Stories of the Prophets
Hud (AS)
(Sept 18, 2020)
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
In the last session, we finished with the story of Nuh (AS). InshaAllah, today, we’ll take up the story of Hud (AS). A narration says that Nuh (AS) lived for another 100-150 years after descending from the ark. Following the catastrophic destruction because of the great flood, everyone who was saved during the time of Nuh (AS), worshipped Allah alone. This lasted several centuries until Shaytan came and caused shirk (polytheism) to creep in once again.
The next Prophet about whom the Qur’an mentions is Hud (AS). It is reported that Hud (AS) was a descendent of Nuh (AS). He belonged to the ancient civilization known as ’Aad. The people of ‘Aad were situated in the hills between Oman and Yemen. Their capital city is believed to have been the city of Iram. The name of the city is mentioned in Surat al-Fajr:
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَاد إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَاد
“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ‘Aad, of Iram, [the city] of lofty pillars” (al-Fajr, 89:6-7)
It was a civilization unlike any other. Allah had blessed ‘Aad and its people. He provided them with fertile land and abundant agriculture, many children, an ample supply of livestock and easy access to water resources. The people themselves were described as very tall, strong, and well built.
In many ways, ’Aad could be described as a society much like many of the opulent societies that exist today. There was an excess of wealth and the proud, arrogant people were not satisfied with fulfilling their basic needs. They began to build towers and dwellings merely to display their wealth and they accumulated worldly possessions as if they were a people destined to live forever. They lived in fine homes on the flat coastal land; yet they built huge homes on the mountains which they didn’t live in. They built them to boast and brag and compete with each other.
The gifts that Allah had bestowed upon them made them arrogant and made them forget their duties and their ultimate return to Allah Almighty. They became so arrogant that it drove them to say, “Who is stronger than us?” Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an in response to that question, “Do they not realize that Allah who created them in the first place is stronger than them!”
The leaders of ‘Aad were tyrants. Satan made their deeds seem fair-seeming to them. While their arrogance and pride grew, their worship of idols also became prevalent. They were the first people to engage in shirk after the people of Nuh (AS). So Allah Almighty sent them a Messenger from amongst them to remind them to be grateful to Allah and to worship Him alone. Hud (AS) said to his people, “Oh My people! Worship Allah alone for you have no God besides Him. Do you not fear Him?” The elite from amongst his people responded saying, “We regard you as crazy and as a liar!” He said, “Oh My people! I am not crazy but I am a prophet from the Lord of the worlds and I am an honest adviser to you! Has it surprised you that your Lord has sent you a reminder through a person from amongst you to warn you? Remember that He has made you heirs after Nuh and granted you more in terms of physical ability (than them). Remember the gifts of Allah upon you so that you may succeed.”
Hud (AS) told his people to turn to Allah in repentance so that they could be given more than they had and at the same time earn His happiness. These reminders meant nothing to them.
In the manner of arrogant people throughout time, the people of ’Aad looked at Hud with contempt. They then looked around and found that they were the most powerful nation in existence. They were so well to do that they felt they were above every law of Allah. They even began to oppress the weak and poor.
Whenever Hud (AS) told them to obey Allah and fulfill the rights of fellow humans they would laugh at him saying that he was just an ordinary human being who ate the same food as they eat and drank from what they drink.
They argued with Hud (AS) about the nature of the Day of Judgment. They believed that after death the body would be turned into dust and would be swept away by the wind. The people of ’Aad, much like many people today, believed that the purpose of life was to accumulate wealth, prestige, and possessions. When Hud (AS) made them confront the reality of their lives and pointed out that they were far away from the worship of Allah alone, their arrogant chests swelled with pride and they accused him of being crazy.
They wondered why a man who ate and drank, just like them could have such a different view of life. With their eyes firmly fixed on wealth and luxury the people of ’Aad convinced themselves that following Hud (AS) would mean that they too were crazy. The Qur’an tells them as saying:
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتُّمْ وَكُنْتُمْ تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَنَّكُمْ مُخْرَجُونَ () هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ () إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ
“Is he promising you that after you die and have disintegrated into sand and bones that you are going to be resurrected? Very far is that which you are promised! It is only the life of this world, we die and we live and we are not going to be resurrected!”(al-Mu’minun, 23:35-37) The people of Hud (AS) also accused him of being a liar and said:
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
“He is just a man who has invented a lie about Allah, and we will never believe him.” (al-Mu’minun, 23:38)
They said that their forefathers had not come with what he had come with; then why was it that he was against their belief and practices. From this we learn that even if generations of ours have been involved in that which is incorrect, it does not mean that we need to engage in the same wrong after knowledge has come to us.
