The Causes of the Destruction of the Disbelievers from the People of Hud (peace be upon him);
Sins and Wrongdoings
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 (24)
Among the greatest reasons for the divine punishment of the people of ʿAad was their indulgence in disobedience and their committing of sins and wrongdoings. Sins and transgressions encompass all the previously mentioned causes of the destruction of past nations and others as well—such as disbelief and polytheism, injustice, criminality, arrogance, insolence, harm, insulting and denying their prophet—for every disobedience to the command of Allah is a sin that brings His punishment. And when sins and wrongdoings accumulate upon a nation, that nation is punished and destruction befalls it.
Allah the Exalted said: {Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them which We had established upon the earth as We have not established you? And We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made rivers flow beneath them; then We destroyed them for their sins and brought forth after them a generation of others.} [Al-An'am: 6]
Indeed, sins are a cause for vengeance and the removal of blessings, and one of the reasons for the downfall and destruction of human civilizations both past and present. The sins that led to the destruction of the people of ʿAad have once again resurfaced—along with public acts of immorality and disobedience, and widespread denial of people’s rights—how prevalent that is! And the tyranny of the corrupters—how great it has become!
The divine Sunnah of Allah repeats itself before our very eyes today. The consequences of evil deeds, which previous nations experienced, have now befallen the Western nations. These nations have been warned in every possible way—through the scourges of world wars, crises of belief, increasing secularism, the spread of deadly diseases, and the disintegration of the family structure. All of these are clear signs which, if they were to reflect upon, they would know are the fruits of their injustice, rebellion, pursuit of desires, and turning away from the truth.
- 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. 523-525.
- Divine Sunnahs in Human Life, Sharif Al-Sheikh, 2/337.
- We and Civilization, Mawdudi, p. 81.
- Islam as an Alternative, Murad Hoffman, p. 21. See also: At the Crossroads, Muhammad Asad, p. 48, and in: Islam between East and West, Ali Ezzat, p. 117.
- Interpretation of Al-Manar, 7/308-309.
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:
