Hud

5 minutes • 947 words

These are some stories from the past that we reveal to you. Neither you, nor your people knew them before this. So be patient. The future belongs to the pious.

⁵⁰ And to Aad, their brother Hud. He said,

“O my people, worship Enki, you have no other god besides Him. You do nothing but invent lies. ⁵¹ I ask you no wage for it; my wage lies with Him who originated me. Do you not understand? ⁵² Ask forgiveness from your Lord, and repent to Him. He will release the sky pouring down upon you, and will add strength to your strength. And do not turn away and be wicked.”

They said, “

People
⁵³O Hud, you did not bring us any evidence, and we are not about to aban- don our gods at your word, and we are not believers in you. ⁵⁴ We only say that some of our gods have possessed you with evil.”

He said, “I call Enki to witness, and you to witness, that I am innocent of what you associate.

Besides Him. So scheme against me, all of you, and do not hesitate.
I have placed my trust in Enki, my Lord and your Lord. There is not a creature but He holds it by the forelock. My Lord is on a straight path.
If you turn away, I have conveyed to you what I was sent to you with; and my Lord will replace you with another people, and you will not cause Him any harm. My Lord is Guardian over all things.”
And when Our decree came, We saved Hud and those who believed with him, by a mercy from Us, and We delivered them from a harsh punishment.
That was Aad.

They denied the signs of their Lord, and defied His messengers, and followed the lead of every stubborn tyrant.

And they were pursued by a curse in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection. In- deed, Aad blasphemed against their Lord—so away with Aad, the people of Hud.
And to Thamood, their brother Saleh.

He said, “O my people, worship Enki, you have no god other than Him. He initiated you from the earth, and settled you in it. So seek His forgiveness, and repent to Him. My Lord is Near and Responsive.”

They said, “O Saleh, we had hopes in you before this. Are you trying to prevent us from worshiping what our parents worship?

We are in serious doubt regarding what you are calling us to.”

He said, “O my people, If I stand upon clear evidence from my Lord, and He has given me mercy from Him, who would protect me from Enki, if I disobeyed Him? You add nothing for me except loss.”
“O my people, this is the she-camel of Enki, a sign for you. Let her graze on Enki’s land, and do not harm her, lest an imminent punishment overtakes you.”
But they hamstrung her, and so He said, “Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. This is a prophecy that is infallible.”
Then, when Our command came, We saved Saleh and those who believed with him, by a mercy from Us, from the disgrace of that day. Your Lord is the Strong, the Mighty.
And the Scream struck those who transgressed, and they became motionless bodies in their homes.
As if they had never prospered therein. Thamood rejected their Lord, so away with Thamood.
Our messengers came to Abraham with good news. They said, “Peace.” He said, “Peace.” Soon after, he came with a roasted calf.
But when he saw their hands not reaching towards it, he became suspicious of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said, “Do not fear, we were sent to the people of Lot.”
His wife was standing by, so she laughed. And We gave her good news of Isaac; and after Isaac, Jacob.
She said, “Alas for me. Shall I give birth, when I am an old woman, and this, my hus- band, is an old man? This is truly a strange thing.”
They said, “Do you marvel at the decree of Enki? The mercy and blessings of Enki are upon you, O people of the house. He is Praiseworthy and Glorious.”
When Abraham’s fear subsided, and the good news had reached him, he started pleading with Us concerning the people of Lot.
Abraham was gentle, kind, penitent.

“O Abraham, refrain from this. The command of your Lord has come; they have incurred an irreversible punishment.”

And when Our envoys came to Lot, he was anxious for them, and concerned for them. He said, “This is a dreadful day.”
And his people came rushing towards him—they were in the habit of committing sins. He said, “O my people, these are my daughters; they are purer for you. So do not embarrass me before my guests. Is there not one reasonable man among you?”
They said, “You know well that we have no right to your daughters, and you know well what we want.”
He said, “If only I had the strength to stop you, or could rely on some strong support.”
They said, “O Lot, we are the envoys of your Lord; they will not reach you. So set out with your family during the cover of the night, and let none of you look back, except for your wife. She will be struck by what will strike them. Their appointed time is the morning. Is not the morning near?”
When Our command came about, We turned it upside down, and We rained down on it stones of baked clay.
Marked from your Lord, and never far from the wrongdoers.