To Whom Was Prophet Hud Sent, and Where Did They Live?
إلى من أُرسل النبي هود، وأين كانوا يسكنون؟
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 وعمان في جنوب الجزيرة العربية. وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۗ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (سورة الأعراف: 65). وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ (سورة هود: 50). وَاذْكُرْ أَخَا عَادٍ إِذْ أَنذَرَ قَوْمَهُ بِالْأَحْقَافِ (سورة الأحقاف: 21).
1. A Surah Named After This Very Warning | سورة سُميت باسم هذا التحذير
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.
تأخذ سورة الأحقاف اسمها مباشرة من الكثبان الرملية التي أنذر فيها هود قومه، وهي إحدى المرات القليلة التي يُستمد فيها اسم سورة من موقع محدد لرسالة نبي بدلا من موضوع أوسع. وتعكس هذه التسمية مدى مركزية قصة عاد، وجغرافيا الأحقاف، في سرد القرآن للأمم السابقة.
2. The Same Opening Call as Saleh | نفس نداء الدعوة الذي استخدمه 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، “اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ”، تكاد تكون مطابقة كلمة بكلمة للدعوة الافتتاحية التي استخدمها صالح مع ثمود، كما تناولنا في مقال إلى أي قبيلة أُرسل النبي صالح، وأين كانوا يعيشون؟ وهذا الاتساق عبر أمم ورسل غير مرتبطين يؤكد أن التوحيد كان دائما الرسالة الثابتة ذاتها.
3. Hud Condemns Their Fabricated Worship | هود يندد بافترائهم في العبادة
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?
تسجل سورة هود 11:50 دعوة هود لقوم عاد، منددا بافترائهم وداعيا إياهم إلى عبادة الله وحده. ويُحدد رفض عاد اللاحق نبرة الصراع المتصاعد الذي تناولناه في مقال لماذا عاقب الله قوم عاد؟
Scholarly Insight: Surah Al-A’raf 7:65, Surah Hud 11:50, and Surah Al-Ahqaf 46:21 together identify Hud’s mission to Aad and their homeland in the sand-hills of Al-Ahqaf. 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 →