Prophet Hud
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Allah
recounts his 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
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.
The
conflict between Hud and his people continued. The years passed, and they
became prouder and more obstinate, and more tyrannical and more defiant of
their prophet's message.
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)
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 7 nights and 8 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)
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.
