اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
Peaceful Response of the Prophet Hood to the People of Wealth and Power from the People of Aa’d
The prophet Hood, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was confronted with the public opposition of the people of ‘Aa’d, who were the companions of power and wealth, who said to him: إِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِي سَفَاهَةٍ “Indeed we see you to be in folly” (A’raf: 66) ; the prophet gave a peaceful answer with calmness and reassurance, without any form of aggression:
قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لَيْسَ بِي سَفَاهَةٌ وَلَكِنِّي رَسُولٌ مِنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ؛ أُبَلِّغُكُمْ رِسَالَاتِ رَبِّي وَأَنَا لَكُمْ نَاصِحٌ أَمِينٌ
He said, ‘O my people, I am not in folly. Rather, I am an apostle from the Lord of all the worlds.
I communicate to you the messages of my Lord and I am a trustworthy well-wisher for you. (A’raf: 67 – 68)
Hood then addresses his people, the adventures of their ancestors. The people of Aa’d were descendants of those who believed in Noah and boarded his sheep and were saved; However, after a few generations, their descendants had turned to idolatry and deviated from the path of monotheism. Recalling the past history of this people, Hood considers the root of their disbelief in their surprise that God has chosen one of them as a prophet, while Noah was one of the ancestors of these people who had the mission of conveying God’s message.
Also, the prophet Hood referred to the blessings of God after rescuing the fathers of this people along with Noah’s sheep and said:
أَوَعَجِبْتُمْ أَنْ جَاءَكُمْ ذِكْرٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ لِيُنْذِرَكُمْ؟ وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ جَعَلَكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ مِنْ بَعْدِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَزَادَكُمْ فِي الْخَلْقِ بَسْطَةً، فَاذْكُرُوا آلَاءَ اللَّهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ.
Do you consider it odd that there should come to you a reminder from your Lord through a man from among yourselves, so that he may warn you? Remember when He made you successors after the people of Noah, and increased you vastly in creation. So remember Allah’s bounties so that you may be felicitous.’ (A’raf: 69)
The nobles of Aa’d, in response to the words of Hood, who recalled the story of their ancestors who believed in Noah and the divine blessings, reminded their pagan fathers and asked him to punish them to prove that Hood was a liar:
قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا لِنَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ وَنَذَرَ مَا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا؟ فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ.
They said, ‘Have you come to [tell] us that we should worship Allah alone and abandon what our fathers have been worshiping? Then bring us what you threaten us with, should you be truthful.’ (A’raf: 70)
At this stage, the prophet Hood considered that any reasoning and logic path was closed for those people, so he warned them against the divine punishment:
قَالَ قَدْ وَقَعَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ رِجْسٌ وَغَضَبٌ، أَتُجَادِلُونَنِي فِي أَسْمَاءٍ سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ؟ فَانْتَظِرُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ.
He said, ‘Punishment and wrath from your Lord has become due against you. Do you dispute with me regarding names, which you have named—you and your fathers—for which Allah has not sent down any authority? So wait! I too am waiting along with you.’ (A’raf: 71)
Rational answer of the prophet Hood to the people of thought and reason from the people of Aa’d
When some people from the Aa’d tribe, who pretended to be thoughtful, stood in opposition to the prophet Hood, claimed that يَا هُودُ مَا جِئْتَنَا بِبَيِّنَةٍ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَارِكِي آلِهَتِنَا عَنْ قَوْلِكَ ‘O Hud, you have not brought us any manifest proof. We are not going to abandon our gods for what you say’ (Hood: 53). The prophet Hood gave them a rational and wise answer:
قَالَ إِنِّي أُشْهِدُ اللَّهَ وَاشْهَدُوا أَنِّي بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ؛ مِنْ دُونِهِ فَكِيدُونِي جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لَا تُنْظِرُونِ
All we say is that some of our gods have visited you with some evil.’ He said, ‘I call Allah to witness—and you too be [my] witnesses—that I repudiate what you take as [His] partners; besides Him. Now try out your stratagems against me, together, without granting me any respite. (Hood: 54 – 55)
The reason for that kind of response from Hood was that people should first have gained hope for their idols so that Hood would be harmed sooner by his fighting manner, and when they saw that the idols did nothing against him, they came to their senses and realized that idols had no effect. And this is a clear proof that those stones and sticks were not Gods.
And also think about themselves, why they could not harm that prophet, who were heroic and fighters? And if he was not a prophet from God and was not sincere in his claim, and God had not given him immunity, they should have been able to destroy him in the easiest way and with the most severe torture.
After stating this reason of conscience, the prophet Hood pointed to the great divine power and his reliance on that holy essence and said:
إِنِّي تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّي وَرَبِّكُمْ، مَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا، إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ؛
Indeed I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no living being but He holds it by its forelock. Indeed my Lord is on a straight path. (Hood: 56)
At the end of the call and protest with the people of Aa’d; the prophet Hood, peace and blessings of God be upon him, concluded his argument with telling them that he had done his duty in conveying the message of God completely, and know that his destiny and his salvation or destruction were in their hands. He continued that if they had believed in his call and had worshiped the God, they would be safe, and if they had disbelieved, they would perish and other people would take their place on the earth:
فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُمْ مَا أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِ إِلَيْكُمْ، وَيَسْتَخْلِفُ رَبِّي قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّونَهُ شَيْئاً، إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ.
But if you turn your backs [on me], then [know that] I have communicated to you whatever I was sent to you with. My Lord will make another people succeed you, and you will not hurt Allah in the least. Indeed my Lord is watchful over all things.’ (Hood: 57)