Mary and Jesus 1

(3:35-40)(5:11)(19:7-11)(3:41)(3:43-44)  

                One of the most amazing and unique events discussed in the Quran is the story of Mary and her son Jesus.  This example shows the broad-minded attitude of the Quran that doesn’t make any discrimination against human beings.  Whenever someone does something beneficial to the growth of humanity, the Quran picks it up, irrespective of the gender, nation, and place, in order to set an excellent example for the readers.  God is the author of the Quran, and all human beings are His creation.  He has no grudge or prejudice against anyone.  The story of Mary, who was neither related to the prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) nor had she any role in his movement, is a good manifestation of this fact.

 Mary lived approximately five to six hundred years before the prophet Mohammad; even though she is a central figure in Christianity she is depicted by the Quran for her extraordinary revolutionary work.  In reality, she is the only woman discussed in the Quran in minute detail.  The Quran is revealed to the holy prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.   It is a strange fact that the Quran gives no names, personal characteristics, places of birth, or information about the families of the prophet Mohammad’s mother, daughter, wives, or any other female related to him; but a full sura is named after Mary, with full details about her life from childhood.

                Two major religions, Christianity and Islam, pay the greatest respect to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  The Bible doesn’t portray the early life of Mary or her death.   She is first mentioned in the gospel of Matthew 1:18 when she is pregnant with Jesus.  She is introduced to the reader as the mother of a supernatural child as if being a mother is the only important event in her life. Nothing is mentioned about her childhood, education, death, or her personality.

                After that, in the Gospel of Luke 1:27 and Luke 1:36 Mary is told that she is pregnant and that her cousin Elisabeth, who had been barren previously, had conceived a child.  In the ancient times, for a woman not to be able to have children was considered to be the result of her sins. They were only acceptable to the society because they had the capacity to produce and rear children.

In these circumstances, when women had no status, they were only acceptable to the male-dominated society for sexual purposes: to produce children and rear them. The Quran focuses on Mary for her revolutionary work in addition to her motherhood. Although Mary was raised in a synagogue, she revolted against the unrealistic discipline and rules of the synagogue: that she could not marry outside the synagogue’s personnel.  The authorities were furious to see her determination and courage to stand by her decision.  With unflinching courage, she married an ordinary poor carpenter, left Jerusalem and the temple, where she was enjoying the best of luxuries, and lived with her husband in the small town of Nazareth about 100 miles away from Jerusalem.  The authorities of the temple were unable to stop her, but they took revenge by declaring her child illegitimate because she did not marry according to the rules of the synagogue.

In the ancient times for Mary to challenge the authority of orthodox religion required tremendous courage.  However, Mary was raised by Zachariah, the head priest of the temple, so she was knowledgeable about the true religion of Moses.  Moreover, her cousin John was a prophet and she was well enough educated in theology to know that she had committed no sin, whereas an average Jew was completely under the influence of authorities, could not think independently, and believed that Mary had made a wrong choice.  

 Mary had to bear the blunt criticism of common men in the community; she tolerated all this with perseverance and lived an admirable, simple, and austere life.  Moreover, she broke all the rule of monasticism that a person consecrated to the temple could not lead an ordinary married life.  Mary had not chosen to be a nun in the temple; it was her mother who chose a lifestyle for her before her birth.  Everyone is given the gift of life once, and he/she is given the choice to live it anyway one likes. As children cannot force their parents to do something, the parents are not justified in making final decisions for their children as Mary’s mother did.

To remain chaste before marriage and to indulge in sex after marriage is a value.  The prophet Joseph and Mary are the two champions who upheld this value in extremely dangerous circumstances.  The Quran appreciates this aspect of Mary’s character along with her other qualities and declares her to be the best of all women in the universe.

The Quran is not a book of history or geography.  It gives no information about these matters; it starts the story from the event which is relevant and exerts great influence on the characters. The first important event in Mary’s life was when her mother, before her birth, took a vow that she would consecrate her child to the service of the temple; she thought that she would have a boy who would serve as a priest in the Jewish temple.  She was disappointed when she realized that her baby was a girl and not a boy; still, she stuck to her vow and the girl was named Mary and given to the temple.

Mary grew up to be a girl of bewitching beauty with a voluptuous figure.  The priests of the temple were looking at her with lustful eyes.  A great dispute started and changed into a rowdy struggle when every one of the priests wanted to have the guardianship of Mary.  The final outcome was to decide the matter by throwing arrows.  Every time they threw the arrows the name of the head priest Zachariah appeared, so Mary was given to him to be looked after.

