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Surah 11. Hud

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11:46
قَالَ يَـٰنُوحُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَـٰلِحٍ ۖ فَلَا تَسْـَٔلْنِ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَعِظُكَ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ Q a la y a noo h u innahu laysa min ahlika innahu AAamalun ghayru sa li h in fal a tasalni m a laysa laka bihi AAilmun innee aAAi th uka an takoona mina alj a hileen a
[God] answered: "O Noah, behold, he was not of thy family, for, verily, he was unrighteous in his conduct.68 And thou shalt not ask of Me anything whereof thou canst not have any knowledge:69 thus, behold, do I admonish thee lest thou become one of those who are unaware [of what is right]."70
  - Mohammad Asad

According to some commentators (e.g., Tabari and Razi), the phrase innahu 'amal ghayr salih relates to Noah's prayer for his son, and constitutes a divine reproach - in which case it should be rendered as "verily, this [prayer] is unrighteous conduct [on thy part]". Others, however (e.g., Zamakhshari), reject this interpretation and relate the above phrase to the son, in the manner rendered by me. This, I believe, is more in tune with the statement, "he was not of thy family" - i.e., spiritually, inasmuch as he was of, or preferred to remain with, "those who deny the truth".

I.e., knowledge of the innermost reasons of God's decrees and of the ultimate destiny of any human being in the hereafter: for, the answers to this "why" and this "how" lie in the realm of things which are beyond the reach of human perception (al-ghayb).

I.e., "lest thou prove to be one of those ignorant who ask God that He change His decrees in response to their own desires" (Manar XII, 85 f.).

Allah replied: "O Nuh! In fact he is not of your family; for he is not of righteous conduct. So do not ask Me anything of which you have no knowledge! I admonish you, lest you become one of the ignorant!"
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Allah replied, 'O Noah! He is certainly not of your family- he was entirely of unrighteous conduct. So do not ask Me about what you have no knowledge of! I warn you so you do not fall into ignorance.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
He said: O Noah! Lo! he is not of thy household; lo! he is of evil conduct, so ask not of Me that whereof thou hast no knowledge. I admonish thee lest thou be among the ignorant.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
He said: "O Noah! he is not of thy family: for his conduct is unrighteous. So ask not of Me that of which thou hast no knowledge! I give thee counsel lest thou act like the ignorant!" 1540
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 5135 above. Like all Prophets of Allah, Noah was kind-hearted, but he is told that there can be no compromise with evil. And Noah acknowledges the reproof. There was a wife of Noah, who was also an unbelieving woman (lxvi. 10), and she suffered the fate of Unbelievers.

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11:47
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّىٓ أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْـَٔلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِى وَتَرْحَمْنِىٓ أَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ Q a la rabbi innee aAAoo th u bika an asalaka m a laysa lee bihi AAilmun waill a taghfir lee watar h amnee akun mina alkh a sireen a
Said [Noah]: "O my Sustainer! Verily, I seek refuge with Thee from [ever again] asking of Thee anything whereof I cannot have any knowledge! For unless Thou grant me forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon me, I shall be among the lost!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Nuh said: "My Rabb! I seek refuge in You for asking You that of which I have no knowledge; and unless You forgive me and have mercy on me, I shall surely be lost!"
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Noah pleaded, 'My Lord, I seek refuge in You from asking You about what I have no knowledge of, and unless You forgive me and have mercy on me, I will be one of the losers.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
He said: My Lord! Lo! in Thee do I seek refuge (from the sin) that I should ask of Thee that whereof I have no knowledge. Unless Thou forgive me and have mercy on me I shall he among the lost.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Noah said: "O my Lord! I do seek refuge with Thee lest I ask Thee for that of which I have no knowledge. And unless Thou forgive me and have Mercy on me I should indeed be lost!" 1541
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Noah, in his natural affection and respect for ties of relationship, was overcome with human weakness in wishing to reverse the Decree of Allah. It was not sin but ignorance. His ignorance was corrected by divine inspiration, and he immediately saw the full Truth, acknowledged his error, and asked for Allah's forgiveness and mercy. This is the standard set for us all.

