Al-A'raf: (65-69) And to 'Ad, their brother Hud...
This is the second story, the story of Hud and his people.
Regarding His saying: {And to 'Ad, their brother Hud}, there are several points of discussion:
First Point:
The word **{their brother}** (*akhāhum*) is in the accusative case because of the verb **{We sent}** (*arsalnā*) mentioned at the beginning of the passage.
The implied structure is: {We sent Noah to his people} and {We sent to 'Ad, their brother Hud}.
Second Point:
They agree that Hud was not their brother in religion. They differed on whether he was a close relative.
Al-Kalbī said he was one of that tribe. Others said he was from the progeny of Adam and of their species, not of the angels. This is sufficient regarding the meaning of this brotherhood: We sent one of their own kind—a human being—so that their familiarity and comfort with his speech and actions would be more complete. We did not send them someone from another species, like an angel or a jinn.
Third Point:
**{Their brother}** (*akhāhum*) means their companion and their messenger. The Arabs call a person's companion their "brother." This is supported by His saying: **{Every time a nation enters, it curses its sister}** (Al-A'rāf: 38), meaning its companion and likeness. Also, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The brother of Ṣadā’ has called the Adhan, and only the one who calls the Adhan will establish the prayer," meaning their companion.
Fourth Point:
They mentioned that Hud's lineage is: Hud, son of Shālakh, son of Arfakhshad, son of Sām, son of Noah. As for 'Ad, they were a people in Yemen, in Al-Aḥqāf (the sand dunes). Ibn Isḥāq said Al-Aḥqāf are the sands between Oman and Ḥaḍramawt.
Fifth Point:
Note that the wording of this story is consistent with the wording in the story of Noah (peace be upon him), except in a few aspects:
- In Noah's story: {He said, "O my people! Worship Allāh"} (Al-A'rāf: 59). In Hud's story: {He said, "O my people! Worship Allāh"}. The difference is that Noah (peace be upon him) was persistent in inviting them and did not delay answering their doubts even for a moment. As for Hud, his intensity did not reach that level, hence the use of the particle fa (implying immediate sequence) in Noah's speech but not in Hud's.
- In Noah's story: {Worship Allāh; you have no other god besides Him. Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day} (Al-A'rāf: 59). In this story: {Worship Allāh; you have no other god besides Him. Will you not fear Allāh?} The difference is that before Noah (peace be upon him), such a great event as the Great Flood had not appeared in the world. Therefore, Noah informed them about that event, saying: {Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day}. However, the event concerning Hud (peace be upon him) was preceded by Noah's event, and people were recently aware of that event. Therefore, Hud sufficed with saying: {Will you not fear Allāh?} The meaning is: You know that when Noah's people did not fear Allāh and did not obey Him, that punishment, whose news became famous in the world, befell them. Thus, his saying {Will you not fear Allāh?} is an allusion to the warning based on that preceding, famous event.
- The third difference: Allāh mentioned concerning Noah: {The chiefs of his people said}, but concerning Hud: {The chiefs who disbelieved among his people said}. The difference is that among the nobles of Hud's people, there were those who believed in him, including Marthad ibn Sa'd, who embraced Islam and concealed his faith. Thus, the description was added to distinguish them, whereas there were no believers among the chiefs of Noah's people.
- The fourth difference: Allāh narrated that Noah's people said: {We surely see you in manifest error}, while He narrated that Hud's people said: {We surely see you in foolishness, and we think you are among the liars}. The difference between the two statements is that Noah (peace be upon him) was warning the disbelievers about the universal Flood, and he was also busy preparing the Ark, requiring him to exert himself in its preparation. In light of this, the people said: {We surely see you in manifest error} (Al-A'rāf: 60), and nothing had yet appeared indicating the rising of water in that desert. As for Hud (peace be upon him), he mentioned nothing except that he refuted the worship of idols and attributed those engaged in it to foolishness and lack of intellect. When Hud mentioned this regarding their ancestors, they responded in kind, attributing foolishness to him, then they said: {and we think you are among the liars} regarding his claim of Prophethood. They differed in interpreting this "thinking" (ẓann):
- Some said it means certainty and affirmation, as the word ẓann often carries this meaning in the Qur'an, such as: {Those who are certain that they will meet their Lord} (Al-Baqarah: 46).
- Al-Ḥasan and Al-Zajjāj said their disbelief was based on conjecture (ẓann) rather than certainty. They disbelieved while conjecturing, not while being certain. This indicates that doubt and possibility regarding the fundamentals of religion necessitate disbelief.
- The fifth difference between the two stories: Noah (peace be upon him) said: {I convey to you the messages of my Lord and advise you, and I know from Allāh what you do not know} (Al-A'rāf: 62). Hud (peace be upon him) said: {I convey to you the messages of my Lord, and I am for you a sincere adviser}. Noah used the verbal form (anṣaḥu lakum - "I advise you"), while Hud used the active participle (nāṣiḥun lakum - "I am an adviser for you"). Noah also said: {and I know from Allāh what you do not know}, which Hud did not say, but Hud added that he was trustworthy (amīn).
The difference, as mentioned by Shaykh 'Abd al-Qāhir al-Naḥwī in his book Dalā’il al-I'jāz, is that the verbal form indicates renewal moment by moment, while the active participle indicates stability and continuity in that action.
