ʿĀd , an ancient Arab tribe, is mentioned by name twenty-four times in the Qurʾān, as the people to whom the prophet Hūd was sent. One of the peoples associated with the long-lost past, they are named in pre-Islamic poetry and are a part of ancient Arabian mythology. They represent the origin of the Arabs in the distant past and exemplify their power, longevity, and pride; this sense is found in dictionaries, with the word ʿādī, meaning "very ancient," connected etymologically to the ʿĀd (see Lane, s.v.).