Hud clarified to them that the gods they worshipped would be the reason for their destruction, that it is Allah alone Who saves people, and that no other power on earth can benefit or harm anyone. The conflict between Hud and his people continued. The years passed, and they became prouder and more obstinate, and more tyrannical and more defiant of their prophet's message. Furthermore, they started to accuse Hud of being a crazy lunatic. One day they told him, "We now understand the secret of your madness you insulted our gods and they harmed you; that is why you have become insane."
Allah said in the the Quran surah Hud [11]:53-57, "They said, "O Hud, you have not brought us clear evidence, and we are not ones to leave our gods on your say-so. Nor are we believers in you. We only say that some of our gods have possessed you with evil." He said, "Indeed, I call Allah to witness, and witness [yourselves] that I am free from whatever you associate with Allah. Other than Him. So plot against me all together; then do not give me respite. Indeed, I have relied upon Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a path [that is] straight." But if they turn away, [say], "I have already conveyed that with which I was sent to you. My Lord will give succession to a people other than you, and you will not harm Him at all. Indeed my Lord is, over all things, Guardian."
Thus Hud renounced them and their gods and affirmed his dependence on Allah Who had created him. Hud realized that punishment would be incurred on the disbeliveers among his people. It is one of the laws of life. Allah punishes the disbelivers, no matter how rich, tyrannical or great they are. Hud and his people waited for Allah's promise. A drought spread throughout the land, for the sky no longer sent its rain. the sun scorched the desert sands, looking like a disk of fire which settled on people's heads. Allah held back rain from them for three years, and they began to suffer because of this.
Hud's people hastened to him asking: "What is that drought Hud?" Hud answered: "Allah is angry with you. If you believe in Him, He will accept you and the rain will fall and you will become stronger than you are." They mocked him and became more obstinate, sarcastic and preserve in their unbelief. The drought increased, the trees turned yellow, and plants died. A day came when they found the sky full of clouds. Hud's people were glad as they came out of their tents crying: "A cloud, which will give us rain!" The weather changed suddenly from burning dry and hot to stinging cold with wind that shook everything; trees, plants, tents, men and women.
The wind increased day after day and night after night. Hud's people started to flee. They ran to their tents to hide but the gale became stronger, ripping their tents from their stakes. They hid under cloth covers but the gale became stronger and still and tore away the covers. It slashed clothing and skin. It penetrated the apertures of the body and destroyed it. It hardly touched anything before it was destroyed or killed, its core sucked out to decompose and rot. The storm raged for 8 days and 7 nights. That violent gale did not stop until the entire region was reduced to ruins and its wicked people destroyed, swallowed by the sands of the desert. Only Hud and his followers remained unharmed. They migrated to Hadramaut and lived there in peace, worshipping Allah, their true Lord.
The thinker said, "O young man, consequences of committing sins are lack of success, invalid views, absence of righteousness, corruption of the heart, failing to praise Allah, wasting time, avoidance of other creations, separation between the servant and his Lord, supplications not being answered, constriction of the heart, decaying of blessings in subsistence and age, prevention of attaining knowledge, humiliation, insults from enemies, a constricted breast, evil friends that will spoil one1s heart and waste time, sadness and grief, a miserable life, and disappointment. All that results from sins and neglecting to praise Allah, as plants grow by being watered but are consumed by fire. The opposite of the above are the consequences of obedience to Allah Subhanhu Wa Ta'ala.
'There is no god but Allah' is something that Allah is buying. Its price is Paradise, and the Messenger (ﷺ) is its agent, and you will be pleased to part with a small part of this worldly life to obtain it. The part you lose is a small part of something that as a whole is not worth a mosquito's wing. So, get yourself out of this limited world of diseases to the wide world of the Hereafter, which has what the eyes have never seen. Nothing is impossible there, and love is not lost. O you who sold yourself for the sake of something that will cause you suffering and pain, and which will also lose its beauty, you sold the most precious item for the cheapest price, as if you neither knew the value of the goods nor the meanness of the price. Wait until you come to the Day of mutual loss and gain and you will discover the injustice of this contract.
Be satisfied with whatever Allah grants you from this worldly life. Walking in this worldly life, is like walking in a land that is filled with beasts, and water that teams with crocodiles. That which causes delight, turns to be the source of grief. Pain is found in the midst of pleasures, and delights are derived from its sorrows. As a bird sees the wheat, so does one's insight perceive polytheism, while vain desires render its holder blind. Lusts were granted in abundance to humans, but those who believed in the unseen turned away from them, while those who follow their lusts were caused to regret.
When the successful ones are aware of the reality of this worldly life being sure of the inferiority of its degree, they overcame their vain desires for the sake of the Hereafter. They have been awakened from their heedlessness to remember what their enemies took from them during their period of idleness. Whenever they perceive the distant journey they must undertake, they remember their aim, so it appears easy for them. Whenever life becomes bitter, they remember this verse, in which Allah says, in Surah Al-Anbiya' [21]: 103, "This is your Day which you were promised."
Then the thinker said, "O young man, return to Allah and seek Him in your eye, ear, heart, and tongue and do not forget to seek Him in these four ways. Whoever obeys Him is doing so concerning these four and whoever does not, is also doing so by means of these four. The fortunate one is he who hears, sees, speaks, and attacks while seeking the pleasure of Allah and the miserable one is the one who does so seeking his own pleasure and desires.
What a wonderful thing it is to know Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala! But how can one know Him and not love Him? How can one hear the caller but fail to respond? How can one know the profit that shall be gained in dealing with Him but still prefer others? How can one taste the bitterness of disobeying Him but still abstain from seeking the pleasure of obeying Him? How can one feel the severity of engaging in trivial speech, but fail to open your heart with His remembrance? How can one be tortured by being attached to others but not rush toward the bliss of turning to Him in repentance?
Perhaps it is most surprising to know that while you are in need of Him, you are still reluctant to move toward Him because you seek others. No one can indulge in unlawfulness except for two reasons, the first of which is failing to trust in Allah, despite the fact that if one obeys Him, he will surely be granted the best of lawful gains. The second reason is knowing that whoever abandons anything for the sake of Allah, surely He will grant him something better than what he has abandoned. Unfortunately, his vain desires surpass his patience and his inclination overpowers his mind. The first one has poor knowledge, and the second one has poor insight.
The one who is just toward Allah will find true happiness. This is the same one who admits that he is ignorant, that his deeds are defective and that he himself is insufficient, and that he continually fails to give Allah His rights as He deserves. If Allah punishes him for his sins, he will know that this is just, and if such a person does a good deed, he will see it as a favor and charity from Allah and if Allah accepts it from him, it is another favor from Him and if He does not1 it is because it is not suitable to be presented to Allah. If he did an evil deed, he will see it as a result of being abandoned by Allah, and that Allah had removed His protection from him and so he commits sins, and this is justice. He acknowledges his need for Allah and knows he is unjust toward himself. If Allah forgives him, it would be a generous favor from Him. The whole issue depends upon seeing Allah as the Well-Doer and seeing himself as the sinner and neglectful person. When something pleases him, he sees it as a favor from Allah and that it is He, who grants it to him, and whenever something displeases him, he knows that it is because of his sins and that Allah is being just toward him in every matter.
When the house of lovers are destroyed, they invoke Allah that the dwellers be able to return and find peace and goodness. When someone who loves Allah has stayed under the dust for several year, he would remember his obedience to Allah in this worldly life and would find the good he obtained. And Allah know best."
(Part 1)"And We have certainly created for Hell many of the jinn and mankind. They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless." - [QS7:179]
Reference :
- Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophet, Darussalam
- The History of Al-Tabari Volume II : Prophets and Patriarchs, translated and annotated by William M. Brinner, SUNY Press
- Ibn Al-Qayyim, Al-Fawaid, Umm Al-Qura
