Prophets of the Quran

Prophets of the Quran

⦁ Hud is said to be Heber in English.
⦁ He is mentioned 7 times in the Quran.
⦁ Hud is the first person to have spoken Arabic and was the first Arab prophet.
⦁ He was definitely sent to the people of Aad in the area known as Al-Ahqaf which is around Hadramaut in Yemen and the Ar-Rub al-Khali (the Empty Quarter).
⦁ God destroyed them by a fierce wind that blew for 8 days and seven nights.

EARLIER REVEALED RELIGIONS IN ARABIA

⦁ Arabia had been the birthplace of several Prophets of God (u) in the bygone times.
⦁ The Qur'aan says:"And make mention (O Muhammed) of the brother of A'ad when he warned his folk among the wind-curved sandhills—and verily warners came and went before and after him—saying: Serve none but Allah. Lo! I fear for you the doom of a tremendous Day. [Qur'aan 46:21]
⦁ Prophet Hud (u) was sent to the A'ad; a people, according to historians, belonging to the 'Arab Ba'idah who lived in a tract of white or reddish sand blown into hill banks or dunes and covering a vast area to the south-west of al-Rub'e al-Khali (the vacant quarter) near Hadramaut.
⦁ This region has no habitation and is void of the breath of life, but it was a verdant land in the ancient times, with flourishing towns inhabited by a people of gigantic strength and stature.
⦁ The whole area was consumed by a fearful and roaring wind which covered it with sand dunes.
⦁ The Qur'aanic verse quoted above shows that the Prophet Hud (u) was not the only Messenger of God sent to the ancient Arabs of this area as many more 'warners came and went before him'.
Hell: A Vision from within
⦁ So many wise and knowledgeable people, better yet obeying and repenting worshipers, were mislead by Satan.
⦁ Allah, His Almighty says: “And recite to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat (proofs, verses) but he threw them away, so Satan followed him up, and he became of those who went astray. And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith, but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his description is the description of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Ayat.
⦁ So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.
⦁ Referring to A`ad , His Almighty says: “And A`ad and Thamood! And indeed is clearly apparent to you from their (ruined) dwellings. Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and turned them away from the (Right) path, though they were intelligent.” (29: 38)
⦁ So, consider how had Satan tempted them, bearing in mind that they were wise and thoughtful people.
⦁ “And indeed Eblees did prove true his thought about them, and they followed him, all except a group of true believers.”
⦁ A`ad is the city where Hood, Allah’s peace be upon him, was sent as a messenger from Allah.
⦁ “And A`ad and Thamood! And indeed is clearly apparent to you from their (ruined) dwellings. Satan made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and turned them away from the (Right) path, though they were intelligent.”
⦁ Allah, His Almighty, says also, after portraying the deaths of the people of Noah, A`ad, Thamood, people of Loot, and the people of Shua`aib: “Indeed in that (there) is a sure lesson for those who fear the torment of the Hereafter. That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together, and that is a Day when all (the dwellers of the heavens and the earth) will be present.” (ÎÎ: ÎÍÐ)
⦁ Therefore, whoever Allah, His Almighty, punishes on this day, He uncovers his secrets before all, and rebukes him before everybody. In other words He has severely disgraced him, and shamefully degraded him.

 

A Reminder of the Story of 'Aad and Thamud

by Ibn Kathir, taken from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 8 © Darussalam 2000

⦁ As for `Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right and they said: 'Who is mightier than us in strength?' See they not that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them. And they used to deny Our Ayat!
⦁ So, We sent upon them a Sarsar wind in days of calamity 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.
⦁ And as for Thamud, We showed them the path of truth but they preferred blindness to guidance; so the Sa`iqah of disgracing torment seized them because of what they used to earn.
⦁ And We saved those who believed and had Taqwa. Qur'an, Surah Fussilat (41:15-18)
Explanation:
"As for `Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right." means, they were arrogant, stubborn and disobedient.
"and they said: 'Who is mightier than us in strength?'" They boasted of their physical strength, and power; they thought that this would protect them from Allah's punishment.
"See they not that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them." Means, do they not realize, when they are showing enmity, that He is the Almighty Who created all things and gave them whatever strength they have, and that His onslaught will be far greater? This is like the Ayah: "With Hands did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are able to extend the vastness of space thereof." (51:47)
They openly opposed the Almighty and denied His signs and disobeyed His Messenger. Allah said: "So We sent upon them a Sarsar wind." Some said that this was strongly blowing wind; others said that it was a cold wind. It was also said that it is the wind that makes a noise. The truth that it was all of these things, for it was a strong wind that was an apt punishment for their being deceived by their physical strength. It was also intensely cold, as Allah says:
"with a Sarsar wind!" (69:6), meaning a very cold wind. It also made a furious sound. Additionally, there is a famous river in the east which is called Sarsar because of the noise it makes as it flows.
"in days of calamity" means, consecutive days.
"seven nights and eight days in succession" (69:7). This is like the Ayah:
"on a day of calamity, continuous" (54:19) i.e., the punishment began on a day which was of evil omen for them, and this evil omen continued for them,
"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." meaning, more humiliating for them.
"and they will never be helped." means, in the Hereafter, just as they were never helped in this world, and they had no one who could protect them from Allah or save them from His punishment.