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11:48
قِيلَ يَـٰنُوحُ ٱهْبِطْ بِسَلَـٰمٍ مِّنَّا وَبَرَكَـٰتٍ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰٓ أُمَمٍ مِّمَّن مَّعَكَ ۚ وَأُمَمٌ سَنُمَتِّعُهُمْ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهُم مِّنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ Qeela y a noo h u ihbi t bisal a min minn a wabarak a tin AAalayka waAAal a omamin mimman maAAaka waomamun sanumattiAAuhum thumma yamassuhum minn a AAa tha bun aleem un
[Thereupon] the word was spoken: "O Noah! Disembark in peace from Us,71 and with [Our] blessings upon thee as well as upon the people [who are with thee, and the righteous ones that will spring from thee and] from those who are with thee.72 But [as for the unrighteous] folk [that will spring from you] - We shall allow them to enjoy life [for a little while], and then there will befall them grievous suffering from Us."
  - Mohammad Asad

The term salam - here translated as "peace" - comprises the notions of both external and internal security from all that is evil. For a fuller explanation of the term, see surah {5}, note [29].

The above interpolation is based on the consensus of most of the classical commentators. The phrase "the people [or "generations"] from those who are with thee" points to generations as yet unborn; but since God's blessing extends to all believers, it eo ipso comprises the believers of Noah's generation as well; and since "those who deny the truth" (al-kafirun) are excluded from God's blessing, only the righteous from among the offspring of these early believers are promised a share in His grace (cf. a similar allusion, relating to Abraham's descendants, in 2:124 ): hence my interpolation of the words "as for the unrighteous that will spring from you" in the next sentence.

It was said: "O Nuh! Disembark (from the ark) with Our peace and blessings on you and on the peoples who are with you. As for other people, We shall grant them the provisions of life for some time, and if they do not behave righteously, then they shall have a painful punishment from Us."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
It was said, 'O Noah! Disembark with Our peace and blessings on you and some of the descendants of those with you. As for the others, We will allow them 'a brief' enjoyment, then they will be touched with a painful punishment from Us.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
It was said (unto him): O Noah! Go thou down (from the mountain ) with peace from Us and blessings upon thee and some nations (that will spring) from those with thee. (There will be other) nations unto whom We shall give enjoyment a long while and then a painful doom from Us will overtake them.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
The word came: "O Noah! come down (from the Ark) with Peace from Us and Blessings on thee and on some of the Peoples (who will spring) from those with thee: but (there will be other) Peoples to whom We shall grant their pleasures (for a time) but in the end will a grievous Penalty reach them from Us." 1542 1543
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. ii. 126.

Those who truly seek Allah's light and guidance and sincerely bend their will to His Will are freely admitted to Allah's grace. Notwithstanding any human weaknesses in them, they are advanced higher in the stage on account of their Faith, Trust, and Striving after Right. They are given Allah's Peace, which gives the soul true calmness and strength, and all the blessings that flow from spiritual life. This was given not only to Noah and his family but to all the righteous people who were saved with him. And their descendants were also promised those blessings on condition of righteousness. But some of them fell from grace, as we know in history. Allah's grace is not a social or family privilege. Each people and each individual must earnestly strive for it and earn it.

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11:49
تِلْكَ مِنْ أَنۢبَآءِ ٱلْغَيْبِ نُوحِيهَآ إِلَيْكَ ۖ مَا كُنتَ تَعْلَمُهَآ أَنتَ وَلَا قَوْمُكَ مِن قَبْلِ هَـٰذَا ۖ فَٱصْبِرْ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلْعَـٰقِبَةَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ Tilka min anb a i alghaybi noo h eeh a ilayka m a kunta taAAlamuh a anta wal a qawmuka min qabli h atha fa i s bir inna alAA a qibata lilmuttaqeen a
THESE ACCOUNTS of something that was beyond the reach of thy perception We [now] reveal unto thee, [O Muhammad: for] neither thou nor thy people knew them [fully] ere this.73 Be, then, [like Noah,] patient in adversity - for, behold, the future belongs to the God-conscious!
  - Mohammad Asad

