It is the opinion of all historians that from the time of Nûh till Ebrahim, u. w. b., etc., which amounted to one thousand and two hundred years, there were no prophets sent except Hûd and Sâlah. Some affirm that Hûd was the son of A’bdullah, son of Remâh, son of Hareth, son of A’ad, son of A’os, son of Eram, son of Sâm, son of Nûh. Several of the commentaries, and most of the historical books, mention that A’aber, son of Sâlah, son of Arfakhshad, son of Sâm, is another name for him. At all events, the Lord and Beneficent Donor had sent him for the guidance and direction of the people of A’ad. Muhammad Ebn Esahaq and all chroniclers and expounders have related that the people of A’ad were an Arab tribe, notorious for the height, strength, and corpulency of their bodies, and for their bravery; so that the tallest individuals among them were one hundred, and the smallest sixty, cubits high, and they were the strongest men in the world. The people of A’ad and the sons of A’ad Bin A’os Bin Eram were all idolaters, one of their gods being Samûd and the other Samad. It is related that they constructed pillars of stone as high as their own bodies, and built upon them tall edifices, from which they precipitated any men against whom their wrath was incensed. Allah—w. n. b. pr.— said: ‘When ye are violent, ye are violent.’ The people of A’ad were mighty, addicted to idolatry, and committed all sorts of wickedness; but after their vileness had attained the highest degree, Hûd—u. w. b., etc.—was sent to that nation. He directed that misguided race during fifty years to the straight road; he invited them to acknowledge the unity of Allah, w. n. b. pr., and to discard idolatry; he threatened the people with [the consequences of] the sinfulness of their oppression, tyranny, and obstinacy; but they trusted to their own strength, and disregarded his admonitions. Nor did they accept his law, except a small company of them, who followed his precepts and injunctions. They were, however, obliged to keep their religion secret, for fear of being persecuted by the unbelievers. Not one of the nobles of the tribe believed except Murshed Bin Sa’d Bin A’kir. It is related in the history of Tabari that Loqmân-A’ad was likewise one of the faithful, and when the endeavours of Hûd to convert those refractory ones had exceeded all bounds, they unanimously determined to distress and to persecute him. The followers of Hûd, however, became aware of this intention, and when they informed him thereof he raised his hands in prayer, besought the Almighty to grant security to the believers, and to afflict the infidels and malefactors and their adherents with adversity. The arrow of prayer hit the target of response, and the abundance of the rain of heaven was changed into scarcity; the waters of their fountains, wells, and rivers were absorbed by the earth; their gardens, parks, and tanks became exsiccated. Lastly, the fire of hunger and famine was kindled in the stomachs of those heedless people, and during seven years they were afflicted with the misery of dearth. But compassion being one of the qualities of prophets, the Lord Hûd admonished them on that occasion, saying: ‘O ye misguided people, believe in God the most gracious and most high, that this punishment and calamity may be removed from you; because it is only the consequence of your rebellion and disobedience.’ They, however, considered his admonitions and promises to be impossible chimeras, and persisted in their former ways, not paying attention to his preaching, but continuing in their infidelity and wickedness, saying: ‘We cannot abandon the worship of our gods for the sake of thy words’; and when the famine had culminated in the most acute distress, and they had neither bread nor water, they unanimously decided to send a number of men to Mekkah in order to pray for rain.
In short, it was customary at that time, that when any calamity befell a believer in the unity of God or an infidel, he betook himself to the sanctuary of the Lord—whose magnificence be glorified — which was situated in the locality of the Ka’bah, where a red hill stood, and after he had prayed his wish was granted. At that time the inhabitants of the blessed city of Mekkah were of the children of A’mallâq, or A’maliq, the son of Lao, son of Sâm, and they were called A’maliqites. The Sherif of Mekkah and chief of that tribe was Moa’via Bin Bakr; his mother’s name was Gulchahra, the daughter of Khayberi, of the tribe of A’ad. When the calamity of famine had arisen among the A’adites, they sent the headmen of their people—such as Qil Bin A’z, Loqmân Bin A’âd, Baqum Bin Hillâl Bin Murshad Bin A’qir, Sa’d Bin Haliqa Bin Alkhayberi, the maternal uncle of Moa’via Bin Bakr, and many others, to the number of seventy, under the leadership of the above-named Qil—to the noble city of Mekkah, with instructions to stay in that holy place for the purpose of praying for rain. This company started from their homes as they were bidden, and, after the termination of their journey, they arrived in Mekkah, and alighted at the house of Moa’via Bin Bakr, who waited upon them with abundance of food and drink, and also ordered a singing girl to entertain the people of A’ad. The ambassadors of this tribe, who had exchanged the calamity of dearth and hunger for the pleasure of tranquillity and comfort, forgot the distress of the A’adites and the prayers for rain, so that they remained a full month in the neighbourhood of the sanctuary in the house of Moa’via, engaged in joy and pleasure, following up their nocturnal potations with matutinal draughts, and vice versâ, incessantly beating the drum of joviality, and never caring for good or ill luck.
| Distich: | Seeing a hungry infidel in an empty house at table, Wisdom itself would not believe that he is keeping the fast.* |
After a protracted stay of these guests in Moa’via’s house, the host became distressed, and said to himself: ‘These men have come to ask for rain, but they have taken to drinking wine, and my relatives have remained afflicted with famine. If I admonish my guests they will probably attribute my advice to stinginess, and will say that I am weary of entertaining them.’ At last he composed a piece of poetry, wherein he alluded to the carelessness of Qil and his boon companions, and to the misery of their friends at home. He also incited them to ask for rain, and reminded them of the helpless state of the A’adites. He made the singing girls learn these verses and chant them at the banquet; the guests were admonished by their contents, repented of their own procrastination, reproached each other, and began to make the arrangements necessary for the prayers—such as offerings, sacrifices, etc. They also prepared to go to the customary place for making the necessary inquiries. On that occasion Murshad Bin S’ad, who had hitherto kept his faith secret, informed them that, if they did not believe their prophet, the Absolute Benefactor [i.e. God] would not grant the rain; he also recited verses to them, which began as follows:
| Verses: | The people of A’ad rebelled against their prophet And remained thirsty; the heavens did not moisten them. |
They perceived from the words of Murshad that he belonged to the company of Musalmâns; therefore they separated from him, and hastened to the place of prayer, and, having taken refuge with the Beneficent Donor, they asked for rain, whereupon three clouds made their appearance —one white, one red, and the third black—and a voice was heard from above saying: ‘O Qil! select one of these three clouds.’ Qil imagined that the black cloud would give more rain than any other, selected it, and said: ‘I have chosen the black cloud, because it contains most water.’ Suddenly a herald’s voice was heard: ‘Thou hast chosen ashes! Ashes! Not a single individual of the tribe of A’ad will be left; it will [i.e. the cloud] spare neither the father nor the son.’ Then the Almighty Sender of the winds despatched the black cloud selected by Qil, which contained a storm of chastisement and vengeance, towards Ahqâf,* to the tribe of A’ad. When the latter perceived the approaching cloud, they joyfully pointed it out to each other, saying: ‘This is a cloud the showers of which will refresh and gladden the garden of our expectations’; and the blessed verse, ‘They said, This is a traversing cloud, which bringeth us rain,’* is confirmatory of this assertion. The Almighty also says: ‘Nay, it is what ye demanded to be hastened, and a wind, wherein is a severe vengeance’;* because when Hûd called the people of A’ad, and threatened them with divine punishment, they derided and challenged him to fulfil his threats. It is said that the first person among the A’adites who became aware of this dreadful catastrophe was a woman of the name of Mahad, who shouted for fright when she beheld the cloud, and then fainted. When she recovered herself, she was asked for the cause which made her lose her senses, and she said: ‘I behold something which shines like fire, and I perceive a fearful troop, drawing it towards us. The terror of this spectacle has overwhelmed me.’ When Hûd had cast a glance upon that dark cloud he knew it to be the beginning of the chastisement. By divine command he left the people of A’ad, proceeded with four thousand individuals to Yanbo’, and drawing with his blessed finger a line on the ground to encompass his followers in the similitude of a stronghold, he ordered that no one should overstep it, or withdraw his head from the line of obedience until the calamity had elapsed.