Why all these accusations – just because the wealthy were not prepared to change their lifestyle. Hud (AS) continued reminding them of the countless favors Allah had bestowed on them. We should remember that when Allah grants us in abundance, this doesn’t necessarily mean He is pleased with us or if He grants us a little, it doesn’t necessarily mean He is displeased with us. It all depends on the condition of our heart and our relationship with Allah (SWT).
Hud (AS) told them that he did not ask them for any reward. His reward was with Allah. After he called them for a very long period of time, they got tired of him. They said “Whether you warn us or not it is the same. These are tales of the past and we will never be punished the way you are telling us!” This was the result of their pride. A hadith states, “Whoever humbles himself for Allah’s sake Allah will raise his status and whoever is proud, Allah will disgrace him.”
Eventually the people of ’Aad looked at Hud (AS) and said, “We understand why you are crazy, our gods (idols) have harmed you because you insulted them”. (Qur’an 11:53) Hud (AS) turned to Allah and renounced his people. He knew that Allah’s punishment would be swift and severe. He then called out to Allah Almighty saying, “Oh Allah! Assist me regarding their disbelief!” The response came that very soon they will regret their misdeeds. The people of ‘Aad felt that nothing could go wrong with their lives. Their houses were very strong and built within the mountains. Their strength was so great they could repel any power that might try to attack or destroy them. Their wealth was so much that they felt there was no loss that would be too great for them to handle.
Eventually, a drought spread throughout the land. The people looked to the sky hoping to see signs of rain, but the sky no longer sent its rain. The punishment was obvious but still the people of ‘Aad became more obstinate, sarcastic, and perverse in their unbelief. The people of ‘Aad had never experienced such a severe drought. Hud (AS) told them that this was a punishment from Allah. The drought increased, the trees turned yellow, and the plants began to die.
Then a day came when they found the sky full of clouds. They became very happy that the rain was going to come. The clouds were over their valleys where the crops were planted. They mocked at Hud (AS) saying that this was no punishment. It was the rain that was coming.
To their surprise, the weather changed suddenly from burning dry and hot to stinging cold, with a howling freezing wind that shook everything: trees, plants, tents, men, and women. Hud (AS) together with his followers went into a secure place. Through Allah’s decree and mercy, the wind was ordered not to affect Hud (AS) and his followers. The wind suddenly grew so severe that it destroyed them all together with everything they had.
The Qur’an says that after seven nights and eight days of destructive wind the only thing that could then be recognized was the remains of their homes which were built within the mountains. The huge and powerful people could be seen lying overthrown as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Allah Almighty says, “This is how we treat those who transgress.” No sign of them was left. Only Hud (AS) and his followers remained unharmed. They migrated to Hadhramut in Yemen, and lived there in peace, worshipping Allah, their true Lord.
This teaches us that whenever Allah grants us anything we should never allow it to make us arrogant. We should understand that it is Allah alone who has given it to us and He can take it back anytime he wishes to do so.
Allah sends reminders to us very often and if we continue to ignore them, thinking we know what we are doing or that it is not going to affect us, we are indeed tightly in the clutches of Shaytan and treading the path of destruction.
At times health, wealth, and other provisions of life are only a test from Allah to see how we react when we have got everything. Then once the test is over, all is taken away – either in this world or upon death. When death overtakes us neither will we take with us a single penny of ours nor will our excellent health during our lifetime come with us.
Do we even see a speck of any remnants of the powerful and mighty nations of the past who defied their Prophets and rejected the message of Allah (SWT) which came to them? It is important for us to take lessons from the previous nations and their stories. May Allah give us the tawfiq to do so, ameen.
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Resources and References:
Imam Ibn Kathir – Stories of the Prophets
Mufti Menk – Lessons from the Stories of the Prophets in the Qur’an (https://muslimahlifestyle.com/lessons-stories-prophets-quraan-mufti-menk-creation-of-aadam-as/)
Anwar Al-Awlaki – The Lives of the Prophets (https://www.kalamullah.com/anwar-alawlaki.html)
Aisha Stacey – The Religion of Islam (islamreligion.com)