See verse {35} above. Although the story of Noah had been vaguely known to the Arabs even before the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, they - and the Prophet with them - were entirely unaware of the details as narrated in the preceding Qur'anic account (Razi). The use of the plural at the beginning of this parenthetic passage ("These accounts") - in contrast with the singular form employed in a similar phrase occurring in 3:44 , 11:100 and 12:102 ("This account") - seems, in my opinion, to indicate that it refers not only to the preceding story of Noah but also to the subsequent stories of other prophets. In this connection it should be remembered - and it cannot be stressed too often - that "narrative" as such is never the purpose of the Qur'an. Whenever it relates the stories of earlier prophets, or alludes to ancient legends or to historical events that took place before the advent of Islam or during the lifetime of the Prophet, the aim is, invariably, a moral lesson; and since one and the same event, or even legend, has usually many facets revealing as many moral implications, the Qur'an reverts again and again to the same stories, but every time with a slight variation of stress on this or that aspect of the fundamental truths underlying the Qur'anic revelation as a whole.

O Muhammad, these are some of the facts from the unseen history which We have now revealed to you: neither you nor your people knew about it before. So have patience; surely the end is for the righteous.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
This is one of the stories of the unseen, which we reveal to you 'O Prophet'. Neither you nor your people knew it before this. So be patient! Surely the ultimate outcome belongs 'only' to the righteous.
  - Mustafa Khattab
This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou thyself knewest it not, nor did thy folk (know it) before this. Then have patience. Lo! the sequel is for those who ward off (evil).
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Such are some of the stories of the Unseen which We have revealed unto thee: before this neither thou nor thy People knew them. So persevere patiently: for the End is for those who are righteous. 1544
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. n. 1528 to xi. 35. The sum of the whole matter is that the righteous, who work for Allah and their fellow-men, may be traduced, insulted, and persecuted. But they will be sustained by Allah's Mercy. They must go on working patiently, for the End will all be for them and their Cause.

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11:50
وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۚ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥٓ ۖ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ Wail a AA a din akh a hum hoodan q a la y a qawmi oAAbudoo All a ha m a lakum min il a hin ghayruhu in antum ill a muftaroon a
AND UNTO [the tribe of] 'Ad [We sent] their brother Hud.74 He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone] you have no deity other than Him. [As it is,] you are but inventors of falsehood!75
  - Mohammad Asad

For particulars relating to the name Hud as well as the tribe of 'Ad, see surah {7}, note [48].

I.e., inventors of alleged deities that have no reality in themselves (cf. 7:71 , which also relates to the story of Hud). Regarding the term muftarun, see surah {7}, note [119].

To the people of 'Ad We sent their brother Hud. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no god but Him; otherwise you are just making things up.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And to the people of 'Âd We sent their brother Hûd. He said, 'O my people! Worship Allah. You have no god other than Him. You do nothing but fabricate lies 'against Allah'.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And unto (the tribe of) Aad (We sent) their brother, Hud. He said: O my people! Serve Allah! Ye have no other God save Him. Lo! ye do but invent!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
To the `Ad People (We sent) Hud one of their own brethren. He said: "O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. (Your other gods) ye do nothing but invent! 1545
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. the story of Hud the Messenger of the 'Ad People, in vii. 65-72. There the argument was how other Peoples treated thier prophets as the Makkans were treating Al-Mustafa. Here we see another point emphasized: the insolence of the 'Ad in obstinately adhering to false gods after the true God had been preached to them, Allah's grace to them, and finally Allah's justice in bringing them to book while the righteous were saved. The locality in which the 'Ad flourished is indicated in n. 1040 to vii. 65.

