We have already noted that they were the first nation to take up idol-worship after the Flood. This is plain in the divine address to them: “And remember when He made you successors after the people of Noah and increased you greatly in stature” (al-Aʿrāf 7:69)—that is, He fashioned them as the strongest people of their age in build, force, and might.
In Sūrat al-Muʾminūn He says, “Then We produced, after them, another generation” (23:31); the sound view is that this refers to the people of Hūd. Others held that it refers to Thamūd, arguing from the verse, “So the Cry seized them in truth, and We made them like scum swept away” (23:41)—for, they say, the people of Ṣāliḥ were destroyed by the Cry, whereas “Ād were annihilated by a furious, roaring wind” (al-Ḥāqqah 69:6). Yet this does not preclude the possibility that both the Cry and the raging wind struck them together, as will be mentioned in the story of the people of Midian, the Companions of the Thicket, upon whom several kinds of punishment converged. Besides, there is no dispute that Ād preceded Thamūd.
In sum, Ād were a coarse, pagan Arab tribe—hardened, rebellious idol-worshippers. Allah therefore sent to them a man from among themselves who called them to Allah, to single Him out in worship and devote themselves to Him alone. They denied him, opposed him, and belittled him, so Allah seized them with the might of the All-Powerful. When he commanded them to worship Allah, encouraged them to obey Him and seek His forgiveness, promising them the good of this world and the next, and warning them that defiance would bring punishment here and hereafter, “the chieftains who disbelieved among his people said, ‘Indeed, we see you in foolishness’” (al-Aʿrāf 7:66)—meaning: what you summon us to is, in our eyes, foolish compared with our worship of these idols from which we hope for victory and provision. Moreover, we think you are lying in claiming that Allah has sent you.
He replied, “O my people, there is no foolishness in me; rather I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds. I convey to you the messages of my Lord, and I am a trustworthy adviser to you” (al-Aʿrāf 7:67-68). Conveying the message demands that the messenger be free from falsehood in what he transmits, that he add nothing to it and omit nothing from it, and that he deliver it in eloquent, concise words that are comprehensive, precise, and devoid of ambiguity or contradiction. Together with such delivery he displays the utmost sincerity toward his people, compassion for them, and eagerness for their guidance. He seeks from them neither fee nor payment; rather, he is devoted to Allah alone in calling to Him and advising His creation, seeking his recompense only from the One who sent him—for the good of this world and the next is entirely in His hands and at His command.
Thus he said, “O my people, I ask of you no wage for this. My reward rests only with the One who created me. Will you not then understand?” (Hūd 11:51)—meaning: do you not possess reason enabling you to recognize that I call you to the manifest truth to which your innate natures testify, the very religion of truth with which Allah sent Noah and on account of which He destroyed those who opposed him? Here I am summoning you to it, asking no recompense from you; I seek it only from Allah, the Master of harm and benefit. For this reason the believer in Sūrat Yā-Sīn said: “Follow those who do not ask you for any reward and who are rightly guided. And why should I not worship the One who created me, to Whom you will be returned?” (Yā-Sīn 36:21-22).
The people of Hūd also said to him: “O Hūd, you have not brought us any clear proof, and we are not about to abandon our gods on account of what you say, nor will we believe in you. All we can say is that some of our gods have afflicted you with evil” (Hūd 11:53-54)—meaning: you have not produced a sign that attests to the truth of what you have brought, and we are not going to forsake the worship of our idols merely on the basis of your word without any evidence or proof you have set forth. We think only that you are possessed, insane in what you claim.