4. Story of Prophet Hūd

The Story of Sayyidnā Hūd عليه السالم  and the People of Ād

We have the story of Sayyidnā Hūd عليه السالم : Allāh ﷻ has sent Hūd to the people of Ād and we wouldn’t have known where Ād lived, if it wasn’t mentioned in Qur’ān. Allāh ﷻ says, that the people of Ād lived in Al-Ahqāf and that is mentioned in Surat Al-Ahqāf. Al-Ahqāf means sand dunes; so, it is a desert area right now and it wasn’t that case before. And this is in Yemen, and they lived in the area of Hadramawt.

4.1 The Characteristics of the People of Ād

The people of Ād, Allāh ﷻ described them in Qur’ān; the people of Ād used to worship idols. Allāh ﷻ described these people, and their description is amazing. What Allāh ﷻ has given them is amazing. As individuals, Allāh ﷻ says,

And remember that He made you successors after the people of Nūh (Noah), and increased you amply in stature.(Al-A’raf – 7:69)

So, they were huge, tall and very strong and well built, powerful as individuals, very strong. And as a society and a nation and a civilization, Allāh ﷻ told them, or described them in Qur’ān; and these are Āyāt in Qur’ān. Allāh ﷻ is mentioning what their Nabi Hūd عليه السالم  was telling them,

“And keep your duty to Him, fear Him Who has aided you with all (good things) that you know.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:132-134)

 “He has aided you with cattle and children.“(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:132-134) ‘Amaddakum Bi’an`ām – he has provided you with cattle.” In modern terms, we refer to that as livestock, animal resources. So, they were wealthy in terms of livestock. They had abundance of livestock. “Wa Banīn – and children.” And that is what we call, in modern terms, manpower.

 “And gardens and springs.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:132-134) “Wa jannaat – gardens.” And that is what we call, in modern terms, agriculture. “Wa `Uyūn – and springs”, and that is water resources. So Allāh ﷻ has given them livestock, manpower, agriculture, and has provided them with an ample supply, good supply, of water. That is as a society. And then they, as individuals, Allāh ﷻ gave them a powerful structure. Allāh ﷻ has said about them,

Do you build high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them? And do you get for yourselves palaces (fine buildings) as if you will live therein for ever. And when you seize, seize you as tyrants? So fear Allah, keep your duty to Him, and obey me.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:128-131)

Allāh ﷻ said in these Āyāt, they became so luxurious and so wealthy that they were spending their money in a wasteful way – Isrāf. Allāh ﷻ says, ‘Atabnūna Bikulli Rī`in ‘Āyatan Ta`bathūn.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:128-131) The people of Ād had so much additional wealth, they started to fall into the trap that rich nations fall into, and that is using your money for pride and arrogance, after you satisfy your basic needs of food and drink and shelter. And you have additional money – if there is no Īmān to spend it the right way, then it will be spent in evil. The people of Ād had this additional wealth. So, they started building monuments over mountains. They would build on top of these mountains, monuments that they will not use for living, they don’t need them. They’re just building them for pride, to show off and Allāh ﷻ says “Ta`bathūn – ‘do you build the high palaces on every high place, while you do not live in them”, wastefully! ‘Abath means when you waste something.

So, they had so much wealth, so much disposable money, that they started building these monuments on top of mountains. ‘Wa Tattakhidhūna Maşāni`a La`allakum Takhludūn’ – these buildings on top of mountains, they don’t use them for living. But the dwellings that they built for themselves, they used to build it in a way as if they’re going to live forever – so strong and powerful. ‘Wa Tattakhidhūna Maşāni`a La`allakum Takhludūn’ – And do you get yourselves palaces as if you will live forever?’ The way they would build their palaces, shows that they used to think that they’re going to live forever. They used to build it so strong and well-constructed, very strong structure, as if they are going to live on the face of the earth forever. And Allāh ﷻ, when He destroyed them, He destroyed them and He did not leave anything that they left, anything that they built; it was all destroyed. ‘Wa ‘Idhā Baţashtum Baţashtum Jabbārīn’ – and when you seize, you seize like tyrants.’ They were powerful. Even though this nation was wealthy- some nations when they become wealthy, they become weak- but the people of ‘Aad, they were keeping their strength, even though they were very wealthy and luxurious, they were still very powerful, and then when they would attack, when they would attack any neighbours, they would completely destroy them, [like] Tyrants – Batsh. ‘Wa ‘Idhā Baţashtum Baţashtum Jabbārīn’

