Surah 11. Hud

Alif. Lam. Ra.¹ A DIVINE WRIT [is this], with messages that have been made clear in and by themselves, and have been distinctly spelled out as well² - [bestowed upon you] out of the grace of One who is wise, all-aware,

  - Mohammad Asad

See Appendix II. In the somewhat strange opinion of Sibawayh (cf. Manar XII, 3) and of Razi in his commentary on this verse, the letters Alif-Lam-Ra represent the title of this surah and ought therefore to be read in conjunction with the following sentence, thus: "Alif-Lam-Ra is a divine writ...", etc. However, this opinion conflicts sharply with that of several earlier authorities of great standing, e.g., Az-Zajjaj (quoted by Razi), and is, moreover, unacceptable in view of the fact that a number of other surahs are preceded by such letter-symbols without any syntactic possibility of their being regarded as "titles".

According to Zamakhshari and Razi, the conjunction thumma at the beginning of the clause thumma fussilat (lit., "and then have been distinctly spelled out") does not denote a sequence in time but, rather, a coordination of qualities or conditions; therefore my rendering. As regards my translation of the phrase uhkimat ayatuhu as "messages that have been made clear in and by themselves", see the first sentence of 3:7 as well as the corresponding note [5], which explains the expression ayat muhkamat. Rashid Rida' interprets this phrase in the same sense (see Manar XII, 3f.).

Alif Lam Ra. This Book, whose verses are perfected and issued in detail by the One Who is All-Wise, All-Aware.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture the revelations whereof are perfected and then expounded. (It cometh ) from One Wise, Informed,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

so that you may worship none but God. [Say, O Prophet:] "Behold, I come unto you from Him [as] a warner and a bearer of glad tidings:³

  - Mohammad Asad

The conjunction an ("that") preceding the next sentence ("that you shall...", etc.) is in this rendering expressed by means of a colon. The interpolation, between brackets, of the words "Say, O Prophet" is necessitated by the first-person construction of this sentence. The subsequent passage - up to the end of verse {4} - outlines both the "warning" and the "glad tidings" referred to above, and thus circumscribes elliptically the whole of the message entrusted to the Prophet.

Teaches that you should worship none but Allah - indeed I am a Warner and bearer of good news from Him to you.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(Saying): Serve none but Allah. Lo! I am Unto you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - [whereupon] He will grant you a goodly enjoyment of life [in this world] until a term set [by Him is fulfilled];⁴ and [in the life to come] He will bestow upon everyone possessed of merit [a full reward for] his merit.⁵ But if you turn away, then, verily, I dread for you the suffering [which is bound to befall you] on that awesome Day!⁶

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "till the end of your lives" (for an explanation of the term ajal musamma, see note [2] on 6:2 ). Since God, in His unfathomable wisdom, does not always grant worldly happiness and material benefits to everyone who believes in Him and lives righteously, it is only reasonable to assume - as Rashid Rida' does in Manar XII, 7 ff. - that the "goodly enjoyment of life" (i.e., in this world) promised in the above sentence relates to the community of the believers as a whole, and not necessarily to individuals. (Cf. 3:139 - "you are bound to rise high if you are [truly] believers".)

The noun fadl, when used with reference to God, invariably denotes "bounty" or "favour"; in its reference to man, is usually signifies "merit" or, occasionally, "eminence". The above verse makes it clear that, in contrast to the partial and often only moral rewards and punishments in the life of this world, God will, in the life to come, bestow the full measure of His favours upon everyone who has acquired merit by virtue of his faith and his actions. (Cf. 3:185 - "only on the Day of Resurrection will you be requited in full for whatever you have done".)

Lit., "the suffering of a great Day". See in this connection 9:128 .

You should seek forgiveness of your Rabb and turn to Him in repentance; He will grant you good provisions till an appointed term, and bestow His grace on everyone who has merit! But if you turn away (pay no heed), I fear for you the punishment of a Great Day.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And (bidding you) : Ask pardon of your Lord and turn to Him repentant. He will cause you to enjoy a fair estate until a time appointed. He giveth His bounty unto every bountiful one. But if ye turn away, Lo! (then) I fear for you the retribution of an awful Day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Unto God you all must return; and He has the power to will anything."

