Aad and the Torah
Selections from the Book Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad…
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (12)
The name 'Aad is not mentioned in the Torah, especially in Chapter 10, which contains a long list of Eastern peoples. Here are the opinions of historians regarding this:
First Opinion: Al-Tabari said: "As for the people of the Torah, they claim that there is no mention of 'Aad, Thamud, Hud, or Salih in the Torah. However, their fame among the Arabs during the pre-Islamic and Islamic eras is as well-known as that of Abrahan and his people."
Second Opinion: Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned: "It is said that these two nations – meaning 'Aad and Thamud – are not known to the people of the Book, and there is no mention of them in their book (the Torah). However, in the Holy Qur'an, there is evidence that Moses was aware of them, as Allah Almighty says in Surah Ibrahim: {And Moses said, "If you should disbelieve, you and whoever is on the earth entirely – indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy." (8) Has there not reached you the news of those before you - the people of Noah and ʿAad and Thamud and those after them? No one knows them [i.e., their number] but Allah. Their messengers brought them clear proofs, .. (9)} [Ibrahim: 8-9]. It seems that this is part of Moses' speech with his people, where he mentions the nations that came before him – the people of Noah, Hud, Salih, and other nations – as they were known. Their stories were widespread, but since these two nations were from the Arabs, their stories were not preserved well or cared for, even though they were famous in the time of Moses (peace be upon him)."
Third Opinion: Ibn Khaldun mentioned: "The people of the Torah do not know anything about the stories of 'Aad or Thamud, because they are not mentioned in the Torah, nor is Salih (peace be upon him), nor any of the Arabs of the ancient lineage. The reports in the Torah about those nations are only concerned with those whose genealogies are traced between Moses and Adam (peace be upon them), and none of the ancestors of these generations are mentioned in that genealogy, so they are not included."
It seems that Ibn Kathir's opinion is more accurate than others, and it is not unlikely that the Jewish historians intentionally neglected to mention 'Aad and Thamud. What supports Ibn Kathir's opinion from another angle is that Broeckelmann believes the Hebrews intentionally excluded the Canaanites and Phoenicians from the Semitic lineage for religious and political reasons, despite being well aware of their close contact with them.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad, pp. 213-215.
- Verses of Aad, the People of Hud, Ali Majdi Alawi, Sunni Endowment Office, Iraq, First Edition, 2009, p. 16.
- Ibn Khaldun's History, 1/37-38.
- The Beginning and the End, 1/132.
- History of Nations and Kings, 1/118.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) And the Causes for the Demise of the Civilization of the People of Aad on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
