Surah Hud 11:96-109 - Quran Translation Commentary

98. He will be at the head of his people on the Day of Resurrection and will lead them to the fire (Hell).¹⁴³ And what a woeful abode is that where they reached.

99. A curse is made to follow them in this (world) and on the Day of Resurrection. What a woeful gift is that which will be given them!¹⁴⁴

100. These are some of the chronicles of the townships that We relate to you. Some of them are standing and some have been mowed down.¹⁴⁵

101. We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves; and when Allah’s command came, their gods whom they invoked beside Allah, availed them nothing; and they added to them nothing except ruin.¹⁴⁶

102. Such is the seizure by your Lord, when He seizes the townships on account of their wrong-doing. Verily the seizure by Him is very painful, very severe.¹⁴⁷

103. Verily in this (there) is a big sign for those who dreads the punishment of the Hereafter.¹⁴⁸ On that day all People will be assembled and that will be a day of witnessing.¹⁴⁹

104. And we are not delaying it but for a term fixed.

105. On the day when it comes no soul will speak except with His permission;¹⁵⁰ some among them will be damned, and some blessed.¹⁵¹

106. So those who are wretched will be in the Fire, groaning and wailing.¹⁵²

107. Abiding there so long as the heavens and the earth endure,¹⁵³ except what your Lord wills. Verily your Lord is the Accomplisher of what He intends. ¹⁵⁴

108. And those that will be blessed will be in the Paradise, abiding there so long as the heavens and the earth endure,¹⁵⁵ except for what your Lord wills, a gift everlasting.

109. So do not be in doubt concerning what these people worship. They are worshipping in the same way as their fathers were worshipping before. And Verily We will pay them their portion unreduced.¹⁵⁶

Commentary

141. Some of the signs which proved the prophet hood of Moosa were most convincing and unambiguous. The conversion of his staff into a python and his vanquishing the magicians are the obvious examples of these signs. After this incontrovertible argument there should be no doubt about accepting Prophet Moosa as the truthful Messenger of Allah.

142. The commands and claims of Firaun (Pharaoh) were not sensible, nor was his leadership truthful and just. Yet the people followed him and were not ready to follow the guidance provided by the messenger of Allah.

143. In this world, his nation has made Firaun its leader. In the next world also he will lead his people. It is a different matter, however, that this procession under his leadership will go directly to the Hell and will fall into such a pit of destruction that it would never come out of it.

144. This picture of the consequence of the rebels against Allah, which Qur’an has presented, is such that provides an effective observation of the goings on of the Day of Judgment, so that the reader may take a lesson from it. But those who have sworn not to learn any lesson, would learn their lesson only after it is too late, i.e. when they reach their destination, Hell.

145. The relics of these townships existed even then (at the time of the revelation of Qur’an), like the relics of the township of Thamud, and the relics of some other townships have totally disappeared, like those of the people of Nooh and the people of Loot, etc. But by the disappearance of the relics their histories have not disappeared. They are preserved in the Qur’an, so that people may take their lessons from them till the end of the world.

146. These nations and communities worshipped their gods and idols so that they might provide them profit. But when Allah’s punishment descended on them, they did not help their worshippers, on the contrary their worship became the cause of greater punishment for them. It goes to prove that their gods and idols were mere frauds.

147. This is a warning for the human settlements that they should not regard these chronicles as the stories of the past, and that such punishments would not visit them. They should know that they also can be subjected to such punishments as the past townships and communities. And it is a fact that the series of different kinds of punishment for the wrong-doing nations is continuing.

148. That is: There do exist proofs of recompense in the Hereafter in these most important events of history. When Allah has been giving punishment to nations for their rebellion and transgression and for disobeying His messengers, it is a proof of the fact that He is not unconcerned with His slaves, but that He deals with them according to their acts. Therefore, conducting a court on the Day of Resurrection for giving reward or punishment to all the peoples and nations of the world according to their good or bad acts is reasonable. Besides there is a moral lesson in these events that when He gives such a severe punishment to the transgressing nations in this world, then His punishment for them in the other world will be much more severe and painful.

149 That is: That day will be the day of presenting oneself before God. Every person individually will have to present himself or herself in His presence and account for and give a witness to whatever he or she has been saying and doing in this world. No person will be left out, nor any nation, neither a king nor a beggar.

150. That is: The freedom which man enjoys in this world will be taken away from him. On that day man will have to pass through various hurdles, and he will be able to speak only on the occasion when he will be allowed to do so; he dare not open his mouth on any other occasion.

151. People will be divided into two groups according to rank. One will be of the people who had adopted the path of good and righteousness, and were blessed with the mercy of God. And the other that adopted the path of evil and wickedness and met with adverse consequences. It should be noted that this division and consequence of the people is according to their faith and disbelief, according to the context. As for the fate of the people who have committed sins after accepting faith, other ayat of the Qur’an will have to be referred to.

152. Their punishment in the Hell will be so painful and their suffering so severe that they will groan and cry loudly.

153. Means the heavens and the earth of the Hereafter, because it is stated in the Qur’an that on the Day of Resurrection the heavens and the earth will be changed, and as explained in the Qur’an the world of the Hereafter is everlasting. Therefore, its skies and earth will also be everlasting.

154. It is like the other statement in the Qur’an “He leaves in error whom He will and gives guidance to whom He desires.” ( An-Nahl-93). The idea is to express His authority and power. Here also the purpose is to show that there is none who can interfere with the wishes of God. He is in full authority. If He wants to take another decision concerning those condemned to the Hell, He can do so. For implementation of His wish, merely His wishing is sufficient.

155. The blessed ones will always remain in the Paradise, as long as the heavens and the earth of the Hereafter exist. Their staying in the Paradise everlastingly is possible because Allah has wished it so, and nobody had compelled Him to take this decision. If He wishes He can also take another decision, but His wish is that they should he granted such a bliss that it should be everlasting, and the showers of His mercy may continue to bless them forever. The springs of divine mercy for them will never dry up.

156. That is: They will get the full share of their material profits in this world as also the adverse consequences of their evil acts in the next world. Allah will not make any reduction in their material benefits, nor will He lessen their punishment in the Hereafter, which they rightly deserve.