 Mary became very famous for her virtue and austere style of living.  People flocked to her with many presents.  Whenever Zachariah visited her he found her with many presents scattered around her.

“How do you get all these things?” he asked.

“All this comes from God,” replied Mary.  “When He wants to give, He gives abundantly.” 

 It did not mean that God was sending a table full of edibles to Marry; it only meant that people who came to the temple gave their presents to Mary and not to the older known priests present in the temple.

Zachariah and John

(3:35-40)(19:7-15)(21:89-90)(6:85-86)

      The story of the prophet Zachariah is noted in the Quran for two important events; besides these two events, other details of his own life are not specifically given, except that he was a prophet sent to Israel. Zachariah was very famous for leading a spotless and virtuous life; he was the head priest in the synagogue.  Mary, the mother of Jesus, was given under his care when she came to live in the synagogue.  Mary was a person of bewitching beauty and celestial virtues; the synagogue and all the space where she went and prayed glittered due to her presence.

      In this synagogue, Zachariah was performing his duties as the head priest.  He prayed to God for a virtuous offspring.  Until that time Zachariah was childless.  As he was praying in the synagogue, he heard the voice of angels giving him the glad news of a son, John, who would be a prophet with outstanding abilities, such as maintaining discipline and testifying to the laws of God.

      “How can I have a child?” exclaimed Zachariah with surprise. “I am old and my wife is barren.  Will the child be an adopted one like Mary or my own?”

      “You will have a child of your own, as children are born in accordance with the law,” was the answer.  The defect of his wife was cured and she gave birth to a boy.

      “Are there any particular directions for me?” inquired Zachariah. 

      “Nothing, except you will talk to people for three days by means of signs,” was the answer.  “Always remember God; otherwise go about your daily business in your routine manner.”  In ancient times Jews did not talk during the fast and Zachariah was keeping the tradition by not talking to the people.

      The same incident is repeated in another part of the Quran with more details.  Zachariah silently prayed to his creator and said, “Oh, the nourisher of the universe, I am getting old and weak; my hair is turning white.  You have always given me what I have asked.  Please grant my prayer of old age.  I am feeble and my wife is barren; apparently there is no chance for getting a child in this situation.  I want a virtuous successor who should inherit of me and the house of Jacob.   All the people around me are incapable of handling this legacy; I am afraid they will destroy it.  Please give me a worthy successor for this inheritance.”

      Zachariah’s prayer met with a positive response from the Almighty.  He was told that he would have a boy who should be named John.  This name had not been given to anyone before; like his name, he would be unique in the family.

      According to the Quran John was a great leader and a prophet of his time; all the prophets came into the world to establish the rule of Divine Law.  In order to do that they fought against all the forces that hindered their mission; John did the same as other prophets have done, even though other religious books portray him as a powerless preacher, who lived in the wild and baptized people with water.  In the end, he was killed at the request of a dancer by the order of Roman ruler Herod. Marcello Craveri in his book The Life of Jesus portrays John as a critic of the Roman Empire.  John boldly declared that falsehood, however powerful it may appear, can’t exist in this universe, because it is not compatible with the universal principle that is the reason for its existence.  If the Israelites perished, and did not perform the duty of eradicating evil, as Moses and other prophets enjoined them, God would create another nation to complete His program.

      G. Lankester Harding, a researcher on the Dead Sea Scrolls, wrote an article in 1955, in which he presented Qumran as a building in which John the Baptist and probably Christ studied.  The research on this topic points out that besides the Pharisees and the Sadducees, there was another group known as Esseness.  John was the leader of this group.  He had the record of Jacob and was criticizing Jews for not presenting the true picture of religion, so they removed his name from their books.     

     

       

     

     

  

  

The Thick Forest Dwellers 2

(11:88-89)(11:90-93)(26:185-188)(7:91-93)

      Generally, people think the relation between man and God is a private relation which manifests itself in prayers, fasting, doling out money for the needy, helping in the decorations, assisting in the management of mosques or churches, and being kind to other humans.  No sensible government of the world is against this concept of religion.  It does not affect government if one person is spending his/her time in prayers or going to visit holy places.  The problem arises when people want to live under the guidance of God’s law, which eliminates the human domination over other humans. This concept of religion is not tolerated by any government.  To make a society where people live under the guidance of God’s law was the mission of Shoaib.

