The Story of the People of ‘Aad and Iram of the Pillars

One of the most magnificent stories mentioned in the Qur’an is the story of the People of ‘Aad who lived in Iram of the Pillars, one of the greatest and most colossal cities of that time. Allah described it in His noble Book by saying: {The like of which was never created in the land}. The people of ‘Aad lived in the region of Al-Ahqaf, located between Oman and Hadramaut in Yemen. They were among the largest and tallest nations of their era, with some of them being as tall as 60 arm-lengths, so just imagine the stature of the tallest among them!

The story began with Iram ibn Sam ibn Noah, who became the ruler of the city after his father. Iram became arrogant and disbelieved in Allah. He started building a magnificent and flourishing city, filled with palaces, farms, and gardens, making it the most powerful city in the world at that time. The people’s achievements didn’t stop at building cities, but they also built temples and idols, and idol worship became prevalent in their land.

As for Hud (peace be upon him), Allah sent him to his people to call them to worship Allah alone and abandon idol worship. However, their response was harsh; they accused him of lying and rejected his call, even challenging him to bring the punishment he had promised if he was truthful. Hud (peace be upon him) continued calling them despite their stubbornness, but their response grew increasingly hostile, and they said: {O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down stones upon us from the sky, or bring us a painful punishment}.

In response to this challenge, Allah sent upon them a fierce wind that lasted for seven nights, destroying everything in its path. The wind was so strong that it even destroyed their bodies and scattered their souls, turning the city of Iram into dust. The wind’s devastation was so complete that the city vanished entirely, leaving nothing but ruins.

In the end, Hud (peace be upon him) and those who believed with him were saved and taken to a safe place, as Allah had commanded him to leave with the believers to a cave. Thus, the end of the people of ‘Aad came through a severe punishment from Allah for their arrogance and disbelief.

Sources:

The Qur’an with Tafsirs of Surahs: (Al-Anfal, Al-Ahqaf, Al-Haaqqa, Al-Qamar, Fussilat, Al-Hijr, Al-A’raf, Ash-Shu’ara, Hud, Yunus) – Tafsirs by: Imam Al-Sharawi, Al-Tabari, Al-Qurtubi, Ibn Kathir
TV interview on the People of ‘Aad with: Sheikh Dr. Omar Abdel Kafi
The Story of Hud by Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Ratib Al-Nabulsi
Book Al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya by Imam Ibn Kathir: Chapter on the People of ‘Aad and Thamud