It is related, after Ebn A’bbâs, that Hûd went with his followers into Mesopotamia, where they enjoyed pleasant breezes. It is said that when the people of A’ad had become aware of the motion of the air, and the greatness of the calamity, they assembled in a circular encampment, holding fast to each other, and binding even their garments together, saying: ‘Let the wind of Hûd do its worst, no ill will befall us.’ The storm commenced, however, by raising their animals and cattle, with their women and children, from the ground, and sent them flying into the air, whence they fell back again and were dashed to pieces. When the A’adites saw this they endeavoured to flee to their houses, but the wind overtook and utterly destroyed them under the ruins. Some remained outside, and, trusting in the strength of their bodies, they dug their legs into the ground as far as the knees, and tried to stand up, but they fared no better than the others. The storm continued to rage during seven days and nights, until it extirpated the whole race; it is said that the A’jûz days,* set down by astronomers in calendars towards the end of the winter, allude to these days. The reason why they are called A’jûz days is because, when the hurricane [above alluded to] took place, an old woman of that tribe concealed herself in a house underground; on the third day, however, the wind reached her also, and joined her to her former friends. The chronicler says that, after Qil and all the envoys of the A’adites had terminated their prayers, and were staying near the sanctuary, they beheld a man riding on a camel in great haste who informed them that he was one of the followers of Hûd, travelling from the country of the A’adites to Egypt, and that their whole tribe had perished in the hurricane of annihilation. Qil and his companions were much distressed at this news, and said: ‘O All-powerful Nourisher! cause us to taste of the same beverage which Thou hast made our friends quaff, because without them our life is of no value!’ Their request was granted, and the Almighty—w. n. b. pr.— ordered the wind to convey them into the fire of hell. Some historians state that when Qil had inquired after and had ascertained the destruction of his tribe, he coveted eternal life, but the divine allocution reached him that the predestined bounds were not to be exceeded, and that everyone would be allowed to fix a certain period of time, after the expiration of which he would have to die; but they [i.e. the tribe] unanimously said: ‘O Lord,
Distich: If a man be compelled to separate from his friend
He is wise if he associates with no one.
Destroy us likewise, and cause us to be united with our tribe’; and in this wish of theirs they were gratified.
Loqmân, the son of A’ad, who is also named the companion of light, besought the arbiter of life and death to grant him the lifetime of seven eagles. His prayer was heard; he successfully caught young eagles and brought them up; according to the most current opinion, each of them lived eighty years and then died. Loqmân called the seventh eagle Labad, which means in their language ‘a thousand years.’ When this eaglet had become larger, it used to fly out; one day, however, when the eagles flew away from the top of the mountain, Loqmân did not see it among them. He became uneasy, and called Labad to ascertain the reason of his not flying out; he also cajoled him to do so, but, after making a fruitless effort to get up, Labad again fell to the ground, and his spirit took flight. At that very moment the bird of Loqmân’s soul was liberated from the cage of his body, and hastened to the mansion of eternity.
Distich: If thou remainest for a century, thou must
Leave this joyous house in a moment.
The bouquet-binders of the gardens of narratives say that when the people of A’ad were afflicted by the wrath of God, and their habitations were destroyed, Hûd emigrated with a company of pious and believing men, who had remained under the secure shadow of the peace and protection of God, and settled in the region of Hadharamaut, where they built houses and established themselves. On the termination of the one hundred and sixtieth year of his blessed life, he met the command of the Almighty with the response, ‘I hear and obey’; he was gathered into the gardens of eternity, and left this world denuded of the presence of his virtues and laudable qualities. It is said that in one of the caves among the mountains of Hadharamaut there is a high tower, in front whereof a marble sarcophagus, containing his blessed body, stands. On the sarcophagus there is a tablet with the following inscription: ‘In the name of Allah the Most High! I am Hûd the prophet, and the messenger of the God of heaven and earth to the people of A’ad, whom I invited to accept the Faith, and to abandon idols, but they refused, the storm destroyed them, and they became ashes!’ It is related after A’li— may Allah ennoble his face—that the tomb of the prophet Hûd is situated in Hadharamaut on a hill of red sand. Others have said that every prophet who came out unscathed from the wars with infidels, went with his companions to Mekkah, where he is [invisibly] living till the end of all time. When the people of A’ad had been overtaken by the vengeance of the Lord, Hûd invited his followers to emigrate; they accordingly went to Mekkah, and lived in that blessed country till their destiny overtook them [i.e. till they died]. The sepulchres of Hûd and his followers are situated between the House of Assembly and the gate of the prophet of Allah, u. w. b., etc.; but God is most wise!