      The nation of Shoaib was horrified to see the supremacy of divine laws in every sphere of life even in the economy.  “We can’t understand what you are talking about. We think you are either a madman or a liar.”

      Shoaib explained to them his point of view by saying, “I have received revelation from God to improve the society.  Moreover, He is giving me the best of food, so there is no justification for not telling my nation what is right for them.  However, I am working on the same principles that I want you to act upon.  I will keep trying to improve the society.  I have full trust in God and with His help, success will come.”

      “Enough of your lectures,” the leaders shouted loudly. “We are only showing consideration for your community; otherwise we would have stoned you a long time ago.  You are a powerless person in our society, without any ability to do any harm to us.”

      “My nation,” said Shoaib, “you are not afraid of God, although you claim to believe in Him; you are more afraid of my community than God.  The reality is that you don’t believe in Him; you are only using his name as an extra excuse that can become handy at the time of exigency.”

      “We can’t comprehend your teachings,” the rich and powerful leaders said contemptuously. “After all you are a human being like us.  You are simply posing that you are a messenger from God, whereas we think you are a liar, or you are bewitched by some evil to talk such nonsense.  If you are right in your claim that you are a prophet, then make a piece of sky fall on us, so that we can see how your God can perform such tasks.”                                             

      “Oh my people, keep working as you have been doing, while I am working on my plan.  Very soon the results will show who is going to receive a disgraceful punishment, and who is a liar.  The   consequences of your actions are going to seize you, so we both have to wait for the results.”

      The nation did everything to prove that Shoaib was wrong and they were right.  Shoaib saw the result of his endeavor and left the place along with his followers. The nation was very happy, but their happiness was short lived.  After a short while a mighty earthquake seized them; in the morning, they were found dead in their houses, as if they had never lived in them.

       Shoaib said, “Oh my nation, I tried my best to straighten the path for you away from destruction, but you paid no heed to it. Now I can’t be sorry for your ill fate.”

The Thick Forest Dwellers 1

(11:84-85)(7:84-86)(26:176-178)(11:84-87)(7:77-90)

      The Quran gives another story to illustrate the intoxication of power and its results.  This is the story of another nation that lived on the main trade route which runs from Arabia to Syria.  The time is approximately 2,000 BC. Some historians say that the time when the prophet Shoaib came to his nation and the dwellers of the thick forest was 1600 or 1700 BC.  This means that the people of Midian had been living for four hundred years when the prophet Shoaib’s mission started.  This is the time when Moses came to Israel.  When Moses ran from Pharaoh, he took shelter in the valley of Midian with Shoaib and married one of his daughters. Before that, the caravan which took Joseph to Egypt, and sold him there, consisted of these Midians.

     The prophet Shoaib was sent to two nations, living side by side: the nation of Midian and the people of the forest. Before him, many prophets were sent to these nations, but they turned deaf ears to the advice which was given to them.  The prophet Shoaib was the last link of the prophets before the complete destruction of these two nations.  The prophet Shoaib told them that he was a messenger from God with the message that the nation had to mend its ways. Moreover, he pointed out the vices and said,

  “You are cheating people and not giving them full measure for the money you are taking from them.  You think this practice is fetching more money, but in reality, it is destroying your image as honest businessmen.  Very soon people will not like to do business with you, and you are going to have the reputation of cheats and dishonest thugs.  In order to avoid this ignominy, start giving full measure and full weight.”

     The land was fertile and covered with thick forests, and the air was pure and strength-giving.  Very quickly these tribes increased in population and became nations.  When money and commerce are in the hands of dishonest people, they can devise many deceptive means of cheating people.  The nation of Midian had perfected the art of cheating people. They took the best that their money could buy, but when they had to give back they blatantly refused.

      The prophet Shoaib told them, “I am a messenger from God; I am here to establish the law of God.  There is only one God who has created the universe.  His laws are working in perfect harmony in the universe; if you obey His laws in the society, they will work in complete harmony as they are working in the universe.  Help me in establishing the laws of God and obey me as the messenger of God.”

      When the rich leaders of the nation saw that the message of the prophet had a special interest for the depressed class and it was giving them a message of hope and a better life, they threatened them by saying, “If you follow Shaoib you are going to be lost forever.”  

      The prophet told them, “Do not block all the ways that lead people to the right direction.” The only answer he got was, “We are planning to force you and your followers back into our traditional fold or we will turn your group out of our town.”

      “How can you force us to adopt your ways?” said Shoaib. “We have guidance from God. I have been talking about it frequently. If I contradict what I have said it will mean that I am a liar and I have been cheating people and fabricating lies about God.  It is impossible for me to do so.  Moreover, we have complete trust in the laws of God, and his knowledge is encompassing the whole universe.  He will certainly decide between you and us and His decision is the best.”

      “How can we agree with you, when you are against the gods we and our ancestors have been worshipping, and you don’t allow us to spend our money the way we like?” the rich leaders asked contemptuously with great pride. “Do you think that you are the only virtuous and kind-hearted man left in our nation?”    

Thamud 2.

 (27: 45-48)(92:12-13)(54:27-28)(54:39)(41:18)(91:11-15)(51:43-45)

The chiefs of Thamud tried every method to provoke the common folks by saying that Saleh was introducing new radical ideas into their religion and trying to deviate from the path of their ancestors.

 The rich class in Saleh’s society openly declared, “Saleh is only a human being like us. He eats what we eat, and drinks what we drink.  Are you going to obey a single individual and leave the group of elites in your society? If you follow this path it is going to lead you to total destruction.  Moreover, his technique is very simple.  He evokes a false hope in you that when you die and your bones are broken into numerous bits you will be given a new life again.  The concept of a new life after death is the greatest fraud invented on the earth.  This present life is the only life which we live on the earth, and Saleh is inventing a false concept by using the name of God.  We are never ever going to believe in his teaching.”

The nine leaders were delivering bombastic speeches about Saleh being one common individual, unable to perform miracles.  In other words, they were not attaching any importance to the truth he was putting forward.  The truth told by a single man was without merit and not worth consideration.

Time and again, Saleh explained to them the prosperity and happiness that could come to the society if all the members were free from hunger. He said, “I am not asking you to give me anything.  I am desirous of removing ills from the society.  I am an honest messenger of God.  Obey the laws of God, and obey me as the head of the administration, so that we can establish a new order which will fulfill the basic needs of everyone.”

All his advice fell on deaf ears, but his popularity grew rapidly. The chiefs were very unhappy to see his success.  One day they hatched a plan to kill Saleh and his family at night, and swear in the morning to deny the murder.  But the mob’s anger at the murder of their leader and the result of such fury worked as a deterrent.          

         One of them said, “You are the most intelligent member of our class.  We had high hopes that you would enhance our perks, but you are stopping us from enjoying those which we already have. Moreover, you have broken our traditions, and your criticism is preventing us from obeying the rules set by our ancestors.”

“Let us sign a treaty in order to solve the problem of hunger and misery,” Saleh said.  “Your servants are not allowing the poor men’s cattle to drink water from the springs. The cattle are dying, adding starvation and unbearable suffering to their owners. Since you do not like to mix your animals with the common people, we have to make a schedule for the animals to drink water.”

Both the parties agreed to the terms of the treaty. “This is a she-camel. I am going to use it as a symbol for our treaty, “said Saleh. “Do not harm her. This is God’s earth, and she is God’s camel. She will graze and drink water freely in the land of God.  She will come to drink water at her appointed time and turn.  Your animals will come to drink water at their turn.  If you harm her it will clearly indicate that you have no respect for your promise, and the doom will seize you.”

The proud leaders did not stick to their word. Their pride and the desire to dominate made it unbearable for them to see the poor animals drinking water as equals.  The leader, who was the worst of the lot, was called.  He made a plan, killed the she-camel, and said to Saleh, “If you are really a messenger of God, bring upon us the doom  which you have been threatening.”

God told Saleh that the destruction would come after three days.  Saleh and his followers left the place and migrated to a safe land under the guidance and blessings of God.  The nation of Thamud neglected the warning.  The volcanic mountains erupted with a rumble.  The rebellious nation of Thamud was obliterated from history as if it had never existed.

Thamud 1

(7:74)(15:80-82-85)(85:17-18)(11:61)(26:151-154)

          The Quran gives another example to explain the laws that govern the rise and fall of nations. This time it is the nation of Thamud.  The nation of Thamud was the successor to the nation of Add.  It was situated on a highway which runs from Arabia to other important commercial hubs.  The land was very fertile, but it was surrounded by volcanic mountains.

          Thamud originally was a small tribe when Add was at its zenith; after Add’s downfall, the tribe quickly grew into a powerful nation.  They used to build huge castles and carved houses into the mountains.  According to some historians, their time is approximately between twenty-five hundred BC to eighteen hundred BC.  Their land was fertile; many springs furnished them with water. The big pastures of grass gave them good opportunities to rear goats, sheep, and many other kinds of animals. At that time, cattle were considered to be the best kind of wealth one could acquire.  No nation was completely safe without an army that could protect it from aggressors.  The nation of Thamud had built a strong army for its safety, along with huge palisades and castles.

          The fertile land with springs of running water, verdant pastures and gardens, powerful army, and trade with the foreign countries made them very rich and strong. They earned a lot of fame and honor among contemporary nations, and their neighbors looked at them with awe and fear.  In the beginning, they remembered that nations were destroyed by neglecting moral values, but with the passage of time, the intoxication of power made them forget the consequences of immoral acts.  

          The nation of Thamud adopted all the vices of neighboring nations, such as believing in many gods, worshipping idols, and being cruel to the weak, feeble, and defenseless humans.  The elite manipulated all the resources of the land and used them for the good of a small minority, especially for themselves.  The rest of the nation was dependent on them for their livelihood.  The resources controlled by the Chieftains were the basis for existence, such as water and grasslands. The animals of the poor were not allowed to drink water or graze in the grasslands, so they died.  This situation gave rise to great mayhem in the society. 

          The poor people of Thamud were in great distress, but they had no leader to give voice to their grievances; Saleh, a prominent member of the elite class, received revelation from God and became a spokesman for the poor.  Saleh was not the first messenger from God; before him, many messengers came to the nation of Thamud and explained to them about the injustice which a small group was inflicting on the poor, helpless persons and its bad consequences in the society.  The nation rejected all of them. When Saleh declared his mission of reform and claimed to be a messenger of God the elites refused to acknowledge his claim, but the poor, depressed class flocked around him.

          Saleh said, “I am a messenger from God and He is the only creator and the sovereign authority of the universe. Obey his laws; do not worship idols that you have carved yourselves.  He has created the earth and water for all the human beings. The chieftains have no right to reserve the pastures and water only for their animals because they are not their personal property; they are a free gift of God and meant for all human beings.”

“Do you really think that Saleh is a messenger of God?” said one of the leaders. “We think he is a liar.  He is only a human being like us.  What is so great about him that God has especially chosen him?  Moreover, he is so jinxed that he always talks of destruction and doom to disrupt our happiness.”

“We believe in him,” said one of the followers. “He is such a sympathetic person that he wants nothing in return for his work from us, but believes that God will reward him for his actions.”

In the capital city Hijr, nine persons were responsible for the management and keeping law and order.  This elite group was the root cause of all the disorder in the land.  The extreme disparity between the rich and poor in a society is called fasad. 

Hud 2

(11:52)(29:38)(42:26)(26:136-138)(41:15-16)(46:24-25)(7:72)

Hud was relentless about the criticism of idols; he further added, “You people are so senseless that you pick up an ordinary stone from some place, shape it into an imaginary figure, put it on an elevated place, give it a name, and declare that it is your god.  How can a lifeless object which you have carved from a stone and which can be smashed into pieces be a god?  There is no reason or justification for it.  The truth is that there is only one God, the creator of the universe; His laws are operating in the universe.  Obey His laws to be prosperous and successful in the world.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” the nation said.  “We think our gods have cursed you and you have gone mad.  This rubbish talk is the result of their curse.  We are the mighty nation that has carved houses into the lofty hills; we have made great memorials on the tops of the mountains.  There is no nation that can dare to challenge us, but you are always talking about destruction and doom.  Is it not madness?”

“I am telling you clearly what is wrong with your system and your behavior in dealing with weak nations.  If you will not mend your ways, the destruction will engulf you, and your gods will not be able to save you,” said Hud.

“You are only an ordinary man like us with no supernatural powers.  We are not going to leave our gods because you want us to renounce them,” the nation declared contemptuously.

“Do you think that working in accordance with the laws will bring some destruction to you? No, on the contrary, it will bring prosperity and happiness into your lives.  It will increase your strength and make your fields and gardens more fertile,” Hud said.

“No matter how much you try to convince us of these fibs of your imagination, we are not going to agree with any of your proposals,” the nation declared.

Only a minority of the nation believed in Hud.  The rest of the nation was favoring their leaders.  The intoxication of wealth and power accompanied by success made them blind to the coming destruction.  The nation of Hud deviated from the revelation and values given to them.  Their passions (Satan) made the wrong actions look very beautiful and glamorous in their eyes.  They invented many reasons and excuses to justify the wrongs they were doing by violating the values.

In the end, the leaders of the nation tried to intimidate Hud with threats.  “Fear could work well to shut his mouth,” they thought.  But Hud proved their judgment was not correct. 

“Collect all your resources for punishing me, and give me no time to recover,” he said.  “My trust is in my Allah; He will save me.  My God is just and on a balanced path; it cannot be the path of cruelty or injustice.  Moreover, I have conveyed faithfully what I was sent to convey.  Don’t worry about me; worry about yourselves.  I see that another group will take your place if you will not mend your ways.  It is the unchangeable law of God and you will not be able to alter or harm it.”

“This is not the first time that old people with backward ideas have tried to put fear in us,” was the answer.  “They have been saying that doom will come, but it never came nor will it come.  If you are so sure about it then bring and show it to us.”

“It is not in my power to bring it, but I have warned you about it.  That is the only thing I can do,” Hud replied. “You very well know that science and technology will not help you if you start fighting with laws of God.”

It was a time of drought; it had not rained for a long time.  One bright morning the nation of Hud saw black clouds on the sky. They were very happy and thought the clouds would bring desired water. But it was a cyclone which lasted for eight days and seven nights to destroy them and their might.  Only Hud and his followers were saved.

  

Hud 1

 (7:69)(26:124-130-132-134)(89:6-8)(86-128)(46-21)(11-5-53-54)

The Story of Prophet Hud

 In the Quran the story of the prophet Hud is told to explain the reasons for the rise and downfall of nations.  The nation of Hud was the successor of Noah.  Nearly two thousand and five hundred years after the deluge, this nation was ruling in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq.  Add 1 was the other name given to this nation.

First of all, in the Quran God describes all the blessings He bestowed upon the nation of Add 1. They were given flocks of sheep, an abundance of cattle, springs, and gardens.  Quickly the people of Add 1 increased in number and established themselves as a powerful nation. One reason for their speedy growth was that they had a scientific bent of mind. They collected data from an observation about horticulture and applied it to their fields and gardens, with the result of abundant yields of fruits and corns.

After Noah, a few generations kept to the principles given by the revelation, but soon the abundance of luxurious items changed their outlook on life.  Instead of obedience to one God and a disciplined, simple life, the new progeny desired multifarious indulgences in forbidden pleasures like many other nations. For this they invented many gods and goddesses; these gods and goddesses behaved in various obnoxious ways.  By worshipping them, the nation of Add invented excuses for lecherous and inhuman behavior.    

Every nation that has the desire to grow and climb the ladder of perfection has to pass two tests.  One obstacle is poverty, which can be described as the lack of means to grow and advance in the struggle for betterment.  The other enemy is wealth and power; it can cause the most dangerous obstruction in the path to perfection because if not channeled properly it leads to pride and self-deception.  The progressing nations quickly forget that the basic materials, such as water, light, earth, and minerals, which have played a dominant role in their advancement, are created by God and not by them.  They are simply using them; therefore, the powerful nations have no right to contemptuously treat the weak nations and completely deprive them of the benefits. 

The nation of Add is mentioned in the Quran as the nation that used to build huge monuments with numerous pillars on the mountains to show its power. The prophet Hud was sent to this powerful nation; he told them about the wrongs they were doing.  One prominent sin was to crush the nations and individuals who fell into their traps.  Hud also pointed out that these big monuments were not used for any good purpose; their only use was to show off.

The opposition to these ideas came from the rich leaders.

They contemptuously said to him, “What! You are finding fault with our system; we are the most powerful nation in the world and you can’t appreciate this obvious fact.  We think you are a fool or a liar.”

“How can I be a fool? I am a messenger from God,” he said. “I am sent to remind you of the forgotten blessings of God.  He has established you after Noah on the earth.  Moreover, I am not asking for any wages from you; my reward is with Allah.  I am telling you that there is only one God in the universe.  No one can defeat his laws, so obey Him and His laws which I am giving you or you will face the ruinous results of your actions.”

Hud was not the only messenger who came to this nation.  Before Hud many messengers were sent to this nation, but the people did not pay any heed to them and followed their rebellious, proud leaders.

“We are not going to denounce our gods because you want us to do so,” the unruly leaders declared.  “We are going to worship our gods as our ancestors did.”

“What you and your ancestors have been worshipping are only a few names and nothing else, which you and your ancestors have fabricated. You have no reason to obey them or fight with me on their behalf,” Hud pointed out.