The Holy Prophet^-SW may recall the story of Prophet Hud^-AS who was raised in his own nation 'Ad. They lived amidst sand dunes in a place not easily accessible, yet Allah^-SWT sent them the Message of guidance. There had been Prophets^-AS sent before him, a fact very well known to the infidels while this chain continued even after him. So there was nothing unusual about Prophethood that they could not perceive. All the Prophets conveyed the same Message as did Prophet Hud^-AS, that is, not to worship and obey anyone save Allah^-SWT . And if they were to persist in polytheism, he feared for them the doom of a tremendous Day. They accursed and charged him for an attempt to estrange them from their deities.

Ascribing Divine Blessings to Others than Allah^-SWT and Obeying them

Allah^-SWT provides everyone with livelihood, health, honour etc. yet due to lack of His^-SWT Cognition, some people ascribe these blessings to others than Him^-SWT and submit to their obedience while the Prophets^-AS dispense Allah^-SWT‘s Cognition. The People of `Ad were annoyed by the words of Prophet Hud^-AS, as in their ungodly opinion, they benefited from the idols. This opinion was also held by the polytheists of Makkah. Inflamed, they told the Prophet^-AS to let the doom commence right away instead of waiting for the Tremendous Day, if he was true. The Makkans had also made a similar demand, but Allaah^-SWT declared that His^-SWT Wrath will not rout them so ­long as the Holy Prophet^-SW was amidst them. Though this Divine Promise endures till Qayamah yet the collective destruction has been suspended from the world forever. And when the Holy Prophet^-SW migrated to Madinah, the Makkans were duly inflicted with famine, defeat at Badr and Uhad, and were dishonoured at the Battle of Trench, while the Conquest of Makkah totally uprooted them.

Prophet Hud^-AS told his people that the knowledge of the Hour was only with Allaah^-SWT . He was not assigned the task of initiating the doom, nor was he to conduct the accountability on that Day. That is Allaah^-SWT ’s domain and only He^-SWT Knows when it will occur. His mission was to convey Allaah^-SWT ’s Message, which he had done. Their irrelevant questions, however, only displayed ignorance. And when they refused to accept the Prophetic advice, the visitation was right upon them. They saw a cloud heading towards their settlements. Assuming it as the harbinger of rain they rejoiced and mocked at the Prophet^-AS’s warning. It turned out to be a tormenting doom in the form of a very violent desert storm, which tossed everything around and all died over night. No living creature survived, human or animal. Desolate houses were littered with corpses in a punishment decreed for the culprits. O' Addressees of the Quran! You are nowhere close to the powers and the technology they had been given!

Preceding Nations also Advanced in Science

It is a fact that the earlier nations had also made great progress in knowledge’s of the physical sciences. Many a relics recovered from their ruins reveal how they had accomplished certain tasks even beyond the reach of modem man despite all the advancement. Allaah^-SWT had blessed them with the hearing and the vision for mundane achievements, as well as faculty of the Qalb to acquire spiritual excellence. Yet they did not employ these faculties to acquire His^-SWT Cognition and only confined themselves to the mundane pursuits, affluence, power and rule which availed them naught against the doom. They opposed the revelations of Allah^-SWT, mocked at His^-SWT Prophets^-AS and were destroyed in the process.