11. Hud

Hud · Meccan · 123 ayahs

سُورَةُ هُودٍ

Reading Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies

Ayahs 61–70 of 123

۞ وَإِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَٰلِحًۭا ۚ قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ هُوَ أَنشَأَكُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱسْتَعْمَرَكُمْ فِيهَا فَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌۭ مُّجِيبٌۭ

And to Thamud [We sent] their brother Salih. He said, "O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. He has produced you from the earth and settled you in it, so ask forgiveness of Him and then repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive."

Allah sent to the people of Thamūd their brother Ṣāliḥ. He told his people to worship Allah alone, and that they had no god worthy of worship other than Him. He created them from the clay of the earth when He created their father Adam from it, and made them settle in it. He told them to ask for forgiveness from Him, and that his Lord was Near to those who devoted themselves to worshipping Him, responding to their prayers.

Hud 11:61Listen in Qur'an →

قَالُوا۟ يَٰصَٰلِحُ قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّۭا قَبْلَ هَٰذَآ ۖ أَتَنْهَىٰنَآ أَن نَّعْبُدَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِى شَكٍّۢ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍۢ

They said, "O Salih, you were among us a man of promise before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? And indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in disquieting doubt."

Ṣāliḥ’s people said to him that he had had a high position among them before this, and they had hoped he would be wise, advising them and counselling them. Did he tell them not to worship what their fathers had worshipped? They said that they doubted what he called them to – which was worshipping Allah alone – making them suspect him of making things up about Allah.

Hud 11:62Listen in Qur'an →

قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ أَرَءَيْتُمْ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍۢ مِّن رَّبِّى وَءَاتَىٰنِى مِنْهُ رَحْمَةًۭ فَمَن يَنصُرُنِى مِنَ ٱللَّهِ إِنْ عَصَيْتُهُۥ ۖ فَمَا تَزِيدُونَنِى غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍۢ

He said, "O my people, have you considered: if I should be upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has given me mercy from Himself, who would protect me from Allah if I disobeyed Him? So you would not increase me except in loss.

In reply, Ṣāliḥ asked his people to tell him that, if he had clear proof from his Lord, and He had given him mercy, which was his prophethood, then who would protect him from His punishment if he went against Him by not delivering what He instructed him to deliver to them? They would, then, only increase him in error, distancing him from Allah’s pleasure.

Hud 11:63Listen in Qur'an →

وَيَٰقَوْمِ هَٰذِهِۦ نَاقَةُ ٱللَّهِ لَكُمْ ءَايَةًۭ فَذَرُوهَا تَأْكُلْ فِىٓ أَرْضِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَمَسُّوهَا بِسُوٓءٍۢ فَيَأْخُذَكُمْ عَذَابٌۭ قَرِيبٌۭ

And O my people, this is the she-camel of Allah - [she is] to you a sign. So let her feed upon Allah 's earth and do not touch her with harm, or you will be taken by an impending punishment."

Ṣāliḥ told his people about a particular camel of Allah’s which was a clear miracle for them, and a sign of the truth of what he said. He told them to leave her to graze in Allah’s land and not to harm her in any way or a punishment would come to them near to the time that they harmed her.

Hud 11:64Listen in Qur'an →

فَعَقَرُوهَا فَقَالَ تَمَتَّعُوا۟ فِى دَارِكُمْ ثَلَٰثَةَ أَيَّامٍۢ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ وَعْدٌ غَيْرُ مَكْذُوبٍۢ

But they hamstrung her, so he said, "Enjoy yourselves in your homes for three days. That is a promise not to be denied."

They denied what he said and harmed her, pushing their denial to extremes. So Ṣāliḥ told them to enjoy life in their land for three days from the time they harmed her, then the punishment of Allah would come to them; and the coming of His punishment after that was a certain promise that there would be no possibility of denying, as it would come true.

Hud 11:65Listen in Qur'an →

فَلَمَّا جَآءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا صَٰلِحًۭا وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ بِرَحْمَةٍۢ مِّنَّا وَمِنْ خِزْىِ يَوْمِئِذٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْعَزِيزُ

So when Our command came, We saved Salih and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us, and [saved them] from the disgrace of that day. Indeed, it is your Lord who is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might.

When Allah’s command came to destroy them, He saved Ṣāliḥ and those who had faith with him, by a mercy from Him, and He saved them from the disgrace and humiliation of that day. Without doubt, your Lord is the Powerful, the Mighty Who no one can overcome; and therefore He destroyed the disbelieving peoples.

Hud 11:66Listen in Qur'an →

وَأَخَذَ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا۟ فِى دِيَٰرِهِمْ جَٰثِمِينَ

And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone

The great scream overtook the people of Thamūd, so that they perished from the strength of it; and in the morning, they lay face down upon the ground.

Hud 11:67Listen in Qur'an →

كَأَن لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا۟ فِيهَآ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ ثَمُودَا۟ كَفَرُوا۟ رَبَّهُمْ ۗ أَلَا بُعْدًۭا لِّثَمُودَ

As if they had never prospered therein. Unquestionably, Thamud denied their Lord; then, away with Thamud.

It was as if they had never lived in their land in comfort and ease. Certainly, Thamūd disbelieved in Allah, their Lord, and so they remain outcasts from His mercy.

Hud 11:68Listen in Qur'an →

وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْ رُسُلُنَآ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ بِٱلْبُشْرَىٰ قَالُوا۟ سَلَٰمًۭا ۖ قَالَ سَلَٰمٌۭ ۖ فَمَا لَبِثَ أَن جَآءَ بِعِجْلٍ حَنِيذٍۢ

And certainly did Our messengers come to Abraham with good tidings; they said, "Peace." He said, "Peace," and did not delay in bringing [them] a roasted calf.

Then the angels came to Abraