Surah 11. Hud

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Verses [Section]: 1-8[1], 9-24 [2], 25-35 [3], 36-49 [4], 50-60 [5], 61-68 [6], 69-83 [7], 84-95 [8], 96-109 [9], 110-123 [10]

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Quran Text of Verse 50-60وَ اِلٰیAnd toعَادٍAadاَخَاهُمْ(We sent) their brotherهُوْدًا ؕHudقَالَHe saidیٰقَوْمِO my people!اعْبُدُواWorshipاللّٰهَAllahمَاnotلَكُمْ(is) for youمِّنْanyاِلٰهٍgodغَیْرُهٗ ؕother than HimاِنْNotاَنْتُمْyouاِلَّا(are) butمُفْتَرُوْنَ inventors یٰقَوْمِO my people!لَاۤNotاَسْـَٔلُكُمْI ask youعَلَیْهِfor itاَجْرًا ؕany rewardاِنْNotاَجْرِیَ(is) my rewardاِلَّاexceptعَلَیfromالَّذِیْthe One Whoفَطَرَنِیْ ؕcreated meاَفَلَاThen will notتَعْقِلُوْنَ you use reason وَ یٰقَوْمِAnd O my people!اسْتَغْفِرُوْاAsk forgivenessرَبَّكُمْ(of) your Lordثُمَّthenتُوْبُوْۤاturn in repentanceاِلَیْهِto HimیُرْسِلِHe will sendالسَّمَآءَ(from) the sky (rain)عَلَیْكُمْupon youمِّدْرَارًا(in) abundanceوَّ یَزِدْكُمْand increase youقُوَّةً(in) strengthاِلٰی(added) toقُوَّتِكُمْyour strengthوَ لَاAnd (do) notتَتَوَلَّوْاturn awayمُجْرِمِیْنَ (as) criminals قَالُوْاThey saidیٰهُوْدُO HudمَاYou have not brought usجِئْتَنَاYou have not brought usبِبَیِّنَةٍclear proofsوَّ مَاand notنَحْنُweبِتَارِكِیْۤ(will) leaveاٰلِهَتِنَاour godsعَنْonقَوْلِكَyour sayingوَ مَاand notنَحْنُwe (are)لَكَin youبِمُؤْمِنِیْنَ believers 11. Hud Page 228اِنْNotنَّقُوْلُwe sayاِلَّاexcept (that)اعْتَرٰىكَhave seized youبَعْضُsomeاٰلِهَتِنَا(of) our godsبِسُوْٓءٍ ؕwith evilقَالَHe saidاِنِّیْۤIndeed, Iاُشْهِدُ[I] call Allah to witnessاللّٰهَ[I] call Allah to witnessوَ اشْهَدُوْۤاand (you) bear witnessاَنِّیْthat I amبَرِیْٓءٌinnocentمِّمَّاof whatتُشْرِكُوْنَۙyou associate مِنْOther than HimدُوْنِهٖOther than HimفَكِیْدُوْنِیْSo plot against meجَمِیْعًاall togetherثُمَّthenلَا(do) notتُنْظِرُوْنِ give me respite اِنِّیْIndeed, Iتَوَكَّلْتُ[I] put my trustعَلَیuponاللّٰهِAllahرَبِّیْmy Lordوَ رَبِّكُمْ ؕand your Lordمَا(There is) notمِنْof a moving creatureدَآبَّةٍof a moving creatureاِلَّاbutهُوَHeاٰخِذٌۢhas graspبِنَاصِیَتِهَا ؕof its forelockاِنَّIndeedرَبِّیْmy Lordعَلٰی(is) onصِرَاطٍa pathمُّسْتَقِیْمٍ straight فَاِنْSo ifتَوَلَّوْاyou turn awayفَقَدْthen verilyاَبْلَغْتُكُمْI have conveyed to youمَّاۤwhatاُرْسِلْتُI was sentبِهٖۤwith [it]اِلَیْكُمْ ؕto youوَ یَسْتَخْلِفُand will give successionرَبِّیْmy Lordقَوْمًا(to) a peopleغَیْرَكُمْ ۚother than youوَ لَاand notتَضُرُّوْنَهٗyou will harm Himشَیْـًٔا ؕ(in) anythingاِنَّIndeedرَبِّیْmy Lordعَلٰی(is) onكُلِّallشَیْءٍthingsحَفِیْظٌ a Guardian وَ لَمَّاAnd whenجَآءَcameاَمْرُنَاOur commandنَجَّیْنَاWe savedهُوْدًاHudوَّ الَّذِیْنَand those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelievedمَعَهٗwith himبِرَحْمَةٍby a Mercyمِّنَّا ۚfrom Usوَ نَجَّیْنٰهُمْand We saved themمِّنْfromعَذَابٍa punishmentغَلِیْظٍ severe وَ تِلْكَAnd thisعَادٌ ۙ۫(was) Aadجَحَدُوْاthey rejectedبِاٰیٰتِ(the) Signsرَبِّهِمْ(of) their Lordوَ عَصَوْاand disobeyedرُسُلَهٗHis Messengersوَ اتَّبَعُوْۤاand followedاَمْرَ(the) commandكُلِّ(of) everyجَبَّارٍtyrantعَنِیْدٍ obstinate وَ اُتْبِعُوْاAnd they were followedفِیْinهٰذِهِthisالدُّنْیَاworldلَعْنَةً(with) a curseوَّ یَوْمَand (on the) Dayالْقِیٰمَةِ ؕ(of) the ResurrectionاَلَاۤNo doubt!اِنَّIndeedعَادًاAadكَفَرُوْاdisbelievedرَبَّهُمْ ؕtheir LordاَلَاSoبُعْدًاawayلِّعَادٍwith Aadقَوْمِ(the) peopleهُوْدٍ۠(of) Hud

