هُود
Boy Arabic origin Hūd
ProphetIn the QuranSurah nameName of the prophet Hud, sent to the people of ʿAd; meaning uncertain
The word as it is recited in the Quran: Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary, Hud 11:50.
Hud called the people of ʿAd to worship Allah alone: “O my people, worship Allah: you have no god other than Him” (11:50). They rejected him and were destroyed by a violent wind, while Allah saved him with the believers (11:58). He is named seven times, and Surah 11 bears his name. The Prophet ﷺ said: “I was given victory by the east wind, and ʿAd were destroyed by the west wind” (al-Bukhari 3343).
Hud is the name of an Arabian prophet sent to the people of ʿAd, who lived at al-Ahqaf in southern Arabia (46:21). The meaning of the name is not established. In Arabic the root h-w-d expresses a repentant return to God (hada, “to return, to repent”: “we have turned back to You”, 7:156), but the lexicographers do not say that the prophet was named for this reason. In three verses (2:111, 2:135, 2:140) the word hud means the Jews: a mere homonym.
Yes: Hud is named in the Quran 7 times, in 3 surahs.
وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ ٥٠
And to ʿAad [We sent] their brother Hūd. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood].
وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٦٥
And to the ʿAad [We sent] their brother Hūd. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. Then will you not fear Him?"
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا هُودًا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَنَجَّيْنَٰهُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ ٥٨
And when Our command came, We saved Hūd and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us; and We saved them from a harsh punishment.
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ هُودٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ١٢٤
When their brother Hūd said to them, "Will you not fear Allāh?
All the words of the root ه و د in the Quran (30 occurrences)
نُصِرْتُ بِالصَّبَا، وَأُهْلِكَتْ عَادٌ بِالدَّبُورِ "
No text or scholarly opinion concerns the name Hud in particular: the general rules of Islam apply.
Read the rules for choosing a name
This page is an aid to reflection, not a fatwa. For a personal case, ask a person of knowledge.
