His biography:
People worshipped idols:
After the earth was swallowed by the flood waters that drowned those who disbelieved in Noah, peace be upon him, those who believed with him and were saved began to populate the earth. Everyone on earth at that time was a believer. There was not a single disbeliever among them. Years and years passed. Fathers and sons died and grandsons came. People forgot Noah's commandment, and idol worship returned. People deviated from worshipping God alone, and the matter was done with the same old trick.
The descendants of Noah's people said: We do not want to forget our fathers whom God saved from the flood. They made statues for the survivors to remind them of, and this glorification developed generation after generation, and then the matter turned into worship, and the statues were transformed by the cunning of Satan into gods with God. The earth complained of darkness again. And God sent our master Hud to his people.
Sending Hud, peace be upon him:
Hud was from a tribe called "Ad" and this tribe lived in a place called Al-Ahqaf.. It is a desert full of sand, and overlooks the sea. As for their dwellings, they were large tents with very large and high pillars. The people of Aad were the greatest people of their time in terms of physical strength, height and strength.. They were giants and strong, so they were proud of their strength. No one in their time was as strong as them. Despite their large bodies, they had dark minds. They worshipped idols, defended them, fought for them, and accused and mocked their prophet. It was supposed, since they admitted that they were the strongest people, that they should see that God who created them was stronger than them.
Hud said to them the same word that every messenger says. Do not change, do not decrease, do not hesitate, do not fear, and do not retreat. One word is all courage, and it is the truth alone (O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him. Will you not then fear Him?).
And his people asked him: Do you want to be a master over us with your call? And what reward do you want?
These bad thoughts are repeated on the tongues of the disbelievers when their prophet calls them to believe in Allah alone. Their small minds do not go beyond worldly life. They only think of glory, power, and leadership.
Hud made them understand that his reward is from Allah, that he does not want anything from them except that they wash their minds in the light of truth. He told them about Allah's blessing upon them, how He made them successors to the people of Noah, how He gave them ample physical strength and strength, how He settled them in the land that gives goodness and crops. How did He send upon them the rain that revives the earth? And the people of Hud looked around and found that they were stronger than those on earth, and they became arrogant and increased in stubbornness.
They said to Hud: How do you accuse our gods whom we found our fathers worshipping?
Hud said: Your fathers were wrong.
Hud's people said: Do you say, Hud, that after we die and become dust flying in the air, we will return to life?
Hud said: You will return on the Day of Resurrection, and Allah will ask each one of you about what he did.
Laughter erupted after this last sentence. What a strange claim Hud made. This is what the unbelievers of his people whispered. A person dies, and when he dies, his body decomposes, and when his body decomposes, it turns into dust, then the wind blows and the dust flies. How does all this return to its origin?! Then what is the meaning of the Day of Resurrection? Why do the dead rise from their death?
Hood received all these questions with generous patience.. Then he began to talk to his people about the Day of Judgment.. He made them understand that people's belief in the afterlife is a necessity related to God's justice, just as it is a necessity related to people's lives. He told them what every prophet says about the Day of Judgment. The wisdom of the Creator and Manager is not complete with the beginning of creation, then the end of the lives of the creatures on this earth. This life is a test, after which the reckoning takes place. People's actions in this world are not the same. There are those who oppress, there are those who kill, and there are those who assault.. We often see the oppressors go unpunished, and we often see the assaulters enjoy respect and power in life. Where do the complaints of the oppressed go? And where does the pain of the persecuted go? Will it be buried with them in the dirt after death?
Justice requires the existence of a Day of Judgment. Good does not always triumph in life. Sometimes evil organizes its armies and kills the bearers of good. Will this crime go unpunished?
A great injustice is confirmed if we assume that the Day of Judgment will not come. Allah the Almighty has forbidden injustice for Himself and made it forbidden among His servants. The perfection of justice is the existence of a Day of Resurrection, accountability and recompense. This is because the Day of Resurrection is the day on which all issues will be brought back before the Creator, and will be reviewed once again. And the Lord of the Worlds, glory be to Him, will judge them. This is the first necessity of the Day of Resurrection, and it is related to the justice of Allah Himself. There is another necessity of the Day of Resurrection, and it is related to the behavior of man himself. Belief in the Day of Judgment, belief in the resurrection of bodies, standing for accountability, then receiving reward and punishment, and entering Paradise or Hell, this is something that will fix the eyes and hearts of people on another world after the world of the earth, so that they will not be overwhelmed by the necessities of life, nor will greed enslave them, nor will selfishness possess them, nor will they be worried that they did not achieve the reward of their efforts in their short, limited life. Thus, man rises above the clay from which he was created to the spirit that his Lord breathed into him. Perhaps the crossroads between submission to the concepts, values and standards of the earth, and attachment to the supreme values of God, and the appropriate release of man, lies in belief in the Day of Resurrection.
Hud told them all this, so they listened to him and denied him. They said to him, "Far from it, far from it." They were surprised that God would resurrect those in the graves. They were surprised that God would recreate man after he had turned into dust, even though He had created him from dust before. According to human standards, those who denied resurrection should have felt that re-creating man from dust and bones was easier than his first creation. God began creation, so what difficulty would there be in bringing him back?! The difficulty - according to human standards - lies in creation. And human standards are nothing but human standards that apply to people. As for God, there are no difficult or easy matters for Him, glory be to Him. Things happen for Him, glory be to Him, simply by command.