4.2 The Message of Hūd عليه السالم

So, there is a difference between the people of Ād and Thamud. Ād were powerful tyrants. All of these things combined, when you put them together, Allāh ﷻ says,

Did you (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) not see (thought) how your Lord dealt with ‘Ad (people)? Who were very tall like lofty pillars, The like of which were not created in the land? (Al-Fajr – 89:6-8) This society and these people, Allāh ﷻ did not create anyone similar to them. When you put all these things together, all of these different resources that Allāh ﷻ has given them, all of these blessings together, they were able to build a civilization, a nation and society that was unsurpassed by anyone in their time. ‘The like of which were not created in the land.’ No one was like them. Allāh ﷻ sent to them Hūd,

And to ‘Aad (people We sent) their brother Hūd.(Hūd – 11:50)

He was called their brother because he’s from them. What was his message? The same message of Nūh,

He said, “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. Certainly, you do nothing but invent (lies)!”(Hūd – 11:50)

In other words, these gods who you are worshiping are lies. See, the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ, they are straightforward, because that is part of the Amaanat at-Tabligh; the trust that Allāh ﷻ has given them, and the responsibility of conveying the truth. And that is why they [Ambiyā] say, “’Innī Lakum Rasūlun ‘Amīn – I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:162)

Wa ‘Anā Lakum Nāşihun ‘Amīn – I came to you to advise you with honesty.”(Al-A’raf – 7:68) So, they are straightforward. He told them, ‘You are lying.’ And he told them,

“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 Mujrimun (criminals, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah).”(Hūd – 11:52, 53) So with Istighfār [asking for forgiveness], you would become more powerful than you are now. They were already powerful and strong but if they ask Allāh ﷻ for forgiveness, Allāh ﷻ will give them more power and strength. This tells us something; it’s telling us that we’re not making enough Istighfār to Allāh ﷻ. If we were making Istighfār as we should, our situation would not be the way it is today.

4.3 The Response of the People of Ād

What was their response? Allāh ﷻ says,

They said: “O Hūd! No evidence have you brought us, and we shall not leave our gods for your (mere) saying! And we are not believers in you.(Hūd – 11:52, 53) They rejected.

4.4 The Necessity to Belief in All of the Messengers of Allāh ﷻ

Allāh ﷻ says,

Aad (people) belied the Messengers.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:123) How many Messengers did they receive? – One. But Allāh ﷻ said, ‘Kadhdhabat `Ādun Al-Mursalīn – the people of Ād have disbelieved in the Messengers’; plural, not one. But they only received one messenger. How come it’s made plural?

Because if you refuse one Messenger, it is as if you refuse them all, because all of the Messengers came with the same Message. So, if you refuse the Message of Hūd عليه السالم , it is as if you refuse the Message of everyone. If you refuse the Message of Muhammad ﷺ, it would not suffice you to believe in ‘Īsā عليه السالم  or Mūsā عليه السالم  or any other Nabi. If you disbelieve in one Nabi, in one Rasul, it is as if you have disbelieved in all of them.

So, let’s assume even, that today there’s somebody who believes in ‘Īsā عليه السالم  and Mūsā عليه السالم , and believes in Allāh ﷻ only and doesn’t believe in any other god [he fulfils Tawhīd] but he does not believe in Muhammad ﷺ, then that is not Islam. You have to believe in all of the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ, from Ādamعليه السالم  until Muhammad ﷺ. So, they disbelieved in Hūd only, but Allāh ﷻ said, ‘Kadhdhabat `Ādun Al-Mursalīn’ – they disbelieved in all of the Messengers.’ And they started accusing him and that will happen to every Nabi; they accused him of insanity. They said,

“All that we say is that some of our gods (false deities) have seized you with evil (madness).”(Hūd – 11:54) They said our gods have caused you insanity, you’re mad and they accused him of Safāha – [foolishness] and they accused him of lying. Allāh ﷻ says,

The leaders of those who disbelieved among his people said: “Verily, we see you in foolishness, and verily, we think you are one of the liars.(Al-A’raf – 7:66) And notice who are the ones who are saying this? – Al-Mala’ – The leaders.

Allāh ﷻ says, “And the chiefs of his people, who disbelieved and denied the Meeting in the Hereafter, and to whom We had given the luxuries and comforts of this life, said…(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:33) Luxuries and comforts did not do them any good, did not mean that they were intelligent, did not mean that they were better. They had luxuries; Wa ‘Atrafnāhum. They had luxuries, nevertheless, their minds were not sufficient enough to lead them to the truth. So, wealth, and money and luxury does not mean anything in the standard of Īmān. You could have all the wealth in the world and refuse the truth. And you could have nothing, nevertheless, you would be intelligent enough to know that this is Al-Haq. They had a lot, ‘Wa ‘Atrafnāhum Fī Al-Hayāati Ad-Dunyā – We had given them luxuries.’ But they said,

“He is no more than a human being like you, he eats of that which you eat, and drinks of what you drink.”(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:33) They said, how can we follow a man who eats, and drinks like us? They said to Hūd,

“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)?”(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:34, 35)

They refused to believe in the Resurrection – materialistic thinking.

