Who Is Mightier Than Us in Strength?

And the people of ʿĀd thought that their power and strength can avail them. Allah (swt) says:

Allah (swt) says: as for ʿĀd, they were arrogant in the land without right, and they said: who is mightier than us in strength? Who is stronger than us? Who are you threatening us with? Who? Who are you threatening us with? You say that Allah can do anything against us? Do whatever you want. Man ashaddu minnā quwwah: who is more powerful than us?

Allah (swt) says: a-wa lam yaraw anna Allāha alladhī khalaqahum huwa ashaddu minhum quwwah — see they not that Allah, who created them, was mightier in strength than them? And they used to deny Our ayat. Don't they realise — don't they understand — that Allah, the One who created them, is mightier than them? Allah is the One who created them. Whatever strength they had is created by Allah.

So Hūd at that point made duʿāʾ. And Allah (swt) said — Hūd is saying:

Qāla rabbi-nṣurnī bimā kadhdhabūn: he said, O my Lord, help me because they denied me. And the duʿāʾ of Hūd reached to Allah (swt). Allah (swt) said: qāla ʿammā qalīlin la-yuṣbiḥunna nādimīn — and Allah said, in a little while they are sure to be regretful. In a little while they will be regretful.

Allah (swt) was taking the people of ʿĀd through a test, to remind them. See, Allah (swt) is giving them chances. So Allah did not bring the punishment at once. Allah made them go through a period of drought, to remind them of their weakness as human beings, so that they may turn to Allah (swt) in tawbah and repentance. So they went through a period of drought. They were receiving no rain. Their crops were dry, and they were going through this difficult time. But that wasn't sufficient to turn their attention to the truth, and to ask Allah (swt) for forgiveness.

So now Hūd made the duʿāʾ, and Allah (swt) accepted the duʿāʾ. Clouds started approaching in the horizon: dark clouds. And there is a story that is mentioned, that they went to al-Kaʿbah to ask Allah for rain. And then they heard a voice that told them: choose whichever cloud you want — the red, or the white, or the black. They said: we want the black cloud, anyway. So these clouds were approaching their nation, and they saw these clouds in the horizon.