 

Islamic History: Aad And Thamud

⦁ The Aad and the Thamud are two nations mentioned several times in the ⦁ Quran. They are often discussed when Allah is directing our attention to people who disobeyed Him and were punished as a result.
⦁ The exact time of their existence is nearly impossible to determine. But we can conclude from the verses of the Quran that they lived sometime after the flood of Noah and before the time of ⦁ Ibrahim (AS).
⦁ Both groups of people were located on the Arabian Peninsula but in two entirely different areas.
⦁ The Aad were in the northwestern part of modern day Saudi Arabia near the border of Jordan. The Thamud were to the south, also in modern day Saudi Arabia near the modern nation of Yemen.
⦁ Before sending the punishment on them, Allah sent two ⦁ prophets to these nations. He sent Prophet Hud (AS) to the Aad, and Prophet Salih (AS) to the Thamud.
⦁ Unfortunately, both nations rejected their prophets. Not only did they reject them, they mocked, ridiculed, and in the case of Salih (AS) they even tried to kill him.
⦁ These two groups are considered to be ancestors to modern day Arabs. Furthermore, their prophets, Hud and Salih, are often considered two of the four Arab prophets that Allah sent to mankind.
The People of Aad
⦁ Though no one knows for sure when either of these groups existed, it is clear from the Quran that the Aad were successors to the people of Noah. Therefore, the Aad were a society that sprung up from the survivors of the flood, perhaps some of the same people who rode in the Ark with Prophet Noah (AS).
⦁ Over time, some say nine generations, these people developed a society that was very powerful, wealthy, and influential. They were so proud of their accomplishments, that they built huge castles, palaces, and other structures as symbols of their power.
⦁ Do you construct on every elevation a sign amusing yourselves? And take for yourselves palaces and fortresses that you may abide eternally?
Chapter 26, Verses 128 – 129
⦁ In addition to building gigantic structures, the Aad were also conquerors.
⦁ And when they conquered people, they did so in a harsh, brutal, and ruthless manner.
And when you strike, you strike as tyrants.
Chapter 26, Verse 130
⦁ And of course, they were also polytheists. The exact details of their faith are not mentioned much in the Quran, but it was definitely something that was practiced by most of the society.
⦁ Allah sent the Prophet Hud to give the Aad the ⦁ message of Islam. Hud was from among the Aad himself, as Allah mentions in the Quran:
Aad denied the Messengers when their brother Hud said to them: “Will you not fear Allah?”
Chapter 26, Verses 124 – 125
Hud tried to reason with his people by reminding them of the many favors Allah had given them.
⦁ They were successors to the People of Noah.
⦁ They were able to build great structures and buildings
⦁ They had herds of cattle and livestock.
⦁ They had children to carry on their progeny
⦁ They had gardens and springs
But despite all of this advice, the Aad rejected their brother Hud. In fact they were pretty snarky in their responses.
Indeed, we see in you foolishness and indeed, we think you are of the liars.
Chapter 7, Verse 66
Have you come to us that we should worship Allah and leave what our fathers worshiped? Then bring us what you promise us if you are among the truthful.
Chapter 7, Verse 70
It is all the same to us if you advise us are not from among the advisors. This is not but from the customs of the former peoples and we will not be punished.
Chapter 26, Verses 136-136
⦁ Of course, when they challenged Allah and His Messenger like this, they were just inviting destruction. But before we get to that, let’s analyze their responses.
⦁ As mentioned earlier, the Aad were a strong, brutish, and conquering people. They conquered other nations and treated them harshly.Their responses were a reflection of this culture.
⦁ Even though they built great sculptures, they weren’t extremely sophisticated people. Hence, they didn’t engage in long, drawn out debates with Hud.
During the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the Quraish would debate with him and ask him all sorts of questions. Some of these questions were sincere, but most of the time they were just trying to trip him up. They just wanted to catch him in some sort of inconsistency they could use to discredit him.
⦁ The Aad weren’t about that. Their responses, while snarky, were fairly simple.
“What? Are you telling us to change our religion from our father’s relgion? Seriously? Man, you must be crazy. Look, it doesn’t matter if you warn us or don’t warn us, we’re not going to listen to you. So bring on whatever punishment you say is coming to us.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Allah sent a powerful windstorm to the Aad that destroyed them and left them sprawled and mangled in their homes. Their destruction was like a forest being mowed down by giant machines. Here’s how Allah describes their punishment.
And as for Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming violent windstorm which Allah imposed on them for seven days and eight nights straight. So you could see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Then do you see any remains?
Chapter 69, Verses 6 – 8
Before the destruction came to them, Hud and his small group of followers escaped the area and were spared the punishment.
And that was the end of the Aad.

