The Majestic Quran

11. Hud The Prophet Hud The central theme of this late Makkan chapter is the history of human disobedience. The Messenger r and the Muslims are reassured by a narrative based on the experiences of seven prophets. The story of Prophet Noah is the first of the seven stories, and it outlines his bold preaching. His people were particularly prejudiced against the poor: “It’s clear to us that you are a mortal like us, and only the dregs of our society follow you. You have no special quality that we lack.” (27). Eventually Noah and his followers are saved from the flood. The story of Prophet Hud follows in the same manner. His people rejected him by saying, “You haven’t brought us any proof” (53), re-enacting the same old story of unwilling disbelievers, so finally they are destroyed. The people of Makkah were familiar with the ruins of the People of Thamud, who lived near Sana in Yemen. Their messenger was Salih , who invited them to God. Their moral disease seems to be the caste system, discriminating against people from poor backgrounds. They rejected their prophet and were punished by a blast that killed them all. The next story is of Prophet Abraham pleading on behalf of his nephew Lot. Lot was sent to the infamous people of Sodom and Gomorrah, plagued by homosexuality. This is followed by the story of Prophet Jethro in Madyan, a prosperous community that refused to listen to him. They were morally corrupt and cheated when doing business. The seventh story in this series is Moses and Pharaoh. Pharaoh, like his predecessors, rejected the teachings of Moses , and was drowned for his injustice and his oppression of the