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Mention [Hud] of the tribe of Ad: he warned his people among the sand dunes- other warners have come and gone both before and after him- ‘ Worship no one but God: I fear for you, that you will be punished on a terrible Day,’

but they said, ‘Have you come to turn us away from our gods? If what you say is true, bring down that punishment you threaten us with!’

He said, ‘Only God knows when it will come: I simply convey to you the message I am sent with but I can see you are an insolent people.’

When they saw a cloud approaching their valley, they said, ‘This cloud will give us rain!’ ‘No indeed! It is what you wanted to hasten: a storm-wind bearing a painful punishment

which will destroy everything by its Lord’s command.’ In the morning there was nothing to see except their [ruined] dwellings: this is how We repay the guilty.

We had established them in a way we have not established you [people of Mecca]; We gave them hearing, sight, and hearts, yet their hearing, sight, and hearts were of no use to them, since they denied God’s revelations. They were overwhelmed by the punishment they had mocked.

We have also destroyed other communities that once flourished around you- We had given them various signs so that they might return to the right way-

so why did their gods not help them, those they set up as gods besides God to bring them nearer to Him? No indeed! They failed them utterly: it was all a lie of their own making.