 “Far, very far is that which you are promised. There is nothing but our life of this world! We die and we live! And we are not going to be resurrected! He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allāh, but we are not going to believe in him.”(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:36-38)

Now they are accusing Hūd عليه السالم  of lying against Allāh ﷻ. They are claiming that they are the true believers in Allāh ﷻ and he is lying against Allāh ﷻ.

4.5 The People of Ād Challenge Hūd عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says, “They said, “Have you come to turn us away from our (gods)? Then bring us that which you threaten us [with], if you are one of the truthful!”(Al-‘Ahqāf – 46:22)

Now they challenged him, they told him, “Bring us the punishment if you are telling the truth.” And they were arrogant and proud because of their strength and their power, and their so-called civilization. By the way, we are using this word ‘Civilization’ just because it is commonly used but we are not using it in the positive sense of the word; because always this word is used, or most of the time it is used to refer to Jāhiliyyah. It is used to refer to ignorance; nations that disbelieved in Allāh ﷻ, and the only reason why they are looked up to, is because of their materialistic achievements. They thought that this civilization of theirs, and this wealth of theirs, and this strength will save them from the punishment of Allāh ﷻ. And we see that trait, we see that trend, similar in all strong and powerful civilizations that disbelieve in Allāh ﷻ. The great empire, Great Britain, when they constructed a ship that was the biggest and the most powerful in the world, they thought that they can conquer the sea and they named it the Titanic. Look at the name, they chose the Titanic and they thought that they can challenge Allāh ﷻ, and the strength of Allāh ﷻ. But whenever you try to challenge Allāh ﷻ, what will happen? This Titanic, this ship that is supposed to conquer the sea and is supposed to be the most powerful and greatest achievement of mankind – Allāh ﷻ sank it on its first trip! And then the next civilization and powerful nation of the world, the United States; when they were building their spacecraft that will challenge the creation of Allāh ﷻ, they called it the ‘Challenger’; to challenge the strength of Allāh ﷻ, and Allāh ﷻ blew it up, but nobody learns the lessons!

4.6 Allāh ﷻ Accepts the Du’ā of Hūd Against the People of Ād.

And the people of Ād thought that their power and strength can avail them. Allāh ﷻ says,

As for Ād, they were arrogant in the land without right and they said: “Who is mightier than us in strength?” See they not that Allāh, who created them was mightier in strength than them? And they used to deny our Āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, revelations, etc.)!”(Fussilat – 41:15)

They said, ‘Who is stronger than us? Who are you threatening us with, Hūd? Who are you threatening us with? You say that Allāh ﷻ can do anything against us? Do whatever you want!’ ‘Man ‘Ashaddu Minnā Qūwatan – Who is more powerful than us?’

Allāh ﷻ says, “See they not that Allāh, who created them was mightier in strength than them? And they used to deny our Āyāt.” Don’t they realize, don’t they understand that Allāh ﷻ, the one who created them is mightier than them? Allāh ﷻ is the one who created them!

Whatever strength they had, is created by Allāh ﷻ! So Hūd at that point, made Du’ā and Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “O my Lord! Help me because they denied me.”(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:39, 40)

And the Du’ā of Hūd reached to Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ said,

In a little while, they are sure to be regretful.(Al-Mu’minūn – 23:39, 40)

In a little while they will be regretful! Allāh ﷻ was taking the people of Ād through a test; to remind them. See, Allāh ﷻ is giving them chances. So Allāh ﷻ did not bring the punishment at once, Allāh ﷻ has made them go through a period of drought; to remind them of their weakness as human beings, so that they may turn to Allāh ﷻ in Tawbāh and repentance. So, they went through a period of drought, they were receiving no rain. Their crops were dry, and they were going through this difficult time, but that wasn’t sufficient to turn their attention to the truth, and to ask Allāh ﷻ for forgiveness. So now Hūd عليه السالم  made the Du’ā, and Allāh ﷻ accepted the Du’ā. Clouds started approaching in the horizon, dark clouds. And there is a story that is mentioned that they went to Al-Ka’bah to ask Allāh ﷻ for rain, and then they heard a voice that told them, “Choose whichever cloud you want: the red, or the white, or the black?” They said, “We want the black cloud.” Anyway, so these clouds were approaching their nation, and they saw these clouds in the horizon. Allāh ﷻ says,

