‘Ad (Arabic: عاد, ʿĀd) was an ancient tribe mentioned frequently in the Qur'an. ‘Ad is usually placed in Southern Arabia, in a location referred to as "al-Ahqaf" (Arabic: الأحـقـاف, "the Sandy Plains," or "the Wind-curved Sand-hills"). The tribe's members, referred to as ‘Adites, formed a prosperous nation until they were destroyed in a violent storm. It came after they had rejected the teachings of a Monotheistic preacher called 'Hud'. ‘Ad is regarded as one of the original Arab tribes, the "lost Arabs". Their capital may have been what is known as "Iram dhat al-‘Imad" (Arabic: إرم ذات الـعـمـاد, Iram of the Pillars) in the Qur’an.
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Legend
In religious stories, Hud and the tribe of ‘Ad have been linked to a legendary Malik (Arabic: مَـلِـك, King) called '‘Ad', who ruled over a region whose capital was "Wūbar".
Ontology of the Qur’an
There are 24 occurrences of the concept of ‘Aad in the Qur’an, namely (7:65:2) (this refers to second word of Surah 7, Verse 65), (7:74:7), (9:70:9), (11:50:2), (11:59:2), (11:60:10), (11:60:15), (14:9:9), (22:42:8), (25:38:1), (26:123:2), (29:38:1), (38:12:5), (40:31:5), (41:13:8), (41:15:2), (46:21:3), (50:13:1), (51:41:2), (53:50:3), (54:18:2), (69:4:3), (69:6:2) and (89:6:6).