Road to Ubar Pa - Nicholas Clapp [33]
In Cairo in 1180, we listen to his tale, which features the life and travails of Iram/Ubar's best-known figure and is therefore called the tale of...
The Prophet Hud
Know that in the beginning there were twelve male children of 'Ad son of Uz son of Aram son of Shem son of Noah, and God gave them power He has given to no one else.
1. Hud and the Idolatrous People of 'Ad
Wahb ibn Munabbih [a prior chronicler] said: the greatest king of 'Ad was Khuljan; and he had three idols, Sada, Hird, and Haba, in the service of which he had placed one man for every day in the year. Among these, the noblest and best was Khulud. When this Khulud was asked why he had not married, since he had reached the accustomed age, he replied, "Because in a dream I saw coming out of my loins a white chain, which had a light like the light of the sun. I heard a voice saying, 'Look well, Khulud, for when you see this chain come out of your loins again, marry the girl you will be commanded to marry.'" He was puzzled by this until one day he heard a voice say, "Khulud, marry the daughter of our uncle!" While he was asleep, suddenly the chain came forth from his loins.
When he awoke he went to his cousin, spoke for her, and was married to her. When he had lain with her, she conceived 20 Hud the prophet.
The ponds and rivers, the birds and beasts, wild and tame, rejoiced at the conception of Hud. The trees of the tribe of'Ad became green and brought forth fruit out of season by the blessing of Hud. And when his mother's days were accomplished, he was born on Friday.
One day, while he was at prayer, his mother saw him and asked, "My son, whom are you worshipping?"
"I am worshipping God, who created me and all creation," he answered.
"Do you not worship the idols?" asked his mother.
"Those idols bring neither harm nor profit," he said. "Neither do they see nor do they hear."
"My child," she said, "worship your God, for the day I conceived you I saw many strange things. When I was delivered of you in the valley, there were dry trees that became green and bore fruit. When I put you on a black rock, it became whiter than snow. Then I carried you home and saw a man whose head was in the sky and whose feet were in the vast expanses of the earth. He took you from me and raised you up to a people in the sky whose faces were white. Then they returned you to me, and on your head were rays of light and on your arm was a green pearl. I heard one of them say, 'God has made you a prophet.' So act accordingly with what has appeared to you."
Kaab al-Ahbar [another chronicler] said: When Hud was four years old, God spoke to him, saying, "O Hud, I have selected you as a prophet and have made you a messenger of the tribe of 'Ad. Go therefore to them and fear them not. Call upon them to witness that there is no God but I alone, who have no partner, and that you are my servant and my messenger."
Hud went out to his people on the day of their great festival, held in the sandy regions called Ramal-alij [an old name for the Rub' al-Khali], Their king, Khuljan, was seated on a golden throne.
"O my people," said Hud, "worship God: ye have no other god than him" (7.65).2 So saying, he let out a great shout, and from afar the wild beasts and lions drew near and said, "We are at your service, O Hud. Inform us and have no fear."
But the hearts of the people were filled with fear; their faces turned pale, and they shuddered. They asked, "What are your 60 God's features like, his form, his length? Is he made of gold or silver?"
Hud described God's majesty. When he had finished his speech, the king said to him, "Do you think your Lord is more powerful than we are, considering the multitude of our numbers and the strength of our forces? Or do you not know that there are born to us every day and night one thousand