Then, when they saw it as a dense cloud coming towards their valleys, they said: “This is a cloud bringing us rain!”(Al-‘Ahqāf – 46:24) Because it was very dark, and a dark cloud means what? A lot of rain! So, they were looking forward, and happy, and pleased that we are finally receiving rain. Allāh ﷻ says,

Nay, but it is that (torment) which you were asking to be hastened! A wind wherein is a painful torment!(Al-‘Ahqāf – 46:24)

Destroying everything by the Command of its Lord!(Al-‘Ahqāf – 46:25)

They thought it was rain, but it was the punishment of a Allāh ﷻ. Rasūlullāh ﷺ, when he would see clouds approaching Madīnah, his face would change; you could see that he’s worried. And ‘Ā’ishah عنهاهللاض  ّر would

notice that. She asked Rasūlullāh ﷺ, she said, “Oh Rasūlullāh, when people see the clouds, they’re happy” – especially in Arabia because they don’t receive a lot of rain – when people see the clouds coming, they’re happy,

they’re very pleased. So ‘Ā’ishah عنهاهللايض ّ ر said, “When people see the clouds approaching, they’re happy, but you look anxious.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Because a nation before us saw these clouds and thought that they had mercy, they didn’t know that it had the punishment of Allāh ﷻ in them.”(Sahih al-Bukhari 4828, 4829, – Sahih Muslim 899, – Sunan Abi Dawud 5098, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 3891)Rasūlullāh ﷺ had the fear in his heart.

4.7 The Civilizations of Today are Just Like the People of Ād

And we, unfortunately, in the world today, in general, are exactly like the people of Ād. Exactly! When the earthquake, you know the earthquake that happened a few weeks ago, and we felt it here in San Diego; the next day I watched some of the interviews they made with people. They brought this lady, this lady said, “It was cool!” Another guy said, “It was fun!” Somebody else said, “It was an adventure!” Others said, “It was interesting!” Subhān’Allāh! Allāh ﷻ is sending you these as a reminder! Allāh ﷻ is sending you these Āyāt as a reminder, and you’re saying that they’re cool, and fun, and interesting, and an adventure? Look at the state of the hearts of people! Exactly like the people of Ād! Because they are keeping Allāh ﷻ out of the equation and that is the situation of the people of today; they only think in terms of natural phenomena and natural laws, as if Allāh ﷻ does not exist [wal-‘Ayadhubillah].

4.8 Allāh ﷻ Sends His Punishment to the People of Ād

Allāh ﷻ says, “So We sent upon them furious wind in days of evil omen (for them).(Fussilat – 41:16)‘Rīhāan Sarsarāa’ – Sarsar is explained as cold, severely cold, and very ringing in loud voice, and very furious. This is the wind Allāh ﷻ sent on them. The closest thing that we have today similar to that, is what? The tornado. Because the tornado, if you have seen it, is a very fast wind and it has a very loud voice. I mean, if you heard it, if you saw it on TV, it has an unbelievably loud sound and it could be very cold. ‘Fī ‘Ayyāmin Nahisāt – in days of evil omen on them.’

Tornados: it starts as a funnel in the cloud and then it makes a touchdown, and it starts moving and it would stay in one place only for few minutes, and then it would keep on moving. It doesn’t stay for long in the same place. Just a few minutes, and it keeps on moving but it’s leaving behind it a trail of destruction. In those few moments, in those few minutes, it destroys everything that it passes over; it just rolls over everything and destroys it. And we’ve seen that, in a few minutes, a tornado can make a touchdown and travel for a few miles and destroy everything! This wind that Allāh ﷻ sent on the people of Ād, Allāh ﷻ besieged them. So, imagine a tornado coming down and besieging the whole nation, surrounding it from every side and it did not stay there for a few minutes, but it stayed there slamming them for seven nights and eight days! Imagine a tornado besieging the whole nation of Ād, surrounding them from every side. And this wind is violently turning with high speed, slamming their bodies against walls, and against trees, and against their homes and destroying everything. And Allāh ﷻ put them under that siege for eight days and seven nights! And Allāh ﷻ says, “Husūmā” – husūmā means continuously, without giving them a break. Giving them no break, no chance to even breath! Allāh ﷻ says,

And as for ‘Ād, they were destroyed by a furious violent wind; which Allāh imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession.(Al-Hāqqah – 69:6, 7) With persistence and giving them no break. It is a punishment of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ is Shadīd al-’Iqāb – His punishment is severe, it is serious! Allāh ﷻ says,

That We might give them a taste of disgracing torment in this present worldly life, but surely the torment of the Hereafter will be more disgracing, and they will never be helped.(Fussilat – 41:16)

This is the punishment of this world, but the punishment of the Ākhirah is even more severe. What was the result? When the dust settled down and you walk into the nation of Ād, what do you see?