  - Mohammad Asad

To Allah you shall all return and He has power over everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Unto Allah is your return, and He is able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Oh, verily, they [who are bent on denying the truth of this divine writ] are enshrouding their hearts in order to hide from Him.⁷ Oh, verily, [even] when they cover themselves with their garments [in order not to see or hear],⁸ He knows all that they keep secret as well as all that they bring into the open - for, behold, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men].

  - Mohammad Asad

Since the people referred to in this verse obviously do not believe in the divine origin of Muhammad's message, their "hiding from God" can have, in this context, only one meaning - namely, that of a metaphor for their unwillingness to listen to the truth which emanates from Him: and this also explains the statement that they are "enshrouding their hearts" (lit., "bosoms", as at the end of this verse), i.e., are allowing their hearts and minds to remain wrapped-up in prejudices, thus making them impervious to spiritual perception. See in this connection 8:55 and the corresponding note [58].

The above interpolation corresponds to the meaning given to the preceding phrase by most of the lexicographers (cf. Lane VI, 2262).

Behold! They cover up their chests to conceal their thoughts from Him! Beware! Even when they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they reveal; for He knows even the inmost secrets of the chests.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Lo! now they fold up their breasts that they may hide (their thoughts) from Him. At the very moment when they cover themselves with their clothing, Allah knoweth that which they keep hidden and that which they proclaim. Lo! He is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And there is no living creature on earth but depends for its sustenance on God; and He knows its time-limit [on earth] and its resting-place [after death]:⁹ all [this] is laid down in [His] clear decree.

  - Mohammad Asad

For this rendering of mustaqarr and mustawda', see note [83] on 6:98 . The above reference to God's all-embracing knowledge connects with the end of the preceding verse ("He has full knowledge of all that is in the hearts of men").

There is no moving creature on Earth whose sustenance is not provided by Allah. He knows its living and its resting place, and all that is recorded in a glorious Book.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof dependeth on Allah. He knoweth its habitation and its repository. All is in a clear record.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And He it is who has created the heavens and the earth in six aeons; and [ever since He has willed to create life,] the throne of His almightiness has rested upon water.¹⁰ [God reminds you of your dependence on Him] in order to test you [and thus to make manifest] which of you is best in conduct. For thus it is: if¹¹ thou sayest [unto men], "Behold, you shall be raised again after death!" - they who are bent on denying the truth are sure to answer, "This is clearly nothing but an enchanting delusion!"¹²

  - Mohammad Asad

As regards my rendering of ayyam (lit., "days") as "aeons" and 'arsh as the "throne of [God's] almightiness", see surah {7}, note [43]. The symbolic reference to "the throne of His almightiness resting upon water" would seem to point to the God-willed evolution of all life out of water - a fact clearly brought out by the Qur'an (see 21:30 and the corresponding note [39]) and in modern times confirmed by biological research. This tentative interpretation is strengthened by the mention, in the preceding verse, of "living creatures". My interpolation, between brackets, of the phrase "ever since He has willed to create life" is in accordance with the views advanced by Rashid Rida' in his lengthy commentary on this verse (Manar XII, 16ff.).

The expression la'in (lit., "indeed, if...") appearing here as well as in each of the next three verses is meant to stress the typical - i.e., recurrent - character of the situation to which it refers. In my opinion, it is best rendered as "thus it is: if...", etc.

The term sihr, which is often used in the sense of "sorcery" or "magic", denotes, primarily, "the turning of something from its proper [i.e., natural] condition of being into another condition" (Taj al-'Arus); hence, it signifies any act which causes something that is false or unreal to assume the appearance of reality. Since, however, the Qur'anic statement that "you shall be raised again after death" is not - as has been pointed out by Razi - an "act" in the proper connotation of this word, it would be illogical to assume that this statement could be characterized as "sorcery" even by those who do not believe in it. On the other hand, it is obvious that they dismiss it contemptuously as a mere "enchanting delusion" intended to prevent those who are able to do so from enjoying their worldly life to the full (Razi) or, alternatively, to induce the poor and unfortunate to remain passively satisfied with their miserable lot on earth: and this is the meaning of sihr in the above context. (Cf. 10:2 , where the epithet sahir - in the sense of "spellbinder" - is applied by unbelievers to the Prophet Muhammad.)

