Hûd: One and the Same Message
To 'Ãd we sent their brother Hûd. He said, "O my people, worship GOD; you have no other god besides Him. You are inventing.

Hûd was a messenger of God sent to the people of 'Ãd, who are called "their brother Hûd" because he was one of them (7:65, 11:50). The Quran places 'Ãd after Noah's people. God made them "inheritors after the people of Noah" and multiplied their numbers (7:69). They were a prosperous, powerful nation: they built mansions on every hill "for vanity's sake," set up buildings "as if you last forever," and were given livestock, children, gardens and springs (26:128-134). Hûd warned them "at the dunes," and the Quran notes that "numerous warnings were also delivered before him and after him" (46:21).
His message was the message of every messenger: "O my people, worship GOD; you have no other god besides Him" (11:50). He asked no wage from them (11:51, 26:127). He urged them to seek forgiveness and repent, and promised that God would then "shower you with provisions from the sky, and augment your strength" (11:52). He also condemned their cruelty: "when you strike, you strike mercilessly" (26:130). He warned them of "the retribution of a great day" (46:21).
The leaders of 'Ãd called him foolish and a liar (7:66). They said he had brought no proof, that they would not give up their gods because of what he said, and that one of their gods had cursed him (11:53-54). The heart of their refusal was loyalty to their ancestors: "Did you come to make us worship GOD alone, and abandon what our parents used to worship?" (7:70). They felt so safe in their strength that they asked, "Who is more powerful than we?" (41:15). They told him his preaching made no difference and that "No retribution will ever befall us" (26:136-138), and they dared him to bring the doom he warned of (46:22). Hûd publicly disowned their idols, called them "innovations you have fabricated, you and your parents, which were never authorized by GOD," and left the matter to God: "wait and I will wait along with you" (7:71, 11:54-57). He told them the timing was known only to God (46:23).
Then the judgment came. When they saw a storm approaching, they welcomed it, saying it would "bring to us much needed rain." Instead it was "violent wind wherein there is painful retribution" (46:24). It blew "for seven nights and eight days," and the people were left "tossed around like decayed palm trunks" (69:7). By morning nothing was standing except their homes (46:25). God saved Hûd and the believers with him "by mercy from us" (7:72, 11:58), and 'Ãd perished. The Quran adds that they earned condemnation in this world and on the Day of Resurrection (11:60).
The Quran draws several lessons from the story. The first is that the message never changes. Dr. Khalifa's heading for Sura 11's account is "Hûd: One and the Same Message," and his heading over 7:70 names the people's downfall: "Following the Parents Blindly: A Human Tragedy." The second is that power and wealth protect no one. 'Ãd had "hearing, eyes, and minds," but these "did not help them at all" because they chose to disregard God's revelations (46:26). Their sin is summed up this way: they "disobeyed His messengers, and followed the ways of every stubborn tyrant" (11:59). And the story ends with a warning to every later generation: "This should be a lesson, but most people are not believers" (26:139). The Quran then asks of 'Ãd, "Can you find any trace of them?" (69:8).
Verses
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To 'Ãd we sent their brother Hûd. He said, "O my people, worship GOD; you have no other god besides Him. You are inventing.
"O my people, I do not ask you for any wage. My wage comes only from the One who initiated me. Do you not understand?
"O my people, seek forgiveness from your Lord, then repent to Him. He will then shower you with provisions from the sky, and augment your strength. Do not turn back into transgressors."
They said, "O Hûd, you did not show us any proof, and we are not abandoning our gods on account of what you say. We will never be believers with you.
"We believe that some of our gods have afflicted you with a curse." He said, "I bear witness before GOD, and you bear witness as well, that I disown the idols you have set up—
"—beside Him. So, give me your collective decision, without delay.
"I have put my trust in GOD, my Lord and your Lord. There is not a creature that He does not control. My Lord is on the right path.
"If you turn away, I have delivered to you what I was sent with. My Lord will substitute other people in your place; you cannot harm Him in the least. My Lord is in control of all things."
When our judgment came, we saved Hûd and those who believed with him, by mercy from us. We saved them from a terrible retribution.
Such was 'Ãd—they disregarded the revelations of their Lord, disobeyed His messengers, and followed the ways of every stubborn tyrant.
Consequently, they incurred condemnation in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, 'Ãd rejected their Lord. Indeed, 'Ãd, the people of Hûd, have perished.