Many people may be surprised to find that Muslims also believe in numerous prophets that can be found in the Jewish and Christian traditions. Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, among many others, are all prominent in the Quran. Believing in all of God’s prophets and all the revealed books are two of the pillars of faith in Islam; therefore Muslims accept the Torah and the Gospels (Injiel) of Jesus. However, they also believe that these books have been altered or lost over time. Accordingly, Muslims only believe in what can be found in the Quran or in the authentic traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
In the Old Testament, a descendant of Noah is referred to as Eber. In some narratives he is called a lifter, and he is known as the father of the Hebrew language. [1] In Islam, however, he is known as Hud [2] and he is one of the four Arab prophets, the others are Salih, Shu’aib and Muhammad. Respected 14th-century Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir reports that Ibn Jarir also confirmed that Hud was a descendant of Noah.
Sent from God to his brothers, Hud spread the message that God is one and that they can only worship Him alone. It was the same message that all of God’s prophets spread. Hud said to his people: “O my people, serve Allah. You have no other god but Him. You are nothing but liars. ”(Quran 11:50) Hud belonged to an ancient civilization known as ´Ad, and it is believed that its capital was the fabulous city of Ubar, called Quran Iram (89 : 6-7)
It is believed that Ad was in the wind-shaped hills between Oman and Yemen. The people were known for building airy towers, and therefore the country was also known as the area of a thousand pillars. It was a civilization like no other. God has blessed Ad and his people. He has provided them with fertile land and plenty of agriculture, lots of children, plenty of cattle and easy access to water sources. The people themselves were described as tall, strong and well built.
In many ways the ´Ad could be described as a society like many of the opulent societies that exist today. There was an abundance of wealth and the proud, arrogant people were not content to meet their basic needs. They started building towers and dwellings just to show off their wealth, and they piled up worldly possessions as if they were people destined to live forever.
The rulers and leaders of the ‚Ad were powerful tyrants, their wealth did not soften them as it sometimes happens, but they became strong and ruled the surrounding countries. Satan was among them and made their deeds seem just. Their arrogance and pride grew, and the worship of idols was widespread.
The Prophet Hud was also a strong man, but he used his strength to counter the problems that were plentiful in his society, but people were too proud to listen to him. They didn’t want Hud to emphasize their mistakes, but he persisted in calling them to be righteous. He said:
“O my people, beg forgiveness from your Lord, then repent towards Him; He will send (the blessing) abundantly from heaven above you and will give you strength to your strength. So don’t turn away as guilty. ”
Hud tried to explain to his people that asking God for forgiveness for their insubordination and arrogance would only lead to an increase in their strength and wealth. God, he said, would reward their repentance with abundant rain and an increase in strength. In the manner of arrogant people at all times, they looked at the Ad Hud with contempt, then looked around and saw that they were the most powerful nation in existence.
The rich arrogant people of ´Ad argued with Hud over the day of judgment. They believed that after death the body crumbles to dust and is carried away by the wind. The people of ´Ad, like people nowadays, believed that the meaning of life is to accumulate wealth, prestige and property. When Hud confronted them with the reality of their lives and stressed that they were far from the One God, their arrogant breasts swelled with pride and they accused him of being crazy. They wondered why a man who ate and drank, like them, could have such a different view of life. With their eyes fixed on wealth and luxury, people convinced themselves that following Hud must be crazy.
“There is no life other than our life on earth; we die and we live, but we will not be resuscitated. He is only a person who has made up a lie against God; and we don’t want to believe him. ” (Quran 23: 37-38)
Finally, the people looked at Ad Hud and said, „We can only say that some of our gods have afflicted you with an evil.“ (Quran 11:54) Hud turned to God and broke away from his people. He knew that God’s punishment would be quick and hard. A drought spread in the once fertile and lush country. People looked up to the sky, hoping to see signs of rain. The punishment was obvious, but the people of ‚Ad continued to make fun of Hud and ridicule him.
One fateful day the weather changed. The burning heat changed to acrid cold, and the wind started to howl. The wild wind increased day by day and people began to seek shelter. The windstorm raged for a week. Tents and dwellings were torn, clothes were whipped away and the wind tore the skin from the body.
They were destroyed by an angry wind that God imposed on them for seven nights and eight days, so that men were seen overturned as if they were hollow trunks of date palms. (Quran 69: 6-7)
Ibn Kathir tells us that this violent storm did not stop until the entire region, which had once been lush and green, was in ruins and swallowed up by the desert sand. Only Hud and his small group of followers were spared and it is believed that they emigrated to Hadramaut, in today’s Yemen.
Epilogue [3]
Ubar is said to have been a lonely oasis in the desert and a trading center inhabited by powerful and wealthy people. Legend has it that it was lost in the sandstorm that buried the entire area. In 1992, the fabulous city was discovered using remote sensing data. Satellite images showed a large area with sand dunes, under which a main wadi or a dry river bed lay. Ubar is currently being excavated and evidence reveals that it was an octagonal fortress with 30-foot towers and thick walls.
Footnotes:
[1] The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia -http: //www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi? Number = T2864
[2] Based on Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir.
[3] http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/radar/sircxsar/ubar1.html
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/die-geschichte-des-propheten-hud