Commentary

A Brief History of ` Ad and Thamud

` Ad is the name of a person who is in the fifth generation after Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) and is among the progeny of his son Sam. Then, his progeny, and his people, came to be known by the name of ` Ad. In the Holy Qur'an, ` Ad also appears with the words: عَادَ اُولٰی ('Ad al-'ula: ` Ad, the First) and also: إِرَ‌مَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ that is, of the city of Iram with lofty pillars; or tall like lofty pillars - 89:7) which tells us that the people of ` Ad are also known in association with the name of Iram, and that with ` Ad I, there is some ` Ad II as well. In this investigation, commentators and historians differ. The better known proposition is that Iram is the name of the grandfather of ` Ad. This ` Ad is among the children of 'Aus who was his son, and is known as ` Ad I. His second son, جَثو (Jathw) had a son. His name was Thamud. He is called ` Ad II. The outcome is that ` Ad and Thamud are both two branches of Iram. One of them is called ` Ad I and the other is known as Thamud or ` Ad II, and the word: اِرَم (Iram) is common to both ` Ad and Thamud.

Some commentators have said that at the time when the punishment overtook the people of ` Ad, a deputation of theirs was on a visit to Makkah al-Mu` zzamah, which remained safe from this punishment. It is known as the other ` Ad. (Bayan al-Qur'an)

Hud (علیہ السلام) is the name of a prophet. He is also in the fifth generation of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) and is among the progeny of Sam. The genealogical tree of the people of ` Ad and Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) converges on Sam in the fifth generation. Therefore, Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) is a lineal brother to ` Ad. That is why it was said: اَخَاھُم ھُوداً (their brother Hid - 65)

The people of ` Ad had thirteen families. Their habitations were spread out from Oman to Hadramaut and Yaman. Their lands were fertile. Gardens were abundant. To live they constructed mansions and palaces. They were tall and heavily built. This is what the expression زَادَكُمْ فِي الْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً (gave you increased strength in physique - 69) means. Allah Ta` ala had opened the doors of His blessing upon them. But, their crooked thinking made these very blessings a curse for them. They became so intoxicated with their power and grandeur that they started boasting: مَنْ أَشَدُّ مِنَّا قُوَّةً (Who is superior to us in strength?-41:15). How strange of them that they took no notice of their Lord and the Lord of the worlds bathed in whose blessings they all were and went on to sink themselves into the worship of idols carved out of rocks!

The Lineage of Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) and Some Glimpses of the Background

These were the people for whose guidance Allah Ta` ala sent Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) as a prophet who was from their family. The famous authority on Arab genealogy, Abu al-Barak-at al-Jauni has written that the name of the son of Sayyidna Hud rx..ll., 1c is Ya’ rub ibn Qahtan who went to live in Yaman. Yamani people are his progeny. The Arabic language originated from him and it was this correspondence with 'Ya'rub' that the language was called Arabic and its speakers, the Arabs. (al-Bahr Al-Muhit)

But, the truth of the matter is that the Arabic language was there since the time of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) . In his Ark, he had a companion called Jurhum. He spoke Arabic (A1-Bahr A1-Mubit). The populating of Makkah al-Mu` azzamah started from this very Jurhum. However, it is possible that the origination of the Arabic language took place in Yaman through Ya'rub ibn Qahtan and this may be what Abu al-Barakat has meant.

Sayyidna Hud induced the people of ` Ad to forsake idol-worship and take to pure monotheism and shun injustice and oppression and practice moderation and justice. But, these people were drunk with power and wealth. They did not listen to him. Consequently, the first punishment that visited them was that rains stopped coming for a full three years in succession. Lands became deserts. Gardens turned into dead wood. But, these people still kept sticking to Shirk and idol-worship. Then, came another punishment. A severe wind storm overtook them. It continued for eight days and seven nights. What remained of their gardens and mansions and palaces was levelled to the ground. Their men and animals went up into the air and zoomed back hitting the floor on their heads. Thus, the people of ` Ad were eliminated to the last man. The sense of the expression: وَقَطَعْنَا دَابِرَ‌ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا (and we eradicated those who belied Our signs) in this verse, as determined by some commentators, is that all those people present at that time were totally destroyed. Some other commentators have said that it means that Allah Ta` ala cut off the lineal root of the people of ` Ad for the future as well.

When the punishment for not listening to Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) and insisting on Kufr and Shirk came down upon his people, he and his companions took refuge in an open area enclosed with stakes. It was strange that the stormy winds which were making palaces collapse on their columns would suddenly change pace and enter this enclosure gently. Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) and his companions kept sitting peacefully where they were even during the descension of the punishment without having to face any inconvenience. It was after the destruction of the people of ` Ad that they moved to Makkah al-Mu` azzamah where they lived until death. (A1-Bahr Al-Muhit)

That the punishment for the people of ` Ad came in the form of a wind storm has been explicitly and categorically mentioned in the Qur'an. Then, there is the statement in Surah Al-Mu'minun which follows the narration of the story of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ثُمَّ أَنشَأْنَا مِن بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْ‌نًا آخَرِ‌ينَ ﴿31﴾ that is, then, after them, We brought forth another generation - 23:31. It seems obvious that another generation here means the people of ` Ad. Then, after having given a view of their word and deed, it was said: فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ (an extremely harsh and horrifying sound [ As-Saihah ] took them - 23:41). Based on this statement of the Qur'an, some commentators have said that the punishment which was set upon the people of ` Ad was that of As-Saihah (extremely harsh and screaming sound). But, there is no contradiction here. It is possible that they both came to pass.

This was a brief account relating to the people of ` Ad and Sayyidna Hud (علیہ السلام) . Its details as given in the words of the Qur'an follow.

(1)-Said in the first verse (65) was: وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّـهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُ‌هُ ۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ , (And to ` Ad [ We sent ] their brother, Hud (علیہ السلام) . He said, "0 my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. So, do you not fear Allah?" ).

The grave punishment sent upon the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) much before the people of ` Ad was still alive in the minds of the people of his time. Therefore, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) had no need to describe the severity and gravity of punishment sent upon disobedient people. He considered it quite sufficient to say: Do you not fear Allah?