The story of Hud (peace be upon him) in Surah Adh-Dhariyat
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 (15)
Allah Almighty says: {And in ʿAad [was a sign], when We sent against them the barren wind. (41) It left nothing of what it came upon but that it made it like disintegrated ruins. (42)} [Adh-Dhariyat: 41-42].
A- This refers to the well-known tribe of `Aad. {when We sent against them the barren wind.}; meaning a wind that had no good in it, when they denied their prophet Hud (peace be upon him).
It was called barren because it brought neither rain nor life, contrary to what they expected. As Allah says in Surah Al-Ahqaf: {And when they saw it as a cloud approaching their valleys, they said, "This is a cloud bringing us rain!" Rather, it is that for which you were impatient: a wind, within it a painful punishment,} [Al-Ahqaf: 24].
B- {It left nothing of what it came upon but that it made it like disintegrated ruins.}:
It means like decayed remnants. The fact that they were destroyed despite their strength and power is a clear indication of Allah's complete power and might, showing that nothing can escape His will. It is a punishment for those who defy and disobey Him.
The scholar Ahmed Muhammad Othman said: "The barren wind, which has no benefit, comes from winter, with no rain or tree pollination. It does not create clouds or pollinate trees. The wind (in its singular form) does nothing of this, but it is barren with no good result."
The term {the wind} is defined here because barrenness in the wind is more obvious than the cold, which harms plants, or the harshness that tears at trees.
This type of barren wind is often mentioned and well-known, and then it is further clarified by Allah's words: {It left nothing of what it came upon but that it made it like disintegrated ruins.}. Thus, it is distinguished from other barren winds. {like disintegrated ruins.}; "disintegrated" here refers to dust, withered plants, something worn-out, ashes, or something crushed. It means that it made them like something completely decayed and useless.
This barren wind carries painful punishment; it brings death and destruction, leaving everything it touches like something dead turned to crumbs. The wind that destroyed the people of Aad was the "the west wind" as Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): "I have been helped by the east wind, and ‘Aad were destroyed by the west wind."
- 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. 139-141.
- Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Book of the Beginning of Creation, No. 2966.
- Features of the faith conflict in the story of Hud, p. 108.
- Saadi’s Interpretation, p. 1099.
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: