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qāla ʾinnamā l-ʿilmu ʿinda llāhi wa-ʾuballighukum mā ʾursiltu bihī wa-lākinnī ʾarākum qawman tajhalūna
He said, ‘The knowledge [of when that threat will be carried out] is with Allah alone. I communicate to you what I have been sent with. But I see that you are a senseless lot.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah al-Ahqaf - Verses 22-23
22. They [the people of ‘Ad to Prophet Hud] said: “Have you come to turn us away from our gods? Then bring us that with which you threaten us, if you are one the truthful!”
23. He said: “The knowledge [of the time of Resurrection] is with Allah only. And I convey to you that wherewith I have been sent, but I see that you are a people given to ignorance!”
At times polytheism and disbelief appear so true that monotheism and belief are considered to be deviation from the right path. Requesting the prophet to bring torment upon them rather than pondering on the True Word is a token of ignorance. Such obdurate people stood against Divine Invitation and said unto Hud:
“Have you come to turn us away from our gods with your lies. Then bring us that with which you threaten us, if you are one of the truthful!”
The two sentences clearly demonstrate the deviation and obduracy of this disobedient people. According to the former, they say that Hud’s call to Monotheism is false since it is against their common practice regarding their objects of worship passed down to them from their forefathers. In the latter, they request the prophet to bring torment upon them, a torment which will be totally irreversible. In response to their unwise request, Hud says:
“The knowledge is with Allah only. He is the only One who knows when and under what circumstances the torment shall be brought forth whose occurrence shall be irrelevant to their request or his will and desire. The purpose is giving the ultimatum since Divine Wisdom requires the same. He further adds that it is his duty to convey to them that wherewith he has been sent.
It is his responsibility but they are to decide concerning obeying God and it rests upon His Will to bring torment upon them. However, he sees that they are a people given to ignorance. Their misfortune has its roots in their ignorance that together with obduracy and false pride impedes them from giving their ears to the Messengers of God and makes you persist in requesting God to send down His torment upon them and cause their annihilation. Had they been aware in the least, they would have thought about the realization of the threat.”
The people were indifferent toward Hud’s (as) words and Divine Promise and Threat but waxed their disobedience. According to Qur’an exegets, God Almighty sent down famine and three years passed without a single drop of rain so that they may take a lesson. Prophet Hud (as) asked them to believe in Monotheism so that God may send down rain or else Divine torment would be brought upon them. At the end and out of dire necessity they sought refuge in Ka’ba which was merely a pile of red sand at the time. A certain adherent of Hud (as) asked them to believe in Hud’s prophethood in order to save themselves from the disaster, but they ignored him and put him in prison.