Surah Ash-Shu'ara 26:139

The Response of the People of Hud, and Their Punishment

Allah tells us how the people of Hud responded to him after he had warned them, encouraged them, and clearly explained the truth to them.

(They said: "It is the same to us whether you preach or be not of those who preach.") meaning, `we will not give up our ways.'

(And we shall not leave our gods for your (mere) saying! And we are not believers in you) (11:53). This is how it was, as Allah says:

(Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them, they will not believe) (2:6).

(Truly, those, against whom the Word of your Lord has been justified, will not believe) (10:96-97). And they said:

(This is no other than Khuluq of the ancients.) Some scholars read this: "Khalq". According to Ibn Mas`ud and according to `Abdullah bin `Abbas -- as reported from Al-`Awfi -- and `Alqamah and Mujahid, they meant, "What you have brought to us is nothing but the tales (Akhlaq) of the ancients." This is like what the idolators of Quraysh said:

(And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.") (25:5) And Allah said:

(Those who disbelieve say: "This is nothing but a lie that he has invented, and others have helped him in it. In fact, they have produced an injustice and a lie." And they say: "Tales of the ancients...") (25:4-5)

(And when it is said to them: "What is it that your Lord has sent down" They say: "Tales of the ancient!") (16:24). Some other scholars recited it,

(This is no other than Khuluq of the ancients,) "as Khuluq," meaning their religion. What they were following was the religion of the ancients, their fathers and grandfathers, as if they were saying: "We are following them, we will live as they lived and die as they died, and there will be no resurrection and no judgement." Hence they said:

(And we are not going to be punished.) Allah's saying;

(So they denied him, and We destroyed them.) meaning, they continued to disbelieve and stubbornly oppose Allah's Prophet Hud, so Allah destroyed them. The means of their destruction has been described in more than one place in the Qur'an: Allah sent against them a strong and furious wind, i.e., a fiercely blowing wind that was intensely cold. Thus the means of their destruction was suited to their nature, for they were the strongest and fiercest of people, so Allah overpowered them with something that was even stronger and fiercer than them, as Allah says:

(Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with `Ad of Iram Possesors of the pillars) (89:6-7). This refers to the former `Ad, as Allah says:

(And that it is He Who destroyed the former `Ad) (53:50). They were descendents of Iram bin Sam bin Nuh,

(Possesors of the pillars) They used to live among pillars. Those who claim that Iram was a city take this idea from Isra'iliyyat narrations, from the words of Ka`b and Wahb, but there is no real basis for that. Allah says:

(The like of which were not created in the land) (89:8). meaning, nothing like this tribe was created in terms of might, power and tyranny. If what was meant was a city, it would have said, "The like of which was not built in the land." And Allah says:

(As for `Ad, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: "Who is mightier than us in strength" See they not that Allah Who created them was mightier in strength than them. And they used to deny Our Ayat!) (41:15) And Allah says:

(And as for `Ad, they were destroyed by a furious violent wind!) until His saying:

(in succession) (69:6-7) meaning, consecutively (i.e., seven nights and eight days).

(so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date palms!) (69:7) means, they were left as headless bodies, because the wind would come and carry one of them, then drop him on his head, so that his brains were spilled out, his head was broken and he was thrown aside, as if they were uprooted stems of date-palms. They used to build fortresses in the mountains and caves, and they dug ditches half as deep as a man is tall, but that did not help them against the command of Allah at all.

(Verily, the term given by Allah, when it comes, cannot be delayed) (71:4). Allah says here:

(So they denied him, and We destroyed them.)

Ayat ini menerangkan bahwa kaum 'ad tetap durhaka dan tidak mengindahkan seruan Nabi Hud. Dalam firman-Nya yang lain, Nabi Hud mengancam kaumnya dengan mengatakan bahwa jika mereka tetap ingkar, mereka akan dihancurkan oleh Allah dan menggantinya dengan kaum yang lain, yang akan berkuasa dan menjadi cikal-bakal bagi generasi-generasi mendatang. Sedangkan mereka tidak akan dapat mendatangkan kemudaratan sedikit pun kepada Allah. Allah berfirman:

Maka jika kamu berpaling, maka sungguh, aku telah menyampaikan kepadamu apa yang menjadi tugasku sebagai rasul kepadamu. Dan Tuhanku akan mengganti kamu dengan kaum yang lain, sedang kamu tidak dapat mendatangkan mudarat kepada-Nya sedikit pun. Sesungguhnya Tuhanku Maha Pemelihara segala sesuatu." (Hud/11: 57).

Di antara kaum 'ad ini ada yang beriman kepada Nabi Hud, tetapi sebagian besar dari mereka tetap ingkar. Kaum 'ad yang tidak beriman ini dimusnahkan Allah dengan mendatangkan angin yang sangat dingin, hingga mereka mati bergelimpangan, kota-kota dan negeri mereka roboh dan terpendam dalam tanah, sebagaimana firman Allah:

Sedangkan kaum 'ad, mereka telah dibinasakan dengan angin topan yang sangat dingin, Allah menimpakan angin itu kepada mereka selama tujuh malam delapan hari terus-menerus, maka kamu melihat kaum 'ad pada waktu itu mati bergelimpangan seperti batang-batang pohon kurma yang telah kosong (lapuk). Maka adakah kamu melihat seorang pun yang masih tersisa di antara mereka? (Al-haqqah/69: 6-8).

Kaum ' yang tidak beriman dan dibinasakan Allah itu disebut 'Ād al-¸la ('ad yang pertama). Adapun orang-orang yang beriman dan diselamatkan Allah bersama-sama dengan Nabi Hud disebut 'ad ats-saniyah ('ad yang kedua).

Di antara mereka yang beriman ini ada yang pindah bersama Nabi Hud ke sebelah selatan, yakni Hadramaut. Sampai sekarang di daerah itu masih ada kota yang bernama Madinah Qabri Hud, yang terletak sebelah timur kota Tariem, salah satu kota terbesar di Hadramaut. Di Madinah Qabri Hud ini terdapat sebuah kuburan yang bernama Qabri Hud, yang diabadikan sampai sekarang, untuk menjadi bukti atas kebenaran kisah Hud yang tersebut di dalam Al-Qur'an.

Sekalipun negeri kaum 'ad terpendam di dalam tanah akibat azab Allah, namun masih ada tanda-tanda bahwa tempat itu pernah didiami manusia yang berkebudayaan tinggi. Dalam Al-Qur'an banyak ayat yang menyuruh orang mengadakan perjalanan di muka bumi untuk memperhatikan bekas-bekas pemukiman penduduk yang telah dibinasakan oleh Allah, di antaranya kaum Hud, untuk dijadikan sebagai pelajaran.

Pada abad ke-20 datang ke sana ekspedisi yang dipimpin oleh sarjana-sarjana Barat, di antaranya yang dipimpin oleh H. St. John Philby, yang dapat mengadakan ekspedisi ke ar-Rub' al-Khali atas izin Raja Arab Saudi, Abdul Aziz Alu Su'ud. Dia menulis sebuah buku yang berjudul The Heart of Arabia. Seorang sarjana Belanda, Van der Mulen, juga pernah memimpin ekspedisi ke sekitar ar-Rab' al-Khali, dan menulis sebuah buku berjudul Hadramaut.

Kisah Nabi Hud dan kaumnya hanya disebut dalam Al-Qur'an, tidak terdapat pada kitab-kitab Samawi yang lain. Pada kisah kaum Hud itu terdapat pelajaran bagi kaum Muslimin, karena mereka yang dibinasakan itu adalah mereka yang tidak beriman.