وَإِلَى عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ ﴿۵۰﴾ يَا قَوْمِ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ ﴿۵۱﴾ وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۵۲﴾ قَالُوا يَا هُودُ مَا جِئْتَنَا بِبَيِّنَةٍ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَارِكِي آلِهَتِنَا عَنْ قَوْلِكَ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۵۳﴾

﴾50﴿ Wa ilaa 'aadin akhaahum Hoodaa; qaala yaa qawmi' budul laaha maa lakum min ilaahin ghairuhooo in antum illaa muftaroon
﴾51﴿ Yaa qawmi laaa as'alukum 'alaihi ajran in ajriya illaa 'alal lazee fataranee; afalaa ta'qiloon
﴾52﴿ Wa yaa qawmis taghfiroo Rabbakum summa toobooo ilaihi yursilis samaaa'a 'alaikum midraaranw wa yazidkum quwwatan ilaa quwwatikum wa laa tatawallaw mujrimeen
﴾53﴿ Qaaloo yaa Hoodu maa ji'tanaa bibaiyinatinw wa maa nahnu bitaarikeee aalihatinaa 'an qawlika wa maa nahnu laka bimu'mineen

﴾50﴿ (And We sent) to the people of 'Ād their brother Hūd (peace be upon him). He said, O my people, worship Allah alone. You have no deity or provider other than Him. Will you not then stop fabricating lies
﴾51﴿ I do not ask any reward from you for this; my reward is only upon the One who created me. So why do you not use reason
﴾52﴿ And O my people, seek forgiveness from your Lord and turn to Him in repentance. He will send down rain upon you in abundance according to your need and increase you in strength upon your existing strength. And do not turn away as sinners
﴾53﴿ They said, O Hud, you have not brought us any clear evidence, and we are not going to abandon our gods just because of your word, nor are we believers in what you say

[50] This verse presents the second transmitted (naqlī) proof for the affirmation of Tawḥīd, through the story of Hūd (peace be upon him).
It highlights:
His bravery in openly declaring the truth,
And the punishment of his people, serving as a worldly warning to others.
(إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ) — means: You are nothing but liars and fabricators.
Every polytheist is, by nature, someone who fabricates lies against Allah, whether through attributing false partners or through inventing mythical stories to justify their shirk.
From verse 50 onward, the structure of the passage is as follows:
1. Three initial verses — describe the method of da‘wah (calling to Allah).
2. Then, two verses mention the opposition of his people.
3. Then, four verses detail Hūd's courage and his warnings of divine punishment.
4. The final three verses include:
– The salvation of the believers,
– The reasons behind the punishment,
– And finally, a clear statement of the worldly and Hereafter punishment for the disbelievers.
[51] This statement expresses sincerity (ikhlāṣ) as a means of encouragement — because someone who is greedy for worldly gain can never convey the truth completely or with full sincerity.
True da‘wah and defense of the truth require freedom from worldly attachments, and only the one who is sincere for the sake of Allah can fully and fearlessly deliver the message.
[52] In this verse, the call to Tawḥīd is made through seeking forgiveness (istighfār) and repentance (tawbah), and encouragement is given by mentioning two worldly blessings that result from them.
The difference between istighfār and tawbah was explained earlier in verse 3 of this surah:
– Istighfār relates to seeking protection from past sins,
– Tawbah is returning to Allah with a firm intention to obey Him going forward.
Here, two worldly benefits of istighfār and tawbah are mentioned:
1. (يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا) — He will send rain upon you in abundance.
These people were landowners, and they were in great need of rainfall.
According to one report, rain had stopped for three years, causing drought.
2. (وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَى قُوَّتِكُمْ) — He will increase you in strength upon your strength.
This likely refers to strength in offspring and wealth, as in one narration it is mentioned that for three years their women had become barren.
The phrase (مُجْرِمِينَ) — sinners/criminals — at the end of the verse shows that turning away from this invitation to Tawḥīd and repentance leads directly to becoming a mujrim (guilty one).
It implies that rejecting the message isn't neutral — it is in itself a criminal act before Allah.
[53] In this verse, the stubbornness (‘inād) of the people is described in three ways: 1. Denial despite clear evidence (بَيِّنَةٍ): Even though the truth was made clear to them through signs and proofs — which Allah grants to every prophet — they persisted in denial, showing that their rejection was not due to lack of evidence but due to arrogance and stubbornness.
2. Insisting on shirk: Through their words (وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَارِكِي آلِهَتِنَا), they showed determination to hold on to their false gods, refusing to abandon them despite the message of Tawḥīd.
3. Absolute refusal of future belief: By saying (وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ), they completely denied the possibility of ever believing, even in the future — this was meant to shut down the hope and efforts of Hūd (peace be upon him).
Together, these three forms of rejection illustrate the depth of their arrogance, blindness to truth, and open defiance.