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11:51
يَـٰقَوْمِ لَآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِى فَطَرَنِىٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ Y a qawmi l a asalukum AAalayhi ajran in ajriya ill a AAal a alla th ee fa t aranee afal a taAAqiloon a
"O my people! No reward do I ask of you for this [message]: my reward rests with none but Him who brought me into being. Will you not, then, use your reason?
  - Mohammad Asad
O my people! I do not ask you any reward for my services; for none can reward me except my creator. Will you not then use your common sense?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
O my people! I do not ask you for any reward for this 'message'. My reward is only from the One Who created me. Will you not then understand?
  - Mustafa Khattab
O my people! I ask of you no reward for it. Lo! my reward is the concern only of Him who made me. Have ye then no sense?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"O my people! I ask of you no reward for this (Message). My reward is from none but Him Who created me: will ye not then understand?
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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11:52
وَيَـٰقَوْمِ ٱسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ مُجْرِمِينَ Way a qawmi istaghfiroo rabbakum thumma tooboo ilayhi yursili a l ssam a a AAalaykum midr a ran wayazidkum quwwatan il a quwwatikum wal a tatawallaw mujrimeen a
"Hence, O my people, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - [whereupon] He will shower upon you heavenly blessings abundant,76 and will add strength to your strength: only do not turn away [from me] as people lost in sin!"
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "He will let loose the sky over you with abundance". The term sama' - lit., "sky" - is often used in classical Arabic as a metonym for "rain", and scarcity of rains is a characteristic of the desert country called Al-Ahqaf ("The Sand-Dunes"), the one-time habitat of the - since vanished - tribe of 'Ad. As would appear from 46:24 , the time to which the above passage alludes was a period of severe drought, and so it is possible that the "abundant blessings" here denote rains.

And O my people! Seek forgiveness of your Rabb and turn to Him in repentance. He will send you from the sky abundant rain and He will add strength to your strength. So do not turn away like criminals."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And O my people! Seek your Lord's forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. He will shower you with rain in abundance, and add strength to your strength. So do not turn away, persisting in wickedness.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And, O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord, then turn unto Him repentant; He will cause the sky to rain abundance on you and will add unto you strength to your strength. Turn not away, guilty!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"And O my people! ask forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him (in repentance): He will send you the skies pouring abundant rain and add strength to your strength: so turn ye not back in sin!" 1546 1547
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The beautiful metaphor about the skies coming down with rain has been obscured unnecessarily in most translations. The country of the 'Ad was an arid country, and rain was the greatest blessing they could receive. We can imagine this being said in a time of famine, when the people performed all sorts of superstitious rites and invocations instead of turning to the true God in faith and repentance. Further, when we remember that there were, in this tract in ancient times, dams like that at Maarib, for the storage of rain water, the effect is still further heightened in pointing to Allah's care and mercy in His dealing with men.

Adding strength to strength may refer to increase of population, as some Commentators think. While other parts of Arabia were sparsely populated, the irrigated lands of the 'Ad supported a comparatively dense population and added to their natural strength in the arts of peace and war. But the term used is perfectly general. They were a powerful people in their time. If they obeyed Allah and followed the law of righteousness, they would be still more powerful, for "righteousness exalteth a nation."

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11:53
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰهُودُ مَا جِئْتَنَا بِبَيِّنَةٍ وَمَا نَحْنُ بِتَارِكِىٓ ءَالِهَتِنَا عَن قَوْلِكَ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ Q a loo y a hoodu m a jitan a bibayyinatin wam a na h nu bit a rikee a lihatin a AAan qawlika wam a na h nu laka bimumineen a
Said they: "O Hud! Thou hast brought us no clear evidence [that thou art a prophet]; and we are not going to forsake our gods on thy mere word, the more so as we do not believe thee.
  - Mohammad Asad
They said: "O Hud! You have given us no clear proof. We are neither going to desert our gods just on your word, nor we are going to believe in you.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
They argued, 'O Hûd! You have not given us any clear proof, and we will never abandon our gods upon your word, nor will we believe in you.
  - Mustafa Khattab
They said: O Hud! Thou hast brought us no clear proof and we are not going to forsake our gods on thy (mere) saying, and we are not believers in thee.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
They said: "O Hud! no Clear (Sign) hast thou brought us and we are not the ones to desert our gods on thy word! Nor do we believe in thee! 1548
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The argument of the Unbelievers is practically this: "We are not convinced by you: we don't want to be convinced: we think you are a liar,-or perhaps a fool!" (See next verse).

