(Lessons 14'19)
After the great flood that destroyed the nation of Nuh (AS), many other nations rose to power, and prophets were usually appointed from amongst those nations for their guidance. The reason for analysing together the stories of four prophets ' Hud (AS), Salih (AS), Lut (AS), and Shuayb (AS) ' is that they all present a common theme.
In each of these cases, the nation gained power, wealth, and influence that caused it to become corrupt and disregard the monotheistic message of serving only one God. The people started worshipping deities alongside Allah as well as indulged in social and moral evils. Allah appointed a prophet for the reformation of the people but, despite all efforts to convince his people of the truth, the prophet was rejected by the majority, ridiculed, and violently opposed. As a result, Allah destroyed the nation through some natural phenomenon, while allowing the believers to escape the disaster and start a new civilization.
Hud (AS) belonged to the nation of Aad, while Salih (AS) was from Thamud. Lut (AS), a nephew of Ibrahim (AS), had emigrated from Ur, and settled in a city called Sodom where he preached. Shuayb (AS) was a resident of Madyan. Let us examine some of the lessons we can learn from their narratives.