To Whom Was Prophet Hud Sent, and Where Did They Live?
إلى مَن أُرسل النبي هود عليه السلام، وأين كانت مساكنهم؟
Hud was sent to the people of Aad. They lived in a land called Al-Ahqaf (the sand-hills), situated between Hadramawt and Oman in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. “And to the people of Aad We sent their brother Hud. He said, ‘O my people! Worship Allah, you have no other god except Him. Will you not then fear Him?'” (Surah Al-A’raf 7:65). “And to the people of Aad We sent their brother Hud. He said, ‘O my people! Worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. You do nothing but fabricate lies against Allah'” (Surah Hud 11:50). “And remember the brother of Aad, when he warned his people, who inhabited the sand-hills” (Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:21).
أُرسل إلى قوم اسمهم عاد، وكانت تسكن بلدة اسمها الأحقاف، وهو بلد يقع بين حضرموت وعُمان في جنوب الجزيرة العربية، قال الله تعالى: وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (سورة الأعراف: 65)، وقال تعالى: وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ (سورة هود: 50)، وقال تعالى: وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ (سورة الأحقاف: 21).
1. A Surah Named After This Very Warning | سورةٌ سُمّيت بموضع هذا الإنذار
Surah Al-Ahqaf takes its name directly from the sand-hills where Hud warned his people, one of the few times a surah’s title comes from the specific location of a Prophet’s mission rather than a broader theme. This naming reflects how central Aad’s story, and the geography of Al-Ahqaf, became to the Quran’s account of past nations.
سُمّيت سورة الأحقاف بالرمال التي أنذر فيها هود عليه السلام قومه: (وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ) (الأحقاف 46: 21)، وهي من السور القليلة التي أُخذ اسمها من موضع دعوة نبي بعينه، لا من موضوع أعم. وفي هذه التسمية دلالة على مكانة قصة عاد، وأرض الأحقاف، في حديث القرآن عن الأمم السابقة.
2. The Same Opening Call as Saleh | النداء نفسه الذي بدأ به صالح
Hud’s call, “Worship Allah, you have no other god except Him,” is nearly word for word the same opening used by Saleh (peace be upon him) with Thamud, covered in To Which Tribe Was Prophet Saleh Sent, and Where Did They Live? This consistency across unrelated nations and Messengers reinforces that Tawheed was always the same unchanging message.
دعوة هود عليه السلام: (يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ) (الأعراف 7: 65) تكاد تطابق حرفًا بحرف ما بدأ به صالح عليه السلام دعوته لثمود، كما بيّنا في جواب: إلى أي قبيلة أُرسل النبي صالح عليه السلام، وأين كانت مساكنها؟ وفي هذا الاتفاق بين أمم ورسل متباعدين تأكيد أن التوحيد كان دائمًا الرسالة الثابتة نفسها.
3. Hud Condemns Their Fabricated Worship | هودٌ يُنكر عليهم افتراءهم
Surah Hud 11:50 records Hud’s call to Aad, condemning their fabrications and calling them to worship Allah alone. Aad’s later rejection sets the tone for the escalating conflict covered in Why Did Allah Punish the People of Aad?
وفي سورة هود دعا هود عليه السلام قوم عاد إلى عبادة الله وحده، وأنكر عليهم افتراءهم: (إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ) (هود 11: 50). ثم كان تكذيبهم له بعد ذلك بداية الصراع المتصاعد الذي بيّناه في جواب: لماذا عاقب الله قوم عاد؟
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir reports Qatada’s description of Aad’s homeland (46:21): “We were told that Aad were a community in Yemen, people of sandy terrain overlooking the sea, in a land called al-Shihr.” He explains the surrounding warnings: “Allah had sent messengers and warners to the settlements surrounding their land.” See Aad’s response to Hud’s warning. Read the fuller context in the tafsir of Surah Al-Ahqaf.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
To which people was Hud sent?
The people of Aad.
Where did Aad live?
In Al-Ahqaf, a land of sand-hills in the southern Arabian Peninsula; the reports differ on its exact place, one placing it between Hadramawt and Oman.
Which surah is named after Aad’s homeland?
Surah Al-Ahqaf.
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →