11. Hud بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ الٓرٰ ۫ Alif Lam Ra كِتٰبٌ (This is) a Book اُحْكِمَتْ are perfected اٰیٰتُهٗ its Verses ثُمَّ moreover فُصِّلَتْ explained in detail مِنْ from لَّدُنْ the One Who حَكِیْمٍ (is) All-Wise خَبِیْرٍۙ All-Aware اَلَّا That Not تَعْبُدُوْۤا you worship اِلَّا but اللّٰهَ ؕ Allah اِنَّنِیْ Indeed I am لَكُمْ to you مِّنْهُ from Him نَذِیْرٌ a warner وَّ بَشِیْرٌۙ and a bearer of glad tidings وَّ اَنِ And that اسْتَغْفِرُوْا Seek forgiveness رَبَّكُمْ (of) your Lord ثُمَّ and تُوْبُوْۤا turn in repentance اِلَیْهِ to Him یُمَتِّعْكُمْ He will let you مَّتَاعًا enjoy حَسَنًا a good اِلٰۤی for اَجَلٍ a term مُّسَمًّی appointed وَّ یُؤْتِ And give كُلَّ (to) every ذِیْ owner فَضْلٍ (of) grace فَضْلَهٗ ؕ His Grace وَ اِنْ But if تَوَلَّوْا you turn away فَاِنِّیْۤ then indeed, I اَخَافُ fear عَلَیْكُمْ for you عَذَابَ (the) punishment یَوْمٍ (of) a Great Day كَبِیْرٍ (of) a Great Day اِلَی To اللّٰهِ Allah مَرْجِعُكُمْ ۚ (is) your return وَ هُوَ and He عَلٰی (is) on كُلِّ every شَیْءٍ thing قَدِیْرٌ All-Powerful اَلَاۤ No doubt! اِنَّهُمْ They یَثْنُوْنَ fold up صُدُوْرَهُمْ their breasts لِیَسْتَخْفُوْا that they may hide مِنْهُ ؕ from Him اَلَا Surely حِیْنَ when یَسْتَغْشُوْنَ they cover (themselves) ثِیَابَهُمْ ۙ (with) their garments یَعْلَمُ He knows مَا what یُسِرُّوْنَ they conceal وَ مَا and what یُعْلِنُوْنَ ۚ they reveal اِنَّهٗ Indeed He عَلِیْمٌۢ (is) All-Knower بِذَاتِ of what الصُّدُوْرِ (is in) the breasts 11. Hud Page 222 وَ مَا And not مِنْ any دَآبَّةٍ moving creature فِی in الْاَرْضِ the earth اِلَّا but عَلَی on اللّٰهِ Allah رِزْقُهَا (is) its provision وَ یَعْلَمُ And He knows مُسْتَقَرَّهَا its dwelling place وَ مُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ؕ and its place of storage كُلٌّ All فِیْ (is) in كِتٰبٍ a Record مُّبِیْنٍ clear وَ هُوَ And He الَّذِیْ (is) the One Who خَلَقَ created السَّمٰوٰتِ the heavens وَ الْاَرْضَ and the earth فِیْ in سِتَّةِ six اَیَّامٍ epochs وَّ كَانَ and His throne was عَرْشُهٗ and His throne was عَلَی on الْمَآءِ the water لِیَبْلُوَكُمْ that He might test [you] اَیُّكُمْ which of you اَحْسَنُ (is) best عَمَلًا ؕ (in) deed وَ لَىِٕنْ But if قُلْتَ you say اِنَّكُمْ Indeed, you مَّبْعُوْثُوْنَ (will be) resurrected مِنْۢ after بَعْدِ after الْمَوْتِ [the] death لَیَقُوْلَنَّ surely would say الَّذِیْنَ those who كَفَرُوْۤا disbelieved اِنْ This is not هٰذَاۤ This is not اِلَّا but سِحْرٌ a magic مُّبِیْنٌ clear وَ لَىِٕنْ And if اَخَّرْنَا We delay عَنْهُمُ from them الْعَذَابَ the punishment اِلٰۤی for اُمَّةٍ a time مَّعْدُوْدَةٍ determined لَّیَقُوْلُنَّ they will surely say مَا What یَحْبِسُهٗ ؕ detains it اَلَا No doubt یَوْمَ (On) the Day یَاْتِیْهِمْ it comes to them لَیْسَ not مَصْرُوْفًا (will be) averted عَنْهُمْ from them وَ حَاقَ and will surround بِهِمْ them مَّا what كَانُوْا they used (to) بِهٖ mock at [it] یَسْتَهْزِءُوْنَ۠ mock at [it]
(11:1) Alif. Lam. Ra. This is a Divine Command1 whose contents have been made firm and set forth in detail2 from One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware
(11:2) that you may worship none but Allah. Verily, I have come to you as a warner and a bearer of good news from Him
(11:3) 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,3 and will bestow favour on everyone who merits favour.4 But should you turn away (from the truth), I fear for you the chastisement of an Awesome Day.
(11:4) Unto Allah is your return, and He has power to do everything.
(11:5) Lo! They fold up their breasts that they may conceal themselves from Him.5 Surely when they cover themselves up with their garments Allah knows well what they cover and what they reveal. Indeed He even knows the secrets hidden in the breasts.
(11:6) There is not a single moving creature on the earth but Allah is responsible for providing its sustenance. He knows where it dwells and where it will permanently rest.6 All this is recorded in a clear Book.
(11:7) And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days - and [before that] His Throne was upon the water7 that He may test you, who of you is better in conduct8 If you were to say (O Muhammad): 'All of you will surely be raised after death', then those who disbelieve will certainly say: 'This is nothing but plain sorcery.9
(11:8) And were We to put off the chastisement from them for a determined period, they will cry out: 'What withholds Him from chastising?' Surely when the day of the chastisement will come, nothing will avert it and the chastisement which they had ridiculed shall encompass them.
1. In keeping with the context, the word kitab has here been rendered as ‘Divine command’. The word kitdb in its Arabic usage denotes not only book or inscription, but also writ and command. There are several instances in the Qur’an of the use of the word in the latter sense. (See, for instance, al-Baqarah 2: 235, al-Ra‘d 13: 38. The significance of ‘command’ is especially evident from the usage of the kitab derivate in the passive tense: see al-Baqarah 2: 180, 183, 216, 246, etc. — Ed.)
2. The contents of this ‘command?’ are firm and unalterable. In addition, the Qur’an is free from the verbosity of orators, the fanciful imagination of poets, the spellbinding rhetoric of litterateurs. Instead, the teachings of the Qur’an have been set forth with remarkable clarity and precision. Thus, in the Qur’anic text we do not find even a single word that is superfluous, nor a single word that is lacking. Moreover, the verses expound the teachings of the Qur’an in such a manner that they are at once elaborate and lucid.
3. If a person turns to God in sincere devotion, He will enable him to spend his life felicitously. God will lavish upon him His bounties, confer a variety of benedictions, provide a life of prosperity, grant peace and tranquility, and cause him to live honorably rather than in ignominy and disgrace. The same idea has been brought forth elsewhere in the Qur’an in the following words: Whoever acts righteously — whether male or female — the while he is a believer, We will surely grant him a clean life . . . (al-Nahl 16: 97).
This verse dispels the Satanic misconception to which simpletons often succumb. The misconception consists of believing that piety, honesty and responsible behavior might at the most lead to man’s well-being in the Next Life, but they certainly play havoc with his life in the present world. Under this mistaken notion it is believed that good people are inevitably destined to live in abject poverty and utter misery.
In refuting this misconception, God makes it clear that righteous behavior is conducive to man’s success in both worlds. Those who live a righteous and God-fearing life will achieve success and esteemed position in this world as in the Next. For, a position of true honor in this world falls only to those who, out of their devotion to God, act righteously, who are known for their excellent morals, who adhere to propriety in their dealings with others, who are considered by people to be trustworthy, of whom all expect nothing but goodness and benevolence, and of whom none entertains the fear of any evil.
Implicit in the Qur’anic expression ‘a fair enjoyment of life’ is another point which should not escape our attention. According to the Qur’an, ‘enjoyment of life’ is of two kinds: one, which leads people, who are heedless of God, to temptations with the result that they immerse themselves in worldliness and forget God even more. Thus, ‘enjoyment of life’, though apparently a divine blessing, proves a curse. It becomes the precursor of God’s punishment. This is what the Qur’an brands as ‘illusory enjoyment’. (See Al ‘Imran 3: 185; al-Hadid 57: 20 — Ed.) By contrast, the other kind of enjoyment of life adds. to a person’s prosperity and physical vitality in such a way that he becomes even more grateful to God.
