60. Majid comments: “(The ‘Ad were) the ancient Arab tribe which inhabited Yaman and Hadramaut, extending from the coasts of the Persian Gulf to the borders of Mesopotamia.”

61. “In the province of Hadramaut, at some distance from east of Qasm, there still ‘stands the shrine of Nabi Hud.' (Ebr. XI, p. 62)” Majid.

62. Durr al Mansur and others have a report that the rains were held back from the people of ‘Ad for three years.

Ibn Kathir comments: Whoever is endowed with the qualities stated here will have Allah bring his sustenance easily to him. His affairs will be smoothened, and he will be saved from nagging problems of life. A hadith of the Prophet (saws) is in the same vein. It says, (as recorded in Abu Da'ud and Ibn Majah: H. Ibrahim),

مَنْ لَزِمَ الاِسْتِغْفَارَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ كُلِّ هَمٍّ فَرَجًا ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ ضِيقٍ مَخْرَجًا وَرَزَقَهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لاَ يَحْتَسِبُ

AWhoever sought forgiveness of Allah often, will have Allah make for him an opening out of every nagging problem, an easy way out of every tight situation, and will feed him from quarters he did not reckon.”

The above hadith however, has been declared as of Hasan status (Au.).

63. The mentality of the idol worshipers does not change over time. When a slave girl went blind after she embraced Islam, the Makkan pagans told her that it was a curse of their deities that had descended on her. And, probably because the belief was so powerfully prevalent among them that it needed a miraculous refutation. The Prophet prayed for her and she regained her sight (Ibn Is haq and Sirah al Nabawiyyah, Dr. Mahdi Rizqallah, p. 191). This, and similar kind of superstitions still prevail among the polytheists of today (Au.).

64. What Hud (asws) meant is that “I have not kept my disdain for your deities in secret. If you believe any of them has smitten me, then, let me tell you point blank that I am quit of them.” Then he added salt to injury by challenging them to bring on him whatever they and their deities could; and added, “Let you be quick about it. Indeed, far from doing me any harm, you are not even free to act as you wish in other affairs of your life. You are all held by your fore lock by none other than your Lord” (Thanwi - paraphrased).

Sayyid adds: “(For a fuller understanding, the background has to be kept in mind. When Hud challenged them in those words, it was not addressed to a people who could not be counted as nobody. That was a mighty nation at whom Hud had recklessly thrown that challenge). The Qur'an told us about them elsewhere (26: 123 138),

كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (123) إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ (124) إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ (125) فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ (126) وَمَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (127) أَتَبْنُونَ بِكُلِّ رِيعٍ آيَةً تَعْبَثُونَ (128) وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَخْلُدُونَ (129) وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُمْ بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِينَ (130) فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ (131) وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُمْ بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ (132) أَمَدَّكُمْ بِأَنْعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ (133) وَجَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ (134) إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ (135) قَالُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا أَوَعَظْتَ أَمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنَ الْوَاعِظِينَ (136) إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا خُلُقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (137) وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمُعَذَّبِينَ [الشعراء : 123 ، 138]

“‘Ad gave a lie to the Messengers. When their brother Hud told them, ‘Do you not fear? I am a trustworthy Messenger to you. Therefore, fear Allah and follow me. And, I have not asked you wages over this. My wages are upon Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Do you build in every prime place a landmark in vain? And you construct palatial structures as if you will live for ever. And, when you seize, you seize in the manner of tyrants. Therefore, fear Allah and follow me. Fear the God who extended you with what you know very well. He extended you with cattle and children; and orchards and springs. Indeed, I fear a mighty chastisement for you.' They said, ‘It is the same to us whether you admonished us or you were not of the admonishers. This is nothing but a custom of the past. Surely, we are not going to be subjected to chastisement.'” (It was this kind of people, strong, rich, confident, merciless tyrants at whom Hud had flung the challenge). Obviously, Hud could not have done it without full confidence in Allah and strong faith in His Powers.”

65. Asad explains, “When describing a person's humility and subjection to another person, the ancient Arabs used to say, ‘The forelock of so and so is in the hand of so and so.'”

And it has been their practice that when a criminal is to be presented to the authorities he is pulled by his fore lock (Au.).

66. The textual “tawallaw,” was originally “tatawallaw” of which one “ta” has been dropped out for the reason of two “tas” coming together, hence the meaning is (if) “you turned away” and not “if they turn away” (Qurtubi).

67. Commentators have clarified, at this point and elsewhere, that in the normal circumstances when Allah's scourge comes down, both the believers as well as the unbelievers can be affected. In that event, the believers are rewarded in the Hereafter for the pain they bore. But when it happens because of the rejection of a Prophet, then the believers are saved because if they were also punished, the Prophet of the time would lose credit. In fact, it could lead people to believe that it makes no difference whether you believed in a Prophet or you do not – when the time comes, you get destroyed all the same (Au.).

68. Majid has a historical note: “In an Himyaric inscription discovered in 1834 in the ruins of Hisn Ghurab occurs the following:

1. We dwelt at ease for ages within the court of the castle. A life without strait, and above wants...

2. Kings reigned over us, far removed from baseness. And vehement against the people of perfidy and fraud...

3. They sanctioned for us, from the religion of Hud, right law. And we believed in miracles, the resurrection, and the resurrection of the dead by the breath of God... (Forster, Historical Geography of Arabia, II. p. 93).

This establishes, in the first place, the historical personality of the Prophet Hud, and secondly, the fact that his followers were the only people of the tribe of ‘Ad, who survived the Divine catastrophe.”

69. They had to be qualified as A‘Ad, the people of Hud,” because there were two nations called ‘Ad: this one to whom Hud was sent, and the other one named as the ‘Ad of Iram (Zamakhshari).