ʽAd
# ʽAd

According to Islamic tradition, Ad (also rendered Aad), who came from the northeast and was the progenitor of the Adites, was the son of Uz (عوض), who was the son of Aram (إرم), who was the son of Shem, the son of Noah (سام بن نوح). Therefore, Noah (نوح) is said to be ʽAd's great-great-grandfather.

In Islamic tradition, the Adites are believed to be among the first inhabitants of Arabia. They belong to what is known as the Extinct Arabs (العرب البائدة).

After ʽAd's death, his sons Shadid and Shedad reigned in succession over the Adites. ʿĀd then became a collective term for all those descended from ʽAd.

According to the Quran, Iram (إرم) is the place to which the prophet Hud (هود) was sent in order to guide its people back to the righteous path of God. The citizens continued in their polytheistic ways and Allah destroyed their city in a great storm.

Quran 89:6-14 mentions ʿĀd:

   Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ʽAad - [With] Iram – who had lofty pillars, the likes of whom had never been created in the lands. And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley? And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? [All of] whom oppressed within the lands and increased therein the corruption. So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. Indeed, your Lord is in observation.

It is said that Hud along with his closest family escaped the region and resettled in and around the modern area of Hadramaut in Yemen. His grave is traditionally said to be located there till this day. According to Islamic scholarship, the descendants of Hud were the forerunners to the Pure Arabs (العرب العاربة).