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Translation of Verse 50-60

(11:50) And to 'Ad We sent their brother Hud.⁵⁴ He said: 'My people! Serve Allah: you have no god save Him. (In attributing partners to Allah) you have merely been fabricating lies.⁵⁵

(11:51) My people! I seek no reward from you for my work. My reward lies only with Him Who created me. Do you not understand anything?⁵⁶

(11:52) My people! Ask your Lord for forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. He will shower abundant rains upon you from the heaven, and will add strength to your strength.⁵⁷ Do not turn away as those given to guilt.'

(11:53) They said: 'O Hud! You have not brought to us any clear evidence,⁵⁸ and we are not going to forsake our gods merely because you say so. We are not going to believe you.

(11:54) All we can say is that some god of ours has afflicted you with evil.⁵⁹ .Hud said: 'Indeed I take Allah as my witness,⁶⁰ and you too to be my witnesses that I have nothing to do⁶¹ with your associating with Allah

(11:55) others than Him in His divinity. So conspire against me, all of you, and give me no respite.⁶²

(11:56) I have put my trust in Allah, Who is my Lord and your Lord. There is no moving creature which He does not hold by its forelock. Surely, My Lord is on the straight path.⁶³

(11:57) If you, then, turn away (from the truth), know that I have delivered the message with which I was sent to you. Now my Lord will set up another people in place of you and you shall in no way be able to harm Him.⁶⁴ Surely my Lord keeps a watch over everything.'

(11:58) And when Our com-mand came to pass, We delivered Hud, together with those who shared his faith, out of special mercy from Us. We delivered them from a woeful chastisement.

(11:59) Such were 'Ad. They repudiated the signs of their Lord, disobeyed His Messengers,⁶⁵ and followed the bidding of every tyrannical enemy of the truth.

(11:60) They were pursued by a curse in this world, and so will they be on the Day of Judgement .Lo! 'Ad disbelieved in the Lord. Lo! ruined are 'Ad, the people of Hud.

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Commentary

54. Fora detailed account see Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf 7, nn. 51-6, pp. 42-5.

55. Those whom the Makkan unbelievers associated with God in His divinity actually possessed none of the attributes and powers of God. There was, therefore, no grounds whatsoever for anyone to worship them. Some people had mistakenly taken them as their deities, and looked to those deities to answer their prayers and fulfil their needs.