If this is established, we say: Hud's people were extremely abusive toward Noah (peace be upon him), yet the next day he would return to them and invite them to Allāh. Allāh mentioned this about him: {My Lord, I invited my people night and day} (Noah: 5). Since it was Noah's custom to return daily and hourly to renew the invitation, it is fitting that the verbal form was used: {and I advise you}. As for Hud, his statement {and I am for you a sincere adviser} indicates his established and continuous sincerity in that advice, but it does not imply that he would return to mention it moment by moment or day by day.
The other difference in this verse is that Noah said: {and I know from Allāh what you do not know}, while Hud described himself as trustworthy (amīn). The difference is that Noah (peace be upon him) held a higher status and a greater position in Prophethood than Hud. It is plausible that Noah knew secrets of God's wisdom and decree that Hud had not reached, so Hud refrained from mentioning that statement and limited himself to describing himself as trustworthy. This had several objectives:
- First: A rebuttal to their statement: {and we think you are among the liars}.
- Second: The foundation of conveying the message from God rests upon trustworthiness (amānah), so describing himself as trustworthy affirms his message and Prophethood.
- Third: It is as if he said: Before this claim, I was trustworthy among you; you never found treachery, deceit, or lies from me, and you acknowledged my trustworthiness. How then do you now attribute falsehood to me?
- Note that al-Amīn (the trustworthy one) is the one relied upon, derived from amina ya'manu amanan, so āmin and amīn have the same meaning.
When his people said to him: {We surely see you in foolishness}, he did not meet their foolishness with foolishness but with forbearance and overlooking, and he did not say more than: {There is no foolishness in me}. This indicates that abandoning retaliation is preferable, as in: {And when they pass by idle talk, they pass by with dignity} (Al-Furqān: 72).
As for His saying: {But I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds}, this is self-praise with the greatest attribute of praise. He did this because it was incumbent upon him to inform the people of this fact. This indicates that a person praising himself is permissible when necessary.
- The sixth difference between the two stories: Noah (peace be upon him) said: {Do you marvel that a reminder has come to you from your Lord through a man from among you, to warn you, and that you may fear Allāh and that you may receive mercy?} (Al-A'rāf: 63). In Hud's story, this statement was repeated, but the phrases {and that you may fear Allāh and that you may receive mercy} were omitted. The reason is that since the benefit of the warning (achieving piety leading to mercy) was made clear in the first story, there was no need to repeat it in this story.
After this statement, the rest belongs specifically to Hud's story, which is His saying, recounting what Hud said: {And remember when He made you successors after the people of Noah} (Al-A'rāf: 69).
The discussion regarding al-khulafā’ (successors), al-khulafā’ (plural), and al-khalīfah (successor) has passed in previous sections. The purpose here is that mentioning great blessings necessitates desire, love, and the removal of aversion and enmity. Hud (peace be upon him) mentioned two types of blessings here:
- That Allāh made them successors after the people of Noah, by inheriting their land, dwellings, wealth, and associated benefits.
- His saying: {And He increased you in stature} (basṭah in creation). This has several points of discussion:
First Point:
In language, **{creation}** (*al-khalq*) refers to measure or proportion. This term is only applied to something that has dimension, body, and volume. Thus, the intended meaning is an increase in their physical bodies. Some interpreted this word as an increase in strength, as powers and capacities vary; some are greater, and some are weaker.
Once this is known, we say the verse implies an increase and the significance of that increase. The wording itself does not indicate that this increase must be a great, unusual increase; otherwise, specifying it in the context of blessings would be pointless. Al-Kalbī said their tallest were one hundred cubits and their shortest sixty cubits. Others said this increase refers to the extent of a person's reach when raising their hands, giving them an advantage over the people of their time by that measure. Another group suggested that {And He increased you in stature} might mean they belonged to one tribe, sharing strength, might, and resilience, and that some loved and supported others, leading to the removal of enmity and conflict among them. Since Allāh singled them out with these types of virtues and merits, He established their possession of them, making it correct to say: {And He increased you in stature}.
After Hud mentioned these two types of blessings, he said: {So remember the favors of Allāh}. This has two points of discussion:
First Point:
The verse requires an implied object. The structure is: "And remember the favors of Allāh, and perform deeds worthy of these blessings, so that you may succeed." We implied the action (*'amal*) because righteousness (achieving reward) is not attained merely by remembrance; action is necessary. Those who dispute the necessity of outward deeds used this verse as evidence, arguing that Allāh linked achieving righteousness to mere remembrance, so mere remembrance must be sufficient for achieving righteousness. The response is what has already been stated: all other verses indicate that action is necessary. And Allāh knows best.
Second Point:
Ibn 'Abbās said: **{Allāh}** means "the favors of Allāh upon you." Al-Wāḥidī said the singular of *al-ālā’* (favors) is *ulw* or *īlā’*. Al-A'shā said:
> *A white one who does not fear emaciation,*
> *Nor severs kinship, nor betrays a trust.*
He said al-ālā’ is analogous to al-ānā’ (times), whose singular is ināh, inī, or inī. The author of Al-Kashshāf added examples: ḍil' (rib) and aḍlā' (ribs), and ʿinab (grape) and aʿnāb (grapes).
{They said, "Have you come to us to worship Allāh alone and leave what our fathers used to worship? Then bring us what you threaten, if you are of the truthful." * He said, "Condemnation and wrath have already befallen you from your Lord. Do you dispute with me concerning mere names you have named—you and your fathers—for which Allāh has sent down no authority? Then wait; indeed, I am with you among those who wait." * So We saved him and those who were with him, by a mercy from Us, and We cut off the root of those who denied Our signs, and they were not believers.}
