Hud (peace be upon him) was a prophet Allah (﷾) sent to the people of 'Ad. They were strong and rich, and they built fine buildings. But they worshipped other gods. Hud called them to worship Allah (﷾) alone. They refused, and a furious wind ended them. Allah (﷾) saved Hud and those who believed with him.
This guide follows what the Qur'an says, with one authentic saying of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It is the story as Islam tells it.
At a glance
- He was sent to the people of 'Ad, and he was one of their own people.
- 'Ad were strong and proud. They asked who could be stronger than they were.
- Hud called them to worship Allah (﷾) alone. He asked nothing in return, and told them to ask Allah's (﷾) forgiveness.
- They called him foolish and a liar, and would not give up their gods.
- They took the cloud for rain. It was the punishment they had asked for. Allah (﷾) saved Hud and the believers.
- The eleventh surah of the Qur'an is named after him.
- 'Ad
Allah (﷾) makes the people of 'Ad strong and gives them wealth, after the people of Nuh. Qur’an 7:69Qur’an 41:15
- The call
Hud, one of their own, calls them to worship Allah (﷾) alone. Qur’an 7:65Qur’an 11:50
- The refusal
They call him foolish and a liar, and will not leave their gods. Qur’an 7:66Qur’an 11:53
- His trust
Hud puts his trust in Allah (﷾) and tells them to do their worst. Qur’an 11:54–56
- The cloud
A cloud comes toward their valleys. They think it will bring rain. It is the wind. Qur’an 46:24Qur’an 41:16
- Saved
Allah (﷾) saves Hud and the believers by His mercy. Qur’an 11:58Qur’an 7:72
The Qur'an gives no dates for Hud, so these are the stages of his story.
The people of 'Ad
The 'Ad were a strong people. Allah (﷾) had made them heirs after the people of Nuh (Noah), and had given them great stature among the nations. They had cattle, sons, gardens and springs, and they put up fine buildings. Qur’an 7:69Qur’an 26:129Qur’an 26:133–134
But they forgot who gave them all this. They worshipped other gods, and they were proud. "Who is superior to us in strength?" they asked. The Qur'an answers them: Qur’an 41:15
What! did they not see that Allah, Who created them, was superior to them in strength?
So Allah (﷾) sent them a messenger from among themselves, Hud. He was not a stranger. They knew him. The message he brought was the one every prophet brought: Qur’an 7:65Qur’an 21:25
To the 'Ad people, (We sent) Hud, one of their (own) brethren: He said: O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him
The call, and the answer
Hud asked them for nothing. His reward, he said, was only from the One who created him. He told them their other gods were something they had invented. And he gave them good news: if they asked forgiveness and turned back to Allah (﷾), He would give them more. Qur’an 11:50–51
Ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain, and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!
He reminded them of Allah's (﷾) gifts, and he warned them because he cared. He told them he feared for them the punishment of a mighty day. He was a sincere and trustworthy adviser, he said, and he had come only to deliver his Lord's message. Qur’an 26:132–135Qur’an 46:21Qur’an 7:68
Their leaders answered him harshly. They said they thought he was foolish, and that he was a liar. Hud was calm: Qur’an 7:66
O my people! I am no imbecile, but (I am) a messenger from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds!
They had no answer to his message. They said he had brought no clear sign. They said they would not give up their gods on his word, or give up what their fathers had followed. Perhaps, they said, one of their gods had struck him with foolishness. Qur’an 11:53–54Qur’an 7:70
Hud stood against them, and he was not afraid. He called Allah (﷾) to witness that he had nothing to do with worshipping anything beside Him. Then he told them to plan against him, all of them together, and give him no rest. He had put his trust in Allah (﷾): Qur’an 11:54–55
I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He hath grasp of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.
And he told them what came next. He had delivered the message. If they turned away, Allah (﷾) would put another people in their place, and they could not harm Him in the least. Qur’an 11:57
The cloud and the wind
They kept asking for the warning to come: bring it, they said, if you are telling the truth. Hud answered that the knowledge of when it would come was with Allah (﷾) alone. He saw that they were a people in ignorance. Qur’an 46:22–23Qur’an 7:70
Then one day they saw a cloud crossing the sky toward their valleys.
Then, when they saw the (Penalty in the shape of) a cloud traversing the sky, coming to meet their valleys, they said, "This cloud will give us rain!"
They were glad. But it was not rain. It was what they had asked to be hurried: a furious wind. By the command of its Lord, it destroyed everything, and by morning nothing was to be seen but the ruins of their houses. Qur’an 46:24–25Qur’an 41:16Qur’an 69:6
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) never forgot this story. His wife Aisha said that when he saw clouds or wind, worry showed on his face. She asked him why, when other people are glad to see clouds. He answered that he could not be sure there was no punishment in it. Some people had been punished with a wind, he said, and some had seen the punishment coming and taken it for a rain cloud. Sahih al-Bukhari 4829
Allah (﷾) saved Hud and those who believed with him:
So when Our decree issued, We saved Hud and those who believed with him, by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe penalty.
The Qur'an says why 'Ad were lost. They rejected the signs of their Lord. They disobeyed His messengers. And they followed every powerful, stubborn wrongdoer. Their strength did not help them. Allah (﷾) had given them hearing, sight, hearts and minds. But none of it was any use to them while they kept rejecting His signs. Qur’an 11:59Qur’an 46:26
How the Bible tells it differently
The Bible does not mention Hud or the people of 'Ad. Most of its story follows Abraham's family and the people of Israel, so many peoples and messengers are outside it. The Qur'an says Allah (﷾) sent a messenger to every people. It tells us the stories of some of them, and not of others. Qur’an 16:36Qur’an 4:164Qur’an 40:78Which prophets are named in the Qur'an?
What we can learn
Hud's story speaks to anyone who feels strong, and to anyone who stands against the crowd for the truth.
- Strength comes from Allah (﷾). 'Ad asked who could be stronger than they were. The Qur'an's answer is Allah (﷾), who created them.
- Don't be shaken when you stand against the crowd. Hud was one man against a whole proud people. He put his trust in Allah (﷾), and Allah (﷾) was enough.
- Take warnings seriously. 'Ad saw the cloud and felt only hope. The Prophet (ﷺ) looked at every cloud with care.
- What you have is a gift. Strength, wealth and fine buildings are given by Allah (﷾). They do not last on their own, and they do not make a person right.
- The door of forgiveness is open. Hud's message was simple: ask your Lord's forgiveness, and turn to Him. Qur’an 11:52
Allah (﷾) tells the story of 'Ad so we remember it. Strength, wealth and fine buildings pass away. Trust in Allah (﷾) does not. The call Hud gave his people is still open to everyone. Qur’an 11:60Qur’an 46:26