The Story of Hūd—peace be upon him

He is Hūd son of Shālikh son of Arpachshad son of Shem son of Noah—peace be upon them all.

Another view holds that Hūd is ʿĀbir son of Shālikh son of Arpachshad son of Shem son of Noah. Yet a third lineage has been proposed: Hūd son of ʿAbd Allāh son of Rabāḥ son of al-Jārūd son of ʿĀd son of ʿAwṣ son of Iram son of Shem son of Noah, as related by Ibn Jarīr (1).

He belonged to a tribe known as ʿĀd son of ʿAwṣ son of Shem son of Noah. They were Arabs who dwelt in al-Aḥqāf—the sandy mountain-ridges that lay in Yemen between ʿUmān and Ḥaḍramawt, on a coastal land called al-Shiḥr; the name of their valley was Mughīth.

They often lived in tents with massive pillars, as the Most High says: “Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with ʿĀd— Iram of the lofty pillars” (al-Fajr 89:6-7), meaning the first ʿĀd, the people of Iram. The later ʿĀd will be discussed in its proper place.

These first ʿĀd are those of whom Allah says: “Iram of the lofty pillars, the like of whom had never been created in the land” (al-Fajr 89:7-8), that is, no tribe comparable to them. Some have claimed the phrase refers to the pillars themselves, but the correct view is the first, as explained in the commentary.

Whoever alleges that Iram is a wandering city that appears now in Syria, now in Yemen, now in the Ḥijāz, and elsewhere has ventured far afield, advancing a claim without proof, evidence, or reliable support.

In the Ṣaḥīḥ of Ibn Ḥibbān, in the lengthy ḥadīth of Abū Dharr concerning the prophets and messengers, he states: “Among them are four Arabs: Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Shuʿayb, and your Prophet, O Abū Dharr” (2).

It is said that Hūd—peace be upon him—was the first to speak eloquent, classical Arabic; Wahb ibn Munabbih contended that Hūd’s father was the first to do so. Others maintained that Noah was the first, while another opinion assigns that distinction to Adam—and this is the view closest to the mark. Other claims exist as well; Allah knows best.

The Arabs who lived before Ishmael—peace be upon him—are called al-ʿArab al-ʿĀribah (“the original Arabs”). They comprise many tribes: ʿĀd, Thamūd, Jurhum, Ṭasm, Jadīs, Amīm, Midian, ʿImlāq, ʿAbīl, Jāsim, Qaḥṭān, the sons of Yaqṭan, and others.