He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods - at the time when His Throne was rested on the water - so that He may test to find out which of you is the best in deeds. Now if you tell them:" You shall indeed be raised up after death," the unbelievers would certainly say: "This is nothing but sheer magic!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days and His Throne was upon the water that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct. Yet if thou (O Muhammad) sayest: Lo! ye will be raised again after death! those who disbelieve will surely say: This is naught but mere magic.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thus it is: if We defer their suffering until a time-limit set [by Us],¹³ they are sure to say, "What is preventing it [from coming now]?"¹⁴ Oh, verily, on the Day when it befalls them there will be nothing to avert it from them; and they shall be overwhelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride.¹⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "a time computed [by Us]", i.e., the Day of Judgment: a reference to the last sentence of verse {3} above, where the Prophet is made to say, "I dread for you the suffering [which is bound to befall you] on that awesome Day!" Among the several meanings which the noun ummah comprises, that of "time" or "a period of time" is the most appropriate here (Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir and other classical commentators).

For an explanation of this allusion to the attitude of the unbelievers, see 8:32 and 10:50 , as well as the corresponding notes; cf. also {6:57-58}. The repeated Quranic references to the above derisive query are evidently meant to show that the attitude of mind responsible for it is not restricted to an isolated historic incident (see surah {8}, note [32]) but is symptomatic of most, if not all, people "who are bent on denying the truth".

Lit., "that which they were wont to deride enfolded them (haqa bihim)". According to almost all the commentators, the use of the past tense in the verb haqa, despite the fact that it refers to the future, has the syntactic value of a stress, implying the inevitability of the happening to which it relates. (See also note [9] on 6:10 .)

And if We put off their punishment till an appointed time, they are sure to ask: "What is holding it back?" Beware! When the Day of that punishment comes, nothing will hold it back from them and they will be completely encircled by that which they are ridiculing.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if We delay for them the doom until a reckoned time, they will surely say: What withholdeth it? Verily on the day when it cometh unto them, it cannot be averted from them, and that which they derided will surround them.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thus it is: if We let man taste some of Our grace,¹⁶ and then take it away from him - behold, he abandons all hope,¹⁷ forgetting all gratitude [for Our past favours].

  - Mohammad Asad

The sequence makes it clear that the generic term "man" referred to in this and the next verse applies, primarily, to the agnostics who are either unconvinced of the existence of God or are "bent upon denying the truth"; in its wider implication, however, it applies also to those who, while believing in God, are weak in faith and therefore easily swayed by external circumstances, and particularly by whatever happens to themselves.

Lit., "he is [or "becomes"] utterly hopeless" or "despairing" (ya'us), inasmuch as he attributes his past happy state to a merely accidental chain of causes and effects - in short, to what is commonly regarded as "luck" - and not to God's grace. Hence, the term ya'us, in its Qur'anic usage, is indicative of spiritual nihilism.

If We let man taste any mercy from Us, then withdraw it from him, he becomes despairing, ungrateful.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if We cause man to taste some mercy from Us and afterward withdraw it from him, lo! he is despairing, thankless.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And thus it is: if We let him taste ease and plenty¹⁸ after hardship has visited him, he is sure to say, "Gone is all affliction from me!" - for, behold, he is given to vain exultation, and glories only in himself.¹⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

This combination of two words is necessary to bring out the full meaning of the noun na'ma' which occurs in this form in the Qur'an only once. For my rendering of la'in as "thus it is: if...", etc., see note [11] above.

Lit., "he is exultant beyond all measure, excessively self-glorifying" - i.e., he usually attributes the turn of fortune to his own good qualities and his supposed "good luck".

But if We let him taste any favor after adversity has afflicted him, then he says: "All my sorrows are gone from me," and he becomes jubilantly arrogant.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if We cause him to taste grace after some misfortune that had befallen him, he saith: The ills have gone from me. Lo! he is exultant, boastful;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[And thus it is with most men -] save those who are patient in adversity and do righteous deeds: it is they whom forgiveness of sins awaits, and a great reward.