56. This is a very eloquent statement which also embodies a very weighty argument. The Makkan unbelievers had summarily rejected the Prophet’s Message without even seriously considering it. This was indicative of the fact that they did not use their brains. For, had they used them, they would certainly have been impressed by the veracity of the Prophet (peace be on him) and the truth of his teachings. For here was someone who had gone through immense suffering in the course of his calling his people to the truth and in sincerely counselling and admonishing them. Again, it was quite evident from all the Prophet’s activities that there was no intention of seeking any benefit for himself or his family. The conclusion was very clear. Such a person must have had a very strong reason to be totally convinced about the truth of his faith. For it is in the cause of his faith that he had renounced all his ease and comfort, eschewed the ambitions of material prosperity, and ventured to undertake the perilous task of challenging the beliefs, customs and ways of life which were so deeply rooted in the history of his people. Such an undertaking naturally exposed him both to the hostility of his own people and to many others.

It is obvious that the teaching of such a person could not have been so flimsy and trivial as to be casually cast aside without giving it even a serious thought.

57. This is a reiteration of what was said earlier, ‘that you may seek forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance whereupon He will grant you a fair enjoyment of life until an appointed term’. (See verse 3 above.) We learn from this that the rise and fall of a nation’s fortunes depends on moral factors. For God’s rule over the world is based on moral rather than physical laws which are bereft of all distinction between good and evil. The Qur’an-has repeatedly mentioned that when a nation receives God’s. Message through a Prophet, the fate of that nation depends entirely on how it responds to it. If that nation accepts the Message, God lavishes His bounties and blessings upon it.

However, if that nation spurns the Message, it is destroyed.

This is a provision of the moral law according to which God deals with human beings. Another provision of this law is that any nation which, deluded by its. worldly prosperity, has recourse to wrong-doing and sin, is doomed to destruction. However, if the people in question while proceeding speedily towards their tragic end, realize their mistake, give up their disobedience of God and sincerely return to His worship and service, their evil end is averted and their term is extended. Not only that but they are also judged to be deserving of reward instead of punishment, and God even ordains that they may attain well-being and ascendancy.

58. The unbelievers contended that Hid (peace be on him) had no clear evidence to prove that it is God Who had designated him to communicate a message, and that his teachings were true.

59. The unbelievers presumably thought that because of his sacrilegious behavior towards some saint or deity, Prophet Hud (peace be on him) had been smitten with madness. Consequently, both words of abuse and stones were hurled at him even though he had once enjoyed much esteem and respect.

60. In response to this, Hud (peace be on him) pointed out that it was true that he had not put forth specific evidence in support of his claim. He contended that rather than bring a set of minor evidence in support of his claim, he had instead brought the weightiest evidence of all - Almighty God Himself.

For God and His entire universe bear witness to the truths he enunciated. The same evidence also established that the conceptions entertained by the unbelievers were pure concoctions and lacked even an atom’s worth of truth.

61. The unbelievers were adamant. They would not forsake their deities just because Hud asked them to do so. In response, Prophet Hud (peace be on him) made it vehemently clear to them that he could not care less for their deities.

62. This is in answer to the unbelievers’ contention that Hid was suffering because he had invited the wrath of their deities upon himself. (Cf. Yunus 10, n. 71.)

63. Whatever God does is absolutely right. All His actions are rightly directed and sound. None of His actions are arbitrary. He governs the universe, and metes out full justice to all. It is, thus, impossible for someone to follow erroneous doctrines, and to engage in evil-doing and still attain salvation. Nor is it possible that someone who is truthful and righteous will end up a loser.

64. This is a rejoinder to the unbelievers’ statement that they would in no way forsake their deities and believe in the teachings of Hid.

65. It is true that only one Messenger (viz. Hud) had come to them.

However, his teachings were the same as those of all the other Messengers who had been raised among different nations and at different times. Hence their rejection of Hud’s message is referred to here as a rejection of all Messengers.