PROPHET HUD (A.S.)

 

Prophet Hud has been mentioned at seven places in the Glorious Qur’an and there is a complete Surah named after him. According to ibn Babawayh, the reason for naming him “Hud’ was because he was ‘guided one’ among his people. He was sent to a tribe called “Ad” The Ad people used to be tall and strong and inhabited in the area between Oman and Hadramout overlooking the Red Sea. Prophet Hud (a.s.) was the son of Shalah, son of Arfkhshath, son of Sam, son of Noah (a.s.). He was born 2,648 years after Prophet Adam (a.s.). He was farmer by trade. He was appointed a Prophet at the age of forty years. His community of A’d was idol worshipers. Allah says, “And to Ad (We sent) their brother Hud.” He said: O my people! Serve Allah, you have no god other than Him. The chiefs of those who disbelieved among them said: Most surely, we see you in folly and most surely, we think you to be of the liars. He said: O my people! There is no folly in me, but I am an apostle of the Lord of the worlds. I deliver to you the messages of my Lord and I am a faithful advisor to you.”

The people did not like his advice and attacked him, trying to strangle him, and left him as a dead person. He was unconscious for a day and night. When revived he said: “O my Lord! I did my duty and you saw what my people did to me.” (7:65-68) He said:” O my Lord! Help me against their calling me a liar. He said: In a little while they will certainly be repenting. So, the punishment overtook them in justice, and We made them as rubbish, so away with unjust people” (23:39-41)

Once some farmers came to supplicate Prophet Hud for rain and met his wife, who was one-eyed lady with grey hair. When she heard about their request, she said, “Had Hud’s supplications been heeded, he would have supplicated for himself, for his own farm had been drought burned.” He prayed and supplicated for them saying to them: “Go back, for rain had already fallen and your land had already become green. My wife is my enemy. Having an enemy over whom I have control is better than facing one who controls me!” He was good tempered person enjoying much endurance.

The Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.) had said, “Winds are of five types, one of them is ‘Aqeem’ and we seek the refuge of Almighty from its perils. “When the people of A’d surpassed the limits, Allah Almighty sent it as mentioned in surah al-Dhariyat Ayah 41 &42, “And in A’d when We unleashed upon them a barren wind (Aqeem). It left nothing that it came upon without making it like decayed bones.” The Prophet Hud and his followers were protected by Allah from the chastisement. They went to Makkah and settled there.

According to authentic narrations it was narrated by the famous Ali ibn Yaqteen that the Abbasid king Mansur ordered him to dig a well in a pious person’s house. The digging continued and Mansur died, and al-Mahdi became the king who persisted with the digging. The diggers found people turned into stones and their belongings. At last, a whiff of breeze came terrifying the diggers. Ultimately the king requested the Infallible Imam Musa al-Ka’zim (a.s.) for help, who said that those were the remains of the people of A’d.

Imam Ali (a.s.) was buried in the grave of Prophet Hud. After his death, Prophet Hud was transferred to a grave within the precincts of present-day Najaf al-Ashraf Mausoleum.

The story of Prophet Hud and his people A’d are mentioned in the following surahs: Ayahs:

7:65-71, 89:6-8, 26:128-134, 11:50-57, 23:33-34, 23:39-41, 32:13-16, 46:22-25, 54:19, 51:41-42

Sources: Hayat al-Qulub v.1 by Allama Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (a.r.),

Ethics of Prophets by Allama Muhammad Mahdi Taj Langaroodi, Tafsir-e-Mauzui by Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani