The Story of Hūd (upon him be peace)

Allah sent His prophet Hūd to his people, “the former ʿĀd” (al-Najm 50), who dwelled in the sand-dunes of al-Aḥqāf in the desert of Ḥaḍramawt. When their wickedness multiplied, they grew haughty toward the servants of Allah and boasted, “Who is mightier than we in strength?” (Fuṣṣilat 15). Together with their idolatry and denial of the messengers, this arrogance called for correction. Allah therefore commissioned Hūd to summon them to worship Him alone, to forbid them from associating partners with Him and from tyrannizing His servants. He exhorted them by every means, reminding them of the worldly favors Allah had already shown them—ample livelihood, abundant resources, and great physical power.

Yet they spurned his call, disdainfully refusing to comply and saying, “You are only a man like ourselves; bring us a sign, if you are truthful” (al-Shuʿarāʾ 154). Their claim was false, for no prophet has ever been sent without Allah granting him signs sufficient for any fair-minded person to believe. Indeed, even if the messengers possessed no other miracle than the very religion they conveyed, that religion would stand as the clearest proof of its divine origin: perfect in its formulation, suited to human welfare in every age according to its circumstances, truthful in its reports, commanding all that is good, forbidding all that is evil. Moreover, every messenger confirms the truth of those before him and bears witness to them, and each is in turn confirmed and borne witness to by those who follow him.

Among the particular signs granted to Hūd was the fact that he stood alone in challenging his people: exposing the folly of their beliefs, declaring their idols worthless, and censuring their practices, even though they were a nation famed for violence, power, and tyranny. They threatened him, warning that unless he desisted their gods would strike him with madness or some other harm. Undaunted, he confronted them openly and declared:

“Indeed, I call Allah to witness—and bear witness [all of you]—that I am free of whatever you associate with Him, apart from Him. So plot against me all together, and give me no respite. I have placed my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds it by the forelock. Surely my Lord is on a straight path.” (Hūd 54-56)

Despite their threats, they could not harm him in the least.