Were there multiple tribes of ʿĀd, especially since the Holy Qur’an mentioned "ʿĀd the first"?

Interpreters and historians have differed on whether 'Aad was one tribe or two. Some held that it was one tribe, described as "the first" because it existed before Thamud. Others maintained that there were two 'Aads.

The view that there were two 'Aads is more probable, based on His (the Almighty's) saying: "And that He destroyed 'Aad the first," which implies the existence of another 'Aad. It is also narrated in the Hadith (definition) that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to 'Aisha: "O 'Aisha, what assures me that there will be no torment in it? Indeed, a people were tormented by wind, and a people saw the torment and said, 'This is a cloud bringing us rain.'" It is understood from this Hadith that those who were tormented by wind (the first 'Aad) are different from those who said, "This is a cloud bringing us rain" (the other 'Aad).