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11:54
إِن نَّقُولُ إِلَّا ٱعْتَرَىٰكَ بَعْضُ ءَالِهَتِنَا بِسُوٓءٍ ۗ قَالَ إِنِّىٓ أُشْهِدُ ٱللَّهَ وَٱشْهَدُوٓا۟ أَنِّى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ In naqoolu ill a iAAtar a ka baAA d u a lihatin a bisooin q a la innee oshhidu All a ha wa i shhadoo annee bareeon mimm a tushrikoon a
We can say no more than that one of our gods may have smitten thee with something evil!"77 Answered [Hud]: "Behold, I call God to witness - and you, too, be [my] witnesses - that, verily, it is not in me to ascribe divinity, as you do,78 to aught
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., with madness.

Or: "that, verily, I am guiltless of your ascribing a share in [God's] divinity (mimma tushrikun)...", etc. - thus rejecting the sardonic suggestion of his compatriots that one of their imaginary deities might have stricken him with madness.

We rather believe that perhaps some of our gods have afflicted you with evil." He said: "Allah is my witness and let you also be my witness that I am done with your shirk of worshipping other deities besides Him.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
All we can say is that some of our gods have possessed you with evil.' He said, 'I call Allah to witness, and you too bear witness, that I 'totally' reject whatever you associate
  - Mustafa Khattab
We say naught save that one of our gods hath possessed thee in an evil way. He said: I call Allah to witness, and do ye (too) bear witness, that I am innocent of (all) that ye ascribe as partners (to Allah)
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"We say nothing but that (perhaps) some of our gods may have seized thee with imbecility." He said: "I call Allah to witness and do ye bear witness that I am free from the sin of ascribing to Him 1549
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

See n. 1548 above. Continuing their argument, the Unbelievers make a show of making all charitable allowances for Hud, but in reality cut him to the quick by bringing in their false gods. "To be quite polite," said they, "we will not say that you are exactly a liar! Perhaps you have been touched with imbecility! Ah yes! You rail against what you call our false gods! Some of them have paid you out, and made you a fool! Ha! ha!" This mockery is even worse than their other false accusations. For it sets up false gods against the One True God, even in dealing with Hud. So Hud replies, with spirit and indignation: "At least keep Allah's name out of your futile talk! You know as well as I do, that I worship the One True God! You pretend that your false gods can smite a true Prophet of Allah! I accept the challenge. Scheme and plot against me as you may, all of you-you and your gods! See if you have any power! I ask for no quarter from you! My trust is in Allah!"

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11:55
مِن دُونِهِۦ ۖ فَكِيدُونِى جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لَا تُنظِرُونِ Min doonihi fakeedoonee jameeAAan thumma l a tun th iroon i
beside Him! Contrive, then, [anything that you may wish] against me, all of you, and give me no respite!79
  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. a very similar challenge in the last sentence of 7:195 .

So let all of you scheme against me if you will, and give me no respite.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
with Him 'in worship'. So let all of you plot against me without delay!
  - Mustafa Khattab
Beside Him. So (try to) circumvent me, all of you, give me no respite.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Other gods as partners! So scheme (your worst) against me all of you and give me no respite. 1550
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. vii. 195 and n. 1168.

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11:56
إِنِّى تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُم ۚ مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ ءَاخِذٌۢ بِنَاصِيَتِهَآ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ Innee tawakkaltu AAal a All a hi rabbee warabbikum m a min d a bbatin ill a huwa a khi th un bin as iyatih a inna rabbee AAal a s ir at in mustaqeem in
Behold, I have placed my trust in God, [who is] my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer: for there is no living creature which He does not hold by its forelock.80 Verily, straight is my Sustainer's way!81
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., there is no living being over which He has not complete control and which is not entirely dependent on Him (cf. verse {6} of this surah). When describing a person's humility and subjection to another person, the ancient Arabs used to say, "The forelock of so-and-so is in the hand of so-and-so". See in this connection {96:15-16}, where this idiomatic expression occurs for the first time in the chronological order of Qur'anic revelation.

Lit., "my Sustainer is on a straight way" - implying that He governs all that exists in accordance with a system of truth and justice in the ultimate, absolute sense of these terms, never allowing the conscious evildoer to escape the consequence of his deeds, and never letting righteousness go unrewarded, either in this world or in the hereafter (since it is only in the combination of these two phases that human life can be considered in its entirety).

I have put my trust in Allah, Who is my Rabb and your Rabb. There is no living creature (in the Earth) whose destiny is not controlled by Him. Indeed straight is the Way of my Rabb.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
I have put my trust in Allah- my Lord and your Lord. There is no living creature that is not completely under His control.1 Surely my Lord's Way is perfect justice.2
  - Mustafa Khattab

 lit., there is no moving creature that He does not hold by its forelock.

 lit., my Lord is on the Straight Path.

Lo! I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Not an animal but He doth grasp it by the forelock! Lo! my Lord is on a straight path.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"I put my trust in Allah my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature but He hath grasp of its forelock. Verily it is my Lord that is on a Straight Path. 1551 1552
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Grasp of the fore-lock; an Arabic idiom, referring to a horse's fore-lock. The man who grasps it has complete power over the horse, and for the horse the fore-lock is as it were the crown of his beauty, the sum of his power of self-assertion. So Allah's power over all creatures is unlimited and no one can withstand His decree. Cf. xcvi. 15- 16.

That is, the standard of all virtue and righteousness is in the Will of Allah, the Universal Will that controls all things in goodness and justice. You are on a crooked Path. Allah's Path is a straight Path.

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11:57
فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقَدْ أَبْلَغْتُكُم مَّآ أُرْسِلْتُ بِهِۦٓ إِلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَيَسْتَخْلِفُ رَبِّى قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ وَلَا تَضُرُّونَهُۥ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَفِيظٌ Fain tawallaw faqad ablaghtukum m a orsiltu bihi ilaykum wayastakhlifu rabbee qawman ghayrakum wal a ta d urroonahu shayan inna rabbee AAal a kulli shayin h afee th un
"But if you choose to turn away, then [know that] I have delivered to you the message with which I was sent unto you, and [that] my Sustainer may cause another people to take your place,82 whereas you will in no wise harm Him. Verily, my Sustainer watches over all things!"
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "to succeed you".

Now, even if you turn away, I have at least conveyed the message with which I was sent to you. Since you have denied Him, my Rabb will raise up some other people in your place, and you cannot harm Him in any way. Indeed my Rabb is watching over everything."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
But if you turn away, I have already delivered to you what I have been sent with. My Lord will replace you with others. You are not harming Him in the least. Indeed, my Lord is a 'vigilant' Keeper over all things.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And if ye turn away, still I have conveyed unto you that wherewith I was sent unto you, and my Lord will set in place of you a folk other than you. Ye cannot injure Him at all. Lo! my Lord is Guardian over all things.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"If ye turn away I (at least) have conveyed the Message with which I was sent to you. My Lord will make another People to succeed you and you will not harm Him in the least. For my Lord hath care and watch over all things." 1553
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Hud was dealing with a people of pride and obstinate rebellion. He tells them that their conduct will only recoil on themselves. It can do no harm to Allah or in any way frustrate the beneficent Plan of Allah. He will only put some other people in their place to carry out His Plan. That Plan is referred to in the next sentence as "care and watch" over all his Creation.

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11:58
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا هُودًا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَنَجَّيْنَـٰهُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ Walamm a j a a amrun a najjayn a hoodan wa a lla th eena a manoo maAAahu bira h matin minn a wanajjayn a hum min AAa tha bin ghalee th in
And so, when Our judgment came to pass,83 by Our grace We saved Hud and those who shared his faith; and We saved them [too] from suffering severe [in the life to come].84
  - Mohammad Asad

For the story of the destruction of the tribe of 'Ad through violent storm-winds, see 54:19 and, more particularly, {69:6-8}.

I.e., the suffering which was yet to befall the rest of the tribe of 'Ad. My addition, between brackets, of the words "in the life to come" is based on the interpretation advanced by Tabari, Zamakhshari and Razi, according to whom the first mention of the saving of Hud and his followers refers to the destruction of the people of 'Ad in this world, and the second, to the latters' chastisement in the hereafter.

When Our judgement came to pass, We saved Hud and those who believed with him through a special grace from Us - We did save them from a horrifying scourge.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
When Our command came, We rescued Hûd and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us, saving them from a harsh torment.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And when Our commandment came to pass We saved Hud and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us; We saved them from a harsh doom.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
So when Our decree issued We saved Hud and those who believed with him by (special) Grace from Ourselves: We saved them from a severe Penalty. 1554
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A few just men might suffer for the iniquities of the many. But Allah's Plan is perfect and eventually saves His own people by special Grace, if they have Faith and Trust in Him.

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11:59
وَتِلْكَ عَادٌ ۖ جَحَدُوا۟ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّهِمْ وَعَصَوْا۟ رُسُلَهُۥ وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ عَنِيدٍ Watilka AA a dun ja h adoo bi a y a ti rabbihim waAAa s aw rusulahu wa i ttabaAAoo amra kulli jabb a rin AAaneed in
And that was [the end of the tribe of] 'Ad, [who] had rejected their Sustainer's messages, and rebelled against His apostles, and followed the bidding of every arrogant enemy of the truth.85
  - Mohammad Asad

An allusion to "the great ones among them, who refused to acknowledge the truth" ( 7:66 ). Regarding the above interpretation of the term jabbar, see note [58] on 26:130 .

Such were the people of 'Ad. They denied the revelations of their Rabb, disobeyed His Rasool, and followed the command of every stubborn oppressor.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
That was 'Âd. They denied the signs of their Lord, disobeyed His messengers, and followed the command of every stubborn tyrant.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And such were Aad. They denied the revelations of their Lord and flouted His messengers and followed the command of every froward potentate.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
Such were the `Ad people: they rejected the Signs of their Lord and Cherisher; disobeyed His Apostles; and followed the command of every powerful obstinate transgressor. 1555
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Instead of following the beneficent Lord who cherished them, they followed every rebel against Allah's Law, if he only obtained a little power to dazzle them.

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11:60
وَأُتْبِعُوا۟ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ عَادًا كَفَرُوا۟ رَبَّهُمْ ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًا لِّعَادٍ قَوْمِ هُودٍ WaotbiAAoo fee h ath ihi a l dduny a laAAnatan wayawma alqiy a mati al a inna AA a dan kafaroo rabbahum al a buAAdan liAA a din qawmi hood in
And they were pursued in this world by [God's] rejection, and [shall finally be overtaken by it] on the Day of Resurrection.86 Oh, verily, [the tribe of] 'Ad denied their Sustainer! Oh, away with the 'Ad, the people of Hud!
  - Mohammad Asad

For my rendering of the term la'nah as "[God's] rejection", see note [37] above.

They were followed by a curse in this world, and cursed they shall be on the Day of Resurrection. Beware! 'Ad denied their Rabb. Beware! Gone are 'Ad, the people of Hud.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
They were followed by a curse in this world, as they will be on the Day of Judgment. Surely 'Âd denied their Lord. So away with 'Âd, the people of Hûd.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And a curse was made to follow them in the world and on the Day of Resurrection. Lo! Aad disbelieved in their Lord. A far removal for Aad, the folk of Hud!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And they were pursued by a Curse in this Life and on the Day of Judgment. Ah! behold! for the `Ad rejected their Lord and Cherisher! Ah! behold! removed (from sight) were `Ad the people of Hud!
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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