The position of the elite towards the call of Hud:
Allah the Almighty narrates the position of the elite (the leaders) towards the call of Hud, peace be upon him. We will see these elite in all the stories of the prophets. We will see the leaders of the people, their rich and their comfortable ones standing against the prophets. Allah the Almighty describes them by saying: (And We granted them luxury in the life of this world) From positions of wealth, riches and luxury, the desire to continue personal interests is born. And from positions of wealth, riches, luxury and leadership, pride is born. And the leaders of the people turn to themselves and ask: Isn't this prophet a human being like us, eating what we eat and drinking what we drink? Rather, perhaps, due to his poverty, he eats less than we eat and drinks from rusty cups, while we drink from cups of gold and silver. How can he claim that he is on the right path while we are on the wrong path? This is a human being. How can we obey a human being like us? Then.. Why did Allah choose a human being from among us to inspire him?
The leaders of Hud's people said: Isn't it strange th at Allah should choose a human being from among us and inspire him?!
He asked: What is strange about that? Allah, the Merciful, has sent me to you to warn you. Noah's Ark and the story of Noah are not far from you. Do not forget what happened. Those who disbelieved in Allah were destroyed, and those who disbelieve in Allah will always be destroyed, no matter how strong they are.
The leaders of Hud's people said: Who will destroy us, Hud?
Hud said: Allah.
The disbelievers from Hud's people said: Our gods will save us.
Hud made them understand that these gods that they worship to bring them closer to Allah are the same ones that distance them from Allah. He made them understand that Allah is the only one who saves people, and that no other power on earth can harm or benefit.
The conflict between Hud and his people continued. The more the conflict continued and the days passed, the more arrogant, stubborn, tyrannical, and disbelieving of their prophet became. And they began to accuse "Hud" peace be upon him of being a foolish madman.
One day they said to him: We have now understood the secret of your madness. You curse our gods and our gods have become angry with you, and because of their anger you have become mad.
Look at the naivety that their thinking has reached. They think that these stones have powers over the one who made them. They have an effect on humans, although they do not hear, see or speak. Hud did not stop at their delirium, nor did it anger him that they thought he was crazy and delirious, but he stopped at their saying: (And we will not abandon our gods because of your word, nor will we believe in you).
After this challenge, Hud had nothing left but the challenge. He had nothing left but to turn to God alone. He had nothing left but a final warning that included a threat to the deniers and a threat to them. And Hud spoke:
We say only, “Some of our gods have afflicted you with evil.” He said, “Indeed, I call God to witness, and you to witness, that I am innocent of what you associate (54) besides Him. So plot against me all together, then do not give me respite. (55) Indeed, I have put my trust in God, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds it by the forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a straight path.” (56) But if they turn away, then I have conveyed to you what I have promised. I have been sent with it to you, and my Lord will replace you with another people, and you will not harm Him at all. Indeed, my Lord is Guardian over all things. (57) (Hud)
Man is truly amazed at this audacity in the truth. One man confronts a people who are rough, tough, and foolish. They imagine that stone idols can harm. A man alone stands against tyrants, belittles their beliefs, disowns them and their gods, and challenges them to plot against him without delay or neglect. He is ready to receive their plot, and he is ready to fight them, for he has put his trust in Allah. And Allah is the Powerful, truly, and He holds the forelock of every creature on earth. Whether it is human creatures or wild beasts or animals. Nothing is beyond Allah's power.
With this faith in God, trust in His promise, and reassurance of His victory, Hud addresses those of his people who disbelieved. He does this despite his loneliness and weakness, because he stands with true security and conveys God’s message. In his speech, he makes his people understand that he has fulfilled the trust and conveyed the message. If they disbelieve, God will replace them with another people. He will replace them with another people. This means that they must await the punishment.
The Destruction of Aad:
Thus, Hud declared to them his innocence from them and their gods. He put his trust in God who created him, and realized that the punishment would befall those of his people who disbelieved. This is one of the laws of life. God punishes those who disbelieve, no matter how strong, rich, powerful or giant they are.
Hud and his people waited for God’s promise. And drought began in the land. The sky stopped raining. And the people of Hud rushed to him. What is this drought, Hud? Hud said: God is angry with you, and if you believe, God will be pleased with you and send rain that will increase your strength to your strength. And the people of Hud mocked him and increased in their stubbornness, mockery and disbelief. And the drought increased, and the green trees turned yellow and the crops died. And a day came and behold, a great cloud filled the sky. And the people of Hud rejoiced and came out of their homes saying: (This is a cloud that will bring us rain).
The weather changed suddenly. From extreme drought and heat to intense, bitter cold. The winds began to blow. Everything trembled, the trees, the plants, the men, the women, the tents. The wind continued. Night after night, day after day. Every hour it grew colder. The people of Hud began to flee, they rushed to the tents and hid inside them, the wind blew harder and tore the tents, they hid under the covers, the wind blew harder and the covers flew away. The wind was tearing clothes and skin, penetrating through the openings of the body and destroying it. The wind hardly touched anything without killing and destroying it, turning it into ashes.
The wind continued to blow upon them for seven nights and eight days, the likes of which the world had never seen before. Then the wind stopped, by the permission of its Lord. Nothing remained of those who disbelieved from the people of Hud except what remained of the dead palm trees. Just an outer covering that you could hardly touch before it blew into atoms in the air.
Hud and those who believed with him were saved.. and the giants perished.. and this is a just end for those who defy Allah and are too proud to worship Him.
