Hazrat Hud

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Almighty Allah says in the Quran: "And mention (to them) the brother of ‘}d. (Recall the time) when he warned his nation, who lived in winding sand dunes..." (Surah Ahqaaf, verse 21) This ‘brother’ of the ‘}d was Hãd (alaihis-salaam). The name of Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) appears 7 times in the Holy Quran. He was from the progeny of Saam, one of the sons of Nabi Nooh (alaihis-salaam) who remained alive after the flood. He belonged to a tribe called ‘Ad, known as the "First ‘Ad", because some time after them came another branch of the same tribe. This second branch was the known as the ‘second ‘Ad’. However, the tribe of Hazrat Hãd (alaihis-salaam), also known as IRAM, was the more famous of the two. Iram was the name of one of their ancestors. This tribe lived in a desert area of South Yemen that had long, winding, sand dunes, close to the province known as HADHRAMAWT. So South Yemen was where Hazrat Hãd (alaihis-salaam) preached the message of Allah to his tribe, ‘Ad. The ‘Ad tribe is named after a man called ‘Ad, a great, great, grandson of Nabi Nooh (alaihis-salaam). This man was the father of the ‘Ad, while Iram was his father.

Yemen is part of Arabia, so Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) was therefore an Arab, and so was his tribe ‘Ad. This was the first of four Arab Prophets. You will learn the names of the other three later on, Insha-Allah. The language of Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) and his tribe was also Arabic.

THE LIFE OF HAZRAT HâD (alaihis-salaam)

Remember that the Ka'ba had already been built by Nabi }dam (alaihissalaam), and people in Arabia had knowledge of the Hajj. Nabi Hãd (alaihissalaam) also performed a Hajj during his lifetime. He travelled to Damascus in Syria where he built a small place of worship. Today at that spot stands a huge and beautiful musjid known as Jaame Umawiyya. On the eastern minaret of this mosque Hazrat Eesa (alaihis-salaam) will descend just before Qiyamat.

Hazrat Hãd (alaihis-salaam) invited his tribe to the worship of one Allah and warned them of impending azhaab (punishment), but only a few answered his call. As usual, it were the poorer class people who embraced Islam at the hands of Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam). The kuffar rejected his invitation and even argued with him about the Deen of Allah. They brazenly challenged him to bring upon them this punishment if he was truthful. The ‘Ad, like other kuffar, only believed in the life of this world and rejected the hereafter. They disbelieved in life after death, so they saw no point in worshipping Allah and performing righteous deeds. Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) continuously explained this belief to them, and reminded them of their death and meeting with Allah. But they became more adamant in their rejection.

When their kufr and unbelief increased, Allah decided to punish them for their sins. Almighty Allah first sent upon them three years of severe drought. In those days whenever there was drought anywhere in Arabia, people would go to The Ka’ba Shareef in Makka to make dua. So the tribe of ‘Ad also sent a delegation of 70 people to Makka to make dua for rain by the Holy Ka’ba. Although the ‘}d worshipped idols, but when they were faced with a serious problem, they would turn directly to Allah. According to the Quran Shareef, the idol-worshippers say that the purpose of worshipping these stone-images is only to gain closeness unto Allah through them. So they believed in Allah, but also believed that these idols will bring them closer to their Creator. Obviously this is a false and haraam belief. So this delegation came from Yemen and made dua for rain in front of the Holy Ka’ba. Then they returned home. Immediately after their return, they noticed a dark cloud in the sky. They rejoiced, thinking this was the answer to their dua and the drought was now to end. But they were in for terrible shock. This cloud was in fact the azhaab of Allah! It was the beginning of a violent hurricane and cyclone wind. Some historians say it was not actually a cloud but a cyclone that was building up. From a distance it seemed like a cloud.

It was a Wednesday morning when the hurricane erupted. It pounded the ‘Ad for eight days and seven nights, which the Quran describes as days of great misfortune for them. The hurricane of azhaab, therefore, began on Wednesday morning and only ended the following Wednesday before nightfall. The winds were bitterly cold and so powerful that they lifted people hundreds of metres into the sky. The ‘Ad were destroyed in two ways: a) the hurricane would lift up massive chunks of mountain or rock and bring it down onto them, crushing their bodies; b) it would lift people high up and then throw them down on their heads. The force of this fall would snap off the heads from the bodies. The freezing winds would add to the pain and suffering, also resulting in death. Not a single member of this tribe survived. Some of them ran into caves, and into the nearby hills and mountains. But the wind would follow them and blow them down these hills to death. The hurricane reduced all their powerful mansions and houses to rubble. All their possessions were broken to pieces. No trace of the mighty ‘Ad remained. As for Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) and his small group of believers, they were protected by Allah. Upon Allah's command they were instructed to remain in a room and not associate with the rest of the tribe. For them the wind was like a cool breeze that gave them a pleasant sensation, while it wrought havoc with the kuffar.

THE END OF NABI HâD (alaihis-salaam)

Nabi Hãd (alaihis-salaam) passed away in Yemen and was buried there. In one narration Hazrat Ali (radhiyallahu anhu) is reported to have given a description of his grave and its location in Yemen.