How Allah destroyed people of Aad? Prophet Hud

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was sent down on the people of Aad who are also known to be the tribe of Aad giants. How Allah ﷻ destroyed the people and city of Aad is a remarkable story to learn.

• Biblical name: Prophet Eber.
• Full Name: Hud Ibn Shalekh Ibn Arphaxad Ibn Shem Ibn Noah.

Prophet Hud Birth

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was born in 2283 BC in present-day Iraq and died around 1819 BC at the age of 464 years. He was born in the 13th generation of Prophet Adam عليه السلام almost 65 years after the great flood.

Prophet Hud in Quran

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ name is mentioned in the Holy Quran 7 times at different places.

Location of People of Aad

As per Quran, the people of Aad lived in a region called Ahqaf, and they had built a city with very huge pillars called Iram. The capital of this region was Ubar which has been found in Oman.

• The lost city of Ubar location.
• Did you not see how your Lord dealt with Aad, ˹the people˺ of Iram—with ˹their˺ great stature? – Al Fajr 89:6-7
• Remember the brother of Aad, when he warned his people, who inhabited in Ahqaf (sandhills). – Al-Ahqaf 46:21

The tribe of Giants

The tribe of Aad was popular for its intelligence and physical strength and therefore, they are also called giants. They carved mountains to build mansions supported by beautiful and strong pillars. This is evident from the discovery of the lost city of Ubar now.

Arrogance for their power

The people of Aad were so big they could uproot trees with their bare hands, they were giants, very big, strong, and also very clever. The world has never seen any human being like them.

Of this, the people of Aad started feeling proud of themselves. They started to wonder about themselves and forgot about Allah. 

Their abundant money and power made the people of Aad feel that they did not need Allah: fools they were! 

Prophet Hud kept on preaching

People of Aad formulated Gangs that used to rob the people traveling. They were also involved in killing the people passing by their city. They used to worship three idols namely Sadda, Thamud, and Harra.

On this, Allah sent Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ upon them to teach them about the right path. He tried to tell them that the way of life they have chosen is not the right one, and he preached to them to revert to Allah.

Prophet Hud and Shaddad

When Prophet Hud عليه السلام delivered Allah’s message to Shaddad bin Aad, the King of the Aad tribes, he asked what would he get in return if he embraces Islam. Prophet Hud عليه السلام explained to him that he would get paradise.

Shaddad developed more interest in the Jannah and asked about it in more detail. After knowing the details, Shaddad said that it is nothing as he can also create such a paradise.

• How was the Paradise of Shaddad?

Years of Famine

People of Aad used to laugh at Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ when he would tell them that Allah Almighty would punish them for their bad deeds but they did not listen. Finally, Allah decided to punish them.

They kept on asking their idols for rain and finally one-day dense cloud started approaching their valley which made them happy. Allah stopped the rain which resulted in years of famine. They had nothing to eat and their powerful giant bodies turned into feeble skeletons.

Delegation to Makkah

They sent a delegation of 70 people to Makkah to pray for the rain. Allah showed them three clouds and asked them to choose one of them.

• Red cloud.
• Black cloud.
• White Cloud.

They selected the black cloud as it normally contains more water. After that, the delegation came back to Iram, their city.

They were hit by a tornado

Then when they saw the torment as a ˹dense˺ cloud approaching their valleys, they said ˹happily˺, “This is a cloud bringing us rain.” – Al-Ahqaf 46:24

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ replied,˺ “No, it is what you sought to hasten: a ˹fierce˺ wind carrying a painful punishment!” – Al-Ahqaf 46:24

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was asked to take the believers along with him to a big cave that was located near the city. 

The very next day a tornado hit the city of Iram which continued for 7 nights and 8 days and wiped out the people of Aad. Now, the world can only see giant skeletons of the Aad tribe. Only Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ and the people around him were saved.

People of Aad punishment in the Quran

And as for Ȃad, they were destroyed by a furious, bitter wind which Allah unleashed on them non-stop for seven nights and eight days, so that you would have seen its people lying dead like trunks of uprooted palm trees. – Al-Haqqah 69:6

We sent against them the devastating wind. There was nothing it came upon that it did not reduce to ashes. – Adh-Dhariyat 51:41

Indeed, We sent against them a furious wind, on a day of unrelenting misery that snatched people up, leaving them like trunks of uprooted palm trees. – Al-Qamar 54:19

It destroyed everything by the command of its Lord, leaving nothing visible except their ruins. This is how We reward wicked people. – Al-Ahqaf 46:25

Quran also talks about the people of Thamud. The people of Aad were actually the ancestors of the people of Thamud. Allah sent Prophet Saleh عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ upon them.

Grave of Prophet Hud

Prophet Hud عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ died in 1819 BC at the age of 464 years in the Hadhramaut Valley, eastern Yemen where his grave and tomb attract thousands of people.

• Prophet Hud tomb location.