4.9 Allāh ﷻ didn’t Leave any Reminiscence of the People of Ād

Allāh ﷻ says, “So that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date-palms!(Al-Hāqqah – 69:6, 7) These were very tall men. So Allāh ﷻ said,

“They are like palm trees that are knocked down”, upside down, lying dead. And then Allāh ﷻ asks us this question, and this would go back to what I said before; if Allāh ﷻ did not tell us about people of Ād, and where the people of Ād lived, we wouldn’t have known [anything about them].

Allāh ﷻ says, “Do you see any remnants of them?”(Al-Hāqqah – 69:8)

We have remnants from the people of Fir’aun (Pharaoh), which are Al- Ahrām, Al-Awtād – the Pyramids.

We have remnants from Thamūd; Diyār Thamūd – the dwellings of Thamūd. We have remnants from the Greek Empire. We have remnants from the Roman Empire. But from the Empire of Ād, we have nothing! Allāh ﷻ completely destroyed them because they were the most powerful. So Allāh ﷻ completely erased them from the face of the earth and now it is a land called Al-Ahqāf – Sand dunes. You don’t even see nothing – nobody even lives there. It is a desert now in Hadramawt, known as Al-Ahqāf, it is an empty desert! This is the nation which Allāh ﷻ said,

Who were very tall like lofty pillars, The like of which were not created in the land.(Al-Fajr – 89:7, 8) Iram – the land of pillars, which no other land was similar to, nothing remained! They were destroyed completely.

4.10 Allāh ﷻ Saves Hūd عليه السالم  and the People who Followed him

Allāh ﷻ says, “And when Our Commandment came, We saved Hūd and those who believed with him by a Mercy from Us, and We saved them from a severe torment. Such were Ād (people). They rejected the Āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord and disobeyed His Messengers, and followed the command of every proud obstinate (oppressor of the truth, from their leaders). And they were pursued by a curse in this world and (so they will be) on the Day of Resurrection. No doubt! Verily, Ād disbelieved in their Lord. So away with Ād, the people of Hūd.(Hūd – 11:58-60)

Their wealth didn’t help them, their power didn’t do them any good. Allāh ﷻ completely destroyed them – destroyed them completely! And whoever follows the tracks of Ād, the same thing will happen to them.

And I would like to close with this saying of Sayyidnā Abū Dardā. Sayyidnā Abū Dardā was in Damascus, the capital of the Islamic Khilāfah at the time, and he saw the extravagance of the Muslim Ummah. The Muslims were so wealthy at that time and the lifestyle of the Muslims was changing. Now they had so much wealth, so their lifestyle was changing. Abū Dardā was on the strict ways that he was living on in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. He did not change, and he did not want the people to change. So, he stood up in Damascus and he said, “Yā ahl al- Dimashq! Yā ahl al-Dimashq! – Oh, People of Damascus! Oh, People of Damascus! Don’t you have any shame? You are gathering wealth that you will not use, and you are building palaces which you will not live in, and you are expecting to live longer than your life. And the people before you, they used to gather and use what they gathered, and they used to build and they would build better than you, and they used to live longer than your life. But then, whatever they gathered did not do them any good, and their palaces became their graveyards, and their desires were false. And remember that the people of Ād had an army that extends from ‘Addan up to “Oman. Who will buy from me the remnants of Ād, with two dirhams?”

‘Who is going to buy from me the inheritance of Ād with two dirhams?’ They left nothing! This huge nation, if you would put it in the auction to sell it, it will not even fetch a dollar for you cause there’s nothing left. So, we need to remember that whatever we see around us will not do us any good and if we disbelieve in Allāh ﷻ and the Āyāt of Allāh ﷻ and disbelieve in the Messengers of Allāh ﷻ like Ād did, Allāh ﷻ will include us in severe punishment. And if we stick to the truth that we have, that we have with us now, and we keep away from the ways of the non-Believers, and have our unique identity, and we are proud with what Allāh ﷻ has given us, then whenever Allāh ﷻ punishes the Non-Believers, Allāh ﷻ would save the ones who believed in Him.