Surah Hud 11:9-24 - Quran Translation Commentary

10. And if We cause him to taste comforts after some adversity that had touched him, he would surely say: “The ills have gone from me.” Verily he is exultant, boastful:²¹

11. Except those who are patient and perform righteous acts, for them theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward.

12. Perhaps you may give up a part of what has been revealed to you,²² and that your breast may feel straitened because they say: “Why has not a treasure been sent down for him, or an angel come with him?” Surely, you are but a warner, and Allah is in charge of all things.

13. Or do they say that he (the Prophet) has invented it. Say: “Then bring ten surahs like this, invented, and call (to your aid) whomsoever you can beside Allah, if you are truthful.”

14. Then if they do not answer your call, know then that it is revealed with the knowledge of Allah; and that there is no god, except Him. Will you then accept Islam?²³

15. whosever desire the life of this world with its glitter, We repay them fully in the world, and in that nothing will be diminished for them.²⁴

16. They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the fire; all they contrived in the world has gone waste and whatever they used to do was in vain.

17. Can he, who had a clear proof from his Lord, then came a witness from Him recite it and before it was the Book of Moosa as a guide and mercy, (refuse to accept the truth?) that they believe in it,²⁵ and those of the groups²⁶ that disbelieve it, the Fire is their promised place. So do not be in doubt concerning it.²⁷ Verily it is the truth from your Lord, but most of the mankind do not believe.

18. And who does more wrong than he who invents a lie concerning Allah?²⁸ Such will be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses will say: “These are the ones who lied concerning their Lord. Lo! The curse of Allah is on the wrong-doers.

19. “Those who debar (others) from the path of Allah, and seek to make it crooked,²⁹ and who totally deny the Hereafter.”

20. These will not escape (from Allah) in the earth, and nor had they any protector beside Allah.³⁰And their punishment will be doubled.³¹ They were unable to hear, and nor did they see.³²

21. These are the ones who have lost their souls and what they had invented vanished from them.³³

22. Certainly in the Hereafter they will be the greatest losers.

23. Verily those who believe and perform righteous acts, and humbled themselves before their Lord³⁴ they are the people of the Paradise they will dwell there forever.

24. The likeness of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf³⁵ and the seer and the hearer.³⁶ Are they equal in comparison? Then will you not give thought ³⁷?

Commentary

21. When life is meant for trial, then it is neither proper to despair in time of adversity nor is it right to exult and cross the limits in exultation, but that man should know that in the first condition he should be patient and in the second he should be grateful to God. Because man does not keep the real purpose of his creation in view, his angle of view goes wrong, as also his conduct becomes similarly improper.

22. This statement is made in view of the Prophet’s being a man, otherwise it is far from the high and noble character of a prophet that he should omit or forsake a part of the revelation. The real purpose of this statement is to show the intensity of the opposition which the Prophet was facing. To stand up to these oppositions it required tremendous courage. On such an occasion the statement that you may omit a part of the revelation is an emphatic command to inform the Prophet about the apparent dangers, so that he may set to work for fulfilling his responsibility as a prophet with full determination and courage.

23. Those who did not admit Qur’an to be a divine scripture considered it to be a product of Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) authorship. Qur’an challenged them to produce a composition like itself. Such a challenge appears at various places in the Qur’an. In this ayah the challenge requires them to bring in ten Surahs like those found in Qur’an, and when they were unable to meet this challenge, then in Surah Yunus, ayah No.38 and Surah Baqarah ayah No. 23, they were asked to bring one Surah like it. They were also allowed the facility of calling their gods to assist them in this challenging task, for when Qur’an declares all gods beside Allah false, it becomes the duty of these invented gods to come to the rescue of their worshippers, if they really are gods, so that the claim of the Qur’an to be the word of God and its message of monotheism may be proved to be false. But when the entire nation in concert could not produce its equal or its like and when their gods also could not come to their help, it is convincingly proved that Qur’an is not the product of man but that it is the word of God; or else how could it be possible that the entire nation was unable to produce even a small part like Qur’an ? However big or successful litterateur a man may be, he cannot challenge the entire literary clan of the nation to produce even a small part like the literature produced by Him. It is only Qur’an that has thrown such a challenge that no man can produce a composition like itself, and the Arab nation could not prove this claim to be wrong. This challenge has also proved that Quran’s message of Tawheed (monotheism) is also based on truth, for if there were many gods, as claimed by the polytheists, then to prove themselves to be true gods, they would have surely helped their worshippers. When both the statements of Qur’an have been proved to be right and true, then Islam’s being the true religion has been proved. After this, what hinders men from embracing Islam’? (For further explanation, please see Note No.30. Surah Baqarah).

24. Those who do not have the Hereafter as their goal or who do not keep it in view, but are concerned with the achievements in this world only they are allowed to get the fruits of their efforts in the world only. They do not suffer in their material progress on account of their disbelief Whatever work they would undertake under the worldly causes, their results would appear according to the natural laws. But all their material progress, their properties and wealth, their expertise and prowess in the academic and technical fields, their royal pomp and their international fame will benefit them in this world only, and in the next world, where they are to live an everlasting life, the result of all these achievements will be a big zero, and they will get nothing except despair and disgrace.

25. By clear proof in this verse is meant that proof which is round in every person’s inner self concerning the recognition of his Lord, the concept of accountability before Him, and the distinction between that good and the evil. Witness here means Qur’an, which has not only supported this natural argument (proof) but has also stated it clearly and in detail. In this way when the truth came out in the open, it was further supported by the fact that previous divine Book ‘Torah’ also guides to the same realities which are presented by the Qur’an” This verse therefore means that whoever follows the proof (argument) found in his inner self or in his nature would not find any newness or strangeness in the call of the Qur’an, but that he would find it harmonious with his own nature and would accept it, and only that person would deny it who has suppressed the voice of his nature,

From this ayah it automatically becomes clear that before he was blessed with the prophethood, the Prophet (Sallal Lahu Alaihi Wa Sallam) was following his righteous nature, for who can be better followers of their nature than the prophets of God?

26. Whether it may be religious groups or irreligious groups.

27. For explanation, please see Note No.145, Surah Yunus.

28. It has been explained in Note No.169, Surah An’am.

29. It has been explained in Note’ No.125 Surah Aal-e-Imran.

30. That is: In the world they were under the wrong impression that their invented gods and protectors would save them from the punishment from Allah. .That is why they did not take any heed of the warnings given by the messengers of Allah.

31. One punishment for going astray and second punishment for misleading others.

32. That is: The message which the Messenger of Allah was conveying to them was being blocked by them, as they refused to listen to him and they were unable to see the signs pointing to monotheism and the Hereafter, because they had blindfolded themselves by refusing to look at them.

33. “The gods that they had invented and on whose help and intercession they had relied, had disappeared, and today there is none who would save them from the Divine punishment.

34. The quality of humbleness which has been associated with the righteous acts expresses the main spirit of these righteous acts. It means that the righteous acts need not be performed merely as a formality or a ritual, but that all acts of righteousness and worshipping should be done with a sense of humility before God.

35. This is the likeness of an infidel, who is deprived of real insight and grasp of truth.

36. This is the likeness of a faithful (Momin), who is blessed with insight and facility to grasp truth.

37. When there is a difference of insight between the two, then how can they be treated on the same level and how can their destiny be the same? How such a clear and obvious thing cannot be understood by you?