This kind of ‘enjoyment of life’ prompts man to fulfil the obligations incumbent upon him towards God, towards God’s creatures and towards himself. Strengthened by the resources provided by God, man finds himself in a stronger position to effectively promote the cause of good and righteousness and to strive to obliterate evil and mischief. This is the Qur’anic concept of ‘fair enjoyment of life’ — an enjoyment which does not end with the life of this world, but extends to the Next Life as well.
4, The more a person excels in moral conduct and good deeds, the higher will be the status that God confers upon him. God does not let anyone’s good deeds go to waste. In the same way as God does not show any appreciation for evil, He does not show any lack of appreciation for goodness and virtue. In God’s kingdom there is no place for the kind of atrocious injustice and stupidity to which a Persian poet has given expression in the following couplet: The Arabian steed lies suffering from the wounds of the saddle-pack while a golden necklace adorns the neck of a donkey! God deals with His creatures in such a way that anyone who deserves a reward, is fully granted that reward.
5. When the Prophet’s mission became the talk of the day in Makka, some people showed considerable aversion to it, even if they did not actively oppose it. These people were unwilling to listen to the Prophet (peace be on him) and made a point of avoiding him. If they saw him somewhere they would turn their faces away or try to hide themselves. Such people made every effort to avoid any encounter with the Prophet (peace be on him) lest he might invite them to accept his teaching. The present verse refers precisely to such people; they are portrayed as being frightened at the prospect of facing the truth. Ostrich-like they dug their heads in the sand, fancying that the reality itself had vanished. The fact, however, is that the reality remains, and testifies to the folly of those who hide from it.
6. God is, on the one hand, All-Knowing. He knows exactly where each of His creatures is, be it the nest of a small bird or the hole of a tiny worm. On the other hand, God provides sustenance to all, and provides for them wherever they might be. He is aware at all times of where His creatures spend their lives and where they will breathe their last. It would be sheer stupidity if someone were to think that by resorting to methods such as covering one’s face, or closing one’s eyes one would be able to escape God’s punishment. Even if someone succeeds in eluding the Prophet's observation it is to no avail. For no one can escape God’s observation. Nor should anyone entertain the illusion that God is unaware of the fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) was doing his best to communicate the truth to the unbelievers, and that the latter were trying their utmost to clog their ears lest the truth reached them.
7. This is a parenthetical statement which was presumably made in response to some such query: ‘If there was a time when the heavens and the earth did not exist, and then they were created — what is it that existed before?’ Without explicitly mentioning any such query, an answer is briefly provided.
The answer is: before all the heavens and the earth were created there was water everywhere. However, we are not in a position to state with certainty the meaning of the word ‘water’ used in the verse. Does it mean the ‘water’ known to us by that name now? Or has it been used metaphorically to refer to matter in its liquid form before it assumed its present form? As for the statement that God’s Throne was on water, it means — as far as we have been able to grasp — that God’s kingdom was over water.
8. God created the earth and the heavens because He wanted to create man.
Furthermore, He created man so as to entrust him with moral responsibility and to invest him with the power of God’s vicegerency. Thereafter, it was to be seen how each human being would acquit himself of that responsibility and how he would make use of the power entrusted to him. It is possible to imagine that this was not the purpose of creating man and that God had willed man to have the powers that he now has and yet not put him to any test, nor question him about whether he used the powers granted to him appropriately or not. It is also possible to imagine that man would not be required to render any account to God nor be rewarded or punished for his deeds. It is also possible to imagine that man, who has been encumbered with moral responsibility, would simply end in dust. If all this is true, then we have no alternative but to consider this entire act of creation a senseless ploy, and human life an absolute futility.
9. The unbelievers are so downright foolish that they consider the universe no more than the playhouse of some sportive fellow, and regard themselves merely as pranks to amuse him. They are so elated with this foolish concept that even when they are informed of the true purpose of creation and of their - own life in it, they simply laugh it all away: They also go to the extent of flinging the gibe of sorcerer at the Prophet (peace be on him).