Al-Ahqaf
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Al-Ahqaf is the 46th chapter of the Qur'an with 35 verses. This is the seventh and last chapter starting with the Muqattaʿat letters Hāʼ Mīm. Regarding the timing and contextual background of the beli
Sura 46
Folio from the Qur'an manuscript with first verses of the chapter Al-Ahqaf. The title and verse count at the beginning of chapter are written in gold in a rectangular panel with a marginal tassel. Kufic script. Middle East or North Africa, late 9th - early 10th century. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art
Page from the Qur'an with verses 1 to 3 of Al-Ahqaf. The title of the chapter that appears at the top is executed in gold and outlined in black ink. Thuluth script, Mamluk Egypt (14th-15th centuries). Library of Congress
Sand dunes in Ar Rub' Al-Khali (The Empty Quarter), Hadhramaut, Yemen
ʿĀd
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ʿĀd was an ancient tribe in pre-Islamic Arabia. The banū ʿĀd are best known for being mentioned two dozen times in the Quran, often in conjunction with Thamud. In 2025 it was shown that 'Ad was a trib
Al-Ahqaf
…threshold in Islamic law (see #Fetal viability below). Verses 21 to 25 contain the story of the Islamic prophet Hud, who was sent to the people of ʿĀd "by the sand dunes" (Arabic: fi al-Ahqaf, hence the name of the chapter). The people rejected his message and were then punished by a storm that destroyed…
"And Ad, and Thamud, and the Companions of the Rass, and many generations between those – and to each of them We set forth parables, and each one We utterly razed. [...]"
Sand dunes in Ar-Rub' Al-Khali (The Empty Quarter), Oman
Hud gazes over piles of cadavers after God smote the banu 'Ad and their beasts by means of a divine storm.