THE CITY OF IRAM
At the beginning of 1990, press-releases in the well-known newspapers of the world declared "Fabled Lost Arabian city found," "Arabian city of Legend found" and "The Atlantis of the Sands, Ubar." What rendered this archaeological find particularly intriguing was the fact that this city is mentioned in the Qur'an. Many people had previously suggested 'Ad was a legend or that the location in question could never be found. Such people could not conceal their astonishment at this phenomenal discovery.
It was Nicholas Clapp, a noted documentary filmmaker and a lecturer on archaeology, who found this legendary city mentioned in the Qur'an.225 Being an Arabophile and a winning documentary film maker, Clapp had come across a very interesting book during his research on Arabian history. This book was Arabia Felix, written by the English researcher Bertram Thomas in 1932. Arabia Felix was the Roman designation for the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which today includes Yemen and much of Oman. The Greeks called this area "Eudaimon Arabia" and medieval Arab scholars called it "Al-Yaman as-Saeed."226 All of these names mean "Happy Yemen," because the people living in that region used to serve as middlemen in the lucrative spice trade between India and places north of the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, the people living in this region produced and distributed "frankincense," an aromatic resin from rare trees.
The English researcher Thomas described these tribes at length and claimed that he found the traces of an ancient city founded by one of these tribes.227 This was the city known as "Ubar" by the Bedouins. In one of the trips he made to the region, the Bedouins living in the desert had shown him well-worn tracks and stated that these tracks led toward the ancient city of Ubar. Thomas, who showed great interest in the subject, died before being able to complete his research.
Whole societies have passed away before your time, so travel about the earth and see the final fate of the deniers.
(Qur’an, 3:137)
Clapp, who examined what the English researcher Thomas wrote, was convinced of the existence of the lost city described in the book. He quickly started his research, attempting to carry on from where Thomas had left the project. Clapp took two different approaches in his mission to prove the existence of Ubar. First, he found the tracks which the Bedouins said existed and in order to aid his work, he applied to NASA to provide the satellite images of the area. After a long struggle, he succeeded in persuading the authorities to take the pictures of the region he so craved.228

The above satellite photographs show a section of Oman in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. In the photographs of the city of Ubar, viewed from space by NASA in 1992, were identified traces of ancient desert tracks. The people of ‘Ad, revealed 1,400 years ago in the Qur’an, emerged as one of the miracles of the Qur’an through modern-day technology.
Clapp went on to study the ancient manuscripts and maps in the Huntington library in California. Here, he quickly found a map covering the region he was studying so intensely. He found a map drawn by the Greek-Egyptian geographer Ptolemy in 200, which showed the location of an old city found in the region and the paths which actually led up to this city.
Meanwhile, his research received a further boost when he received the news that satellite photographs had been taken by members of NASA. In the pictures, caravan trails, which were virtually invisible to the naked eye, caught Clapp's attention. They could only be seen as a whole from the sky. Comparing these pictures with the old map he had in hand, Clapp immediately realised that the trails in the old map corresponded with the trails in the pictures taken from the satellite. The final destination of these trails was a broad site understood to have once been a city.
Finally, thanks to the work of Clapp and Thomas before him-along with a helping hand from NASA researchers-the location of this legendary city, which had been subject of the stories told orally by the Bedouins, was discovered. After a short while, excavations began and remains of an old city were brought to light. This lost city was dubbed "Ubar, the Atlantis of the Sands."
But let us ask: What was it that proved this to be the city of the people of 'Ad mentioned in the Qur'an?
From the very beginning of the study of the site, it was understood that this ruined city belonged to 'Ad. Researchers discovered Iram's pillars, which were specifically mentioned in the Qur'an, in the form of towers in the land of the people of 'Ad. Dr. Juris Zarins, a member of the research team leading the excavation, said that since the towers were alleged to be the distinctive feature of Ubar and since Iram was mentioned as having towers or pillars, this then was the strongest proof so far that the site they had unearthed was Iram, the city of 'Ad described in the Qur'an:
Do you not see what your Lord did with 'Ad-Iram of the Columns whose like was not created in any land? (Qur'an, 89:6-8)
As seen, that the information provided by the Qur'an about the events of the past is in total agreement with historical information is another evidence of the fact that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah.