The Causes of the Destruction of the Disbelievers from the People of Hud (peace be upon him);
The Argumentation with Falsehood
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 (22)
Allah Almighty tells us in the Holy Qur'an: {No one disputes concerning the signs of Allah except those who disbelieve, so be not deceived by their [uninhibited] movement throughout the land. (4) The people of Noah denied before them and the [disbelieving] factions after them, and every nation intended [a plot] for their messenger to seize him, and they disputed by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth. So I seized them, and how [terrible] was My penalty. (5)} [Ghafir: 4-5].
A- {No one disputes concerning the signs of Allah except those who disbelieve}:
They are the only ones, among this vast existence, who deviate. They are the only ones, among this great creation, who go astray. When compared to this existence, they are smaller and less significant than ants in relation to the Earth. When they stand in a line, arguing about the signs of Allah, the entire vast existence stands in one line, acknowledging the Creator of existence, relying on the power of the Almighty and the All-Compeller. In this situation, their fate is sealed, and their matter is decided, no matter how powerful they become or how much wealth, status, or authority they accumulate.
B- {so be not deceived by their [uninhibited] movement throughout the land.}:
No matter how much they move, progress, possess, or enjoy, they are headed for defeat, destruction, and ruin. The end of the battle is known, if there is even a battle that can take place between the creation and its Creator, between the strength of these weak and pitiful people. Previous nations and groups, similar to them, have already preceded them, and their end is a warning for anyone who stands in the face of the overwhelming and crushing power that strikes those who expose themselves to the wrath of Allah.
C- {The people of Noah denied before them and the [disbelieving] factions after them}:
They are not the first to deny so as to be unaware of the consequences of their denial and what it brings upon them. This is an ancient story from the time of Noah, a battle with similar conditions in every era. This verse portrays this story—the story of the message, denial, and tyranny throughout the centuries and generations—just as it depicts the outcome in every case.
D- {and every nation intended [a plot] for their messenger to seize him}:
From the people of Noah, the factions, and those who came after them, they plotted and prepared means, types of deceit against their messenger, to capture him, prevent him from continuing the call, through imprisonment, shackling, killing, or expulsion from the land and banishment.
E- {and they disputed by [using] falsehood to [attempt to] invalidate thereby the truth.}:
That is, to deceive with their fabricated, decorated falsehoods, claiming that the truth brought by the messengers is false. They sought to mislead the truth by creating doubts and confusion, distorting it from its firm positions in the minds of the believers.
F- {So I seized them, and how [terrible] was My penalty.}:
So I seized them with destruction, and it was a destruction by various means. How was the punishment for their denial of their Lord's messengers and their arguments with falsehood to refute the truth?
This question reflects the state of the punishment, because the word {how} is used to inquire about the condition. It was through cosmic phenomena, such as the flood, drowning in the sea, the earth turning upside down, the shout, the fierce wind, and so on. It was a just retribution for nations who willfully disbelieved, persisted in stubbornness, and rejected the truth, despite the long respite given to them. It was a lesson and admonition for those who came after 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. 512-515.
- Noah, peace be upon him, and his people in the Holy Qur’an, Habanka Al-Maydani, p. 152.
- In the Shade of the Qur’an, 5/3069.
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:
