud Ibn
Shalikh, Ibn Arfakhshand, Ibn Sam, Ibn Noah (PBUH). He also reported
that Prophet Hud (PBUH) was from a tribe called Ad Ibn Us Ibn Sam Ibn
Noah, 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 was the first.

Commentary
- Hud's 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 people will
overtake you."

With such reasoning Hud 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 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.

Hud's
Appeal to His People - Quranic

Allah the Almighty states:

"And to Ad
people We sent their brother Hud. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah!
You have no other Ilah (god) but Him; Certainly, you do nothing but
invent (lies)! O my people I ask of you no reward for it (the Message).
My reward is only from Him Who created me. Will you not then
understand? And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then
repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add
strength to your strength, so do not turn away as Mujrimeen (criminals,
disbeliveers in the Oneness of Allah)."

They said: "O Hud! No evidence have
you brought us and we shall not leave our gods for your mere saying! We
are not believers in you. All that we say is that some of our gods
(false deities) have seized you with evil (madness)."

HE said: "I call Allah to witness and
bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners
in worship, and with Him (Allah). SO plot 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 (living) creature but HE has grasp of its
forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth). SO if
you turn away, still I have conveyed the Message with which I was sent
to you. My Lord will make another people succeed you, and you will not
harm Him in the least. Surely, my Lord is Guardian over all things."
(Ch 11:50-57 Quran)

Hud
(pbuh) explains the Day of Judgement

Hud tried to speak to them and to
explain about Allah's blessings: how Allah the Almighty had made them
Noah's successors, how He had given them strength and power, and how HE
sent them rain to revive the soil.

Hud's people looked about them and found
they were the strongest on earth, so they become prouder and more
obstinate. Thus they argued a lot with Hud. They asked "O Hud! Do you
say that later we die and turn into dust, we will be resurrected?" He
replied, "Yes, you will come back on the Day of Judgment and each 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 disbeliveers 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 does the dead return to life?

All these questions were patiently
received by Hud. 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 about it.

Hud 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 extend of Allah's justice. Hud spoke to
them about all of these things. They listened but disbelieved him.

The
Disbeliever's Attitude

Allah recounts Hud's people's attitude
towards the Day of Judgment:

"The chiefs of his people, whom
disbelieved and denied the meeting in the Hereafter, and to who We had
given the luxuries and comforts of this life, said: "He is no more than
a human being like you, he eats of that which you eat, and drinks of
what you drink. If you were to obey a human being like yourselves then
verily! You indeed would be losers. Does he promise you that when you
have died and have become dust and bones, you shall come out alive
(resurrected)? Far, very far, is that which you are promised. There is
nothing but our life of this world! We die and we live! We are not
going to be resurrected! He is only a man who has invented a lie
against Allah, but we are not going to believe in him." (Ch
23:33-38 Quran)

The
Disbelievers Question Hud

The chiefs of Hud's people asked: "Is it
not strange that Allah's chooses one of us to reveal His message to?"

Hud 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 flood and his story are not far away from you, so do
not forget what happened. All the disbeliveers were destroyed, no
matter how strong they were."

"Who is going to destroy us Hud?" the
chiefs asked.

"Allah." replied Hud.

The disbeliveers among his people
answered: "We will be saved by our gods."

Hud clarified to them that the gods they
worshipped 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.

 

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:

"O my Hud! No evidence have you
brought us, and we shall
not leave our gods for your mere saying! And we are not believers in
you. All that we say is that some of our gods (false deities) have
seized you with evil (madness)." (Ch 11:53-54 Quran)

Hud 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. he declared to them: "I call
Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free from that which
you ascribe as pin worship with Him (Allah). SO plot against me, all of
you and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord your Lord!
There is not a moving (living) creature but He has grasp of its
forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Path (the truth). So if
you turn away, still I have conveyed the message with which it was sent
to you. My Lord will make another people succeed you, and you will not
harm Him." (Ch 11:54-57 Quran)

The
Punishment

Thus Hud renounced them and their gods
and affirmed his dependence on Allah Who had created him. Hud realized
that punishment would be incurred on the disbeliveers among his people.
It is one of the laws of life. Allah punishes the disbeliveers, no
matter how rich, tyrannical or great they are.

Hud 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 people hastened to him asking:
"What is that drought Hud?"

Hud answered: "Allah is angry with you.
If you believe in Him, He will accept you and the rain will fall and
you will become stronger than you are."

They mocked him and became more
obstinate, sarcastic and preserve 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 people were glad as they came out of their tents
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, tents, men and women. The wind increased day after day
and night after night.

Hud's people started to flee. They ran
to their tents to hide but the gale became stronger, ripping their
tents from their stakes. They hid under cloth covers but the gale
became stronger and 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 8 days and 7
nights.

Almighty Allah recounts:

"Then when
they saw it as a dense cloud coming towards their valleys, they said:
"This is a cloud bringing us rain!" Nay but it is that torment which
you were asking to be hastened! a wind wherein is a painful torment!
Destroying everything by the command of its Lord! (Ch 46:24-25
Quran)

Allah the Exalted described it thus:

"And as for Ad, they were destroyed
for a firious violent wind which
Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so
that
you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed) as if they were hollow
trunks of palm trees! (Ch 69:6-7 Quran)

The
Believers are Saved

That 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 and his followers
remained unharmed. They migrated to Hadramaut and lived there in peace,
worshipping Allah, their true Lord.