‘Ad were among the peoples who came after the people of Nuh, peace be upon him. Allah had blessed them with strength and abundant provision. They worshipped others besides Him and became proud of their power. Allah sent Hud, peace be upon him, to call them to worship Him alone and obey Him. [Al-A‘raf 7:65–72; Fussilat 41:15]

‘Ad lived in al-Ahqaf, a region of sand dunes. The Qur’an calls Hud their brother: he belonged to their people. He reminded them that Allah had made them successors after the people of Nuh and had given them greater stature and strength. These blessings called for remembrance of Allah’s favour and gratitude to Him. [Al-A‘raf 7:65, 69; al-Ahqaf 46:21; Ibn Kathir, commentary on 46:21]

Hud, peace be upon him, called his people to worship Allah, for they had no god worthy of worship besides Him. He urged them to fear their Lord and abandon the objects of worship they had taken besides Him. This was the foundation of every messenger’s call. Nothing Allah has created deserves to be worshipped alongside Him. [Al-A‘raf 7:65; al-Nahl 16:36]

He asked them for no payment. His reward was with the One who had created him, and he called on them to use their reason. He was a trustworthy messenger who called them to fear Allah and obey him in what he conveyed from his Lord. [Hud 11:51; al-Shu‘ara’ 26:125–127]

Blessings met with pride

Hud reminded them of the livestock and children, gardens and springs that Allah had given them. He called them to fear the One who had provided them. He warned that he feared for them the punishment of a tremendous day. [Al-Shu‘ara’ 26:132–135]

He reproached them for erecting buildings on high ground merely for amusement, and for making structures as though they would live forever. When they seized others, they acted as tyrants. The fault lay in their wastefulness, false sense of permanence and oppression. He called them to fear Allah and obey him. [Al-Shu‘ara’ 26:128–132; Ibn Kathir, commentary on 26:128; al-Tabari on 26:129; al-Sa‘di on 26:130–132]

Their arrogance reached the point that they asked who was stronger than they were. Allah answers them by directing attention to the One who created them, who is greater in strength. Whatever strength people possess is a gift from their Creator. It cannot protect them from His punishment when it comes. [Fussilat 41:15–16]

Hud responds to rejection

The disbelieving leaders accused him of foolishness and lying. He answered by explaining that he was a messenger from the Lord of all worlds, conveying his Lord’s messages as a sincere and trustworthy adviser. [Al-A‘raf 7:66–68]

They appealed to the practices of their ancestors and objected to abandoning their gods to worship Allah alone. Hud explained that these were names they and their fathers had given to their objects of worship, without any authority from Allah. [Al-A‘raf 7:70–71]

Despite their resistance, he called them to seek forgiveness and repent. He told them that Allah would send abundant rain and add to their strength if they returned to Him. [Hud 11:52]

They insisted that his words would not make them abandon their gods, and claimed that some of their gods had afflicted him with harm. Hud called Allah and his people to witness that he disowned the partners they associated with Allah. He challenged them to plot against him together and give him no respite. Facing their rejection, he held firmly to the message Allah had entrusted to him and sought protection with his Lord. [Hud 11:53–55]

He explained the source of his resolve: he had placed his trust in Allah, his Lord and theirs. Every creature is under Allah’s authority. If they turned away, Hud had conveyed the message, and Allah could replace them with another people. Their rejection could not harm Him. They needed His guidance; He had no need of their faith. [Hud 11:56–57; al-Sa‘di, commentary on these verses]

They said it made no difference whether he advised them or remained silent, and declared that they would not be punished. They even demanded that he bring the punishment if he was telling the truth. Hud replied that knowledge of its coming rested with Allah, while his task was to convey the message he had been sent with. The arrival of punishment was for Allah to determine; the messenger did not control it himself. [Al-Shu‘ara’ 26:136–138; al-Ahqaf 46:22–23]

The wind and the rescue of the believers

Then they saw a cloud approaching their valleys and expected it to bring rain. Instead, it brought the punishment they had demanded: a wind carrying painful torment. Their strength and the things in which they had taken pride could not save them. [Al-Ahqaf 46:24–26]

Allah sent a fierce wind upon them for seven nights and eight successive days, leaving them fallen like hollow palm trunks. In an authentic hadith, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said that he was granted victory through the east wind, while ‘Ad were destroyed by the west wind. Allah directs the wind as He wills. [Al-Haqqah 69:6–8; Sahih al-Bukhari 1035]

The wind destroyed what Allah commanded it to destroy, until only their dwellings could be seen. Allah had given them hearing, sight and hearts, but these did not benefit them while they denied His signs. The punishment they had mocked overtook them. [Al-Ahqaf 46:25–26; al-Tabari, commentary on 46:25]

Allah rescued Hud, peace be upon him, and those who believed with him through His mercy, saving them from a severe punishment. In Surah Hud, the Qur’an explains that ‘Ad denied their Lord’s signs, disobeyed His messengers and followed the command of every stubborn tyrant. A curse followed them in this world and will follow them on the Day of Resurrection. [Hud 11:58–60]

References

The Qur’an: al-A‘raf 7:65–72; Hud 11:50–60; al-Nahl 16:36; al-Shu‘ara’ 26:123–140; Fussilat 41:15–16; al-Ahqaf 46:21–26; al-Haqqah 69:6–8.

Sahih al-Bukhari: Book of Prayer for Rain, no. 1035. Sahih Muslim: Book of Prayer for Rain, no. 899, reports of ‘A’ishah (899b–c in the commonly used online numbering).

Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim, commentary on al-Shu‘ara’ 26:128 and al-Ahqaf 46:21. Al-Sa‘di, Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman, commentary on Hud 11:56–57 and al-Shu‘ara’ 26:130–132. Al-Tabari, Jami‘ al-Bayan, commentary on al-Shu‘ara’ 26:129 and al-Ahqaf 46:25.