  - Mohammad Asad

The exception is for those people who are steadfast and do good deeds; they are the ones who will have forgiveness and a great reward.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Save those who persevere and do good works. Theirs will be forgiveness and a great reward.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

IS IT, then, conceivable [O Prophet] that thou couldst omit any part of what is being revealed unto thee [because the deniers of the truth dislike it, and] because thy heart is distressed at their saying,²⁰ "Why has not a treasure been bestowed upon him from on high?" - or, "[Why has not] an angel come [visibly] with him?"²¹ [They fail to understand that] thou art only a warner, whereas God has everything in His care;²²

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "because thy bosom is constricted [for fear] lest they say". According to all available authorities, the expression la'alla (lit., "it may well be that") at the beginning of the above sentence denotes a wrong expectation on the part of the opponents of Muhammad's message; it is, therefore, best rendered in the form of a query which implies its own denial - thus: "Is it conceivable that...", etc. As regards the expectation that the Prophet might omit a part of what was being revealed to him, it has been reported by 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas and other Companions (see Razi's commentary on this verse) that the pagan Quraysh demanded of the Prophet, "Bring us a revelation (kitab) which does not contain a defamation of our deities, so that we could follow thee and believe in thee."

Explaining this verse, Ibn'Abbas mentions that some of the pagan chieftains of Mecca said "O Muhammad, cause the mountains of Mecca to be turned into gold, if thou art truly an apostle of God", while others exclaimed derisively, "Bring before us angels who would bear witness to thy being a prophet!" - whereupon the above verse was revealed (Razi). Cf. 6:8 and {17:90-93}.

Sc., "and so it is He who will cause the truth to prevail". Regarding the Prophet's denial of any ability on his part to perform miracles, see 6:50 and the corresponding note [38].

O Prophet, be on your guard lest you omit to recite some things which are being revealed to you feeling distressed in your heart that they might say: "Why has no treasure been sent down to him, or why has no angel come with him?" You should know that you are nothing but a Warner! It is Allah Who is the Custodian of everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

A likely thing, that thou wouldst forsake aught of that which hath been revealed unto thee, and that thy breast should be straitened for it, because they say: Why hath not a treasure been sent down for him, or an angel come with him? Thou art but a warner, and Allah is in charge of all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and so they assert, "[Muhammad himself] has invented this [Qur'an]!"²³ Say [unto them]: "Produce, then, ten surahs of similar merit, invented [by yourselves], and [to this end] call to your aid whomever you can, other than God, if what you say is true!²⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

For my rendering of the particle am at the beginning of this sentence as "and", see surah {10}, note [61].

I.e., that a divine writ like the Qur'an could have been "invented" by a human being. Cf. 2:23 , {10:37-38} and 17:88 , as well as the corresponding notes.

Do they say: "He has made up the Qur'an himself." Say to them: "Make up ten Surahs like this and call to your aid whomsoever you can, including your gods whom you worship, besides Allah if what you say is true.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Or they say: He hath invented it. Say: Then bring ten surahs, the like thereof, invented, and call on everyone ye can beside Allah, if ye are truthful!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And if they [whom you have called to your aid] are not able to help you,²⁵ then know that [this Qur'an] has been bestowed from on high out of God's wisdom alone,²⁶ and that there is no deity save Him. Will you, then, surrender yourselves unto Him?"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "if they [i.e., your poets and wise men] do not respond to your call". Cf. 2:24 , where a similar challenge is followed by the words, "And if you cannot do it - and most certainly you cannot do it - then...", etc.

Lit., "only by God's knowledge".

But if those gods fail to answer you, then you should know that (they are false gods and that) this (Book) is revealed with the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no god but Him! Will you then become Muslims?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if they answer not your prayer, then know that it is revealed only in the knowledge of Allah; and that there is no God save Him. Will ye then be (of) those who surrender?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AS FOR THOSE who care for [no more than] the life of this world and its bounties - We shall repay them in full for all that they did in this [life], and they shall not be deprived of their just due therein:

  - Mohammad Asad

Those who desire the life of this world and its splendors, they are given full reward of their deeds therein and shall not be diminished.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Whoso desireth the life of the world and its pomp, We shall repay them their deeds herein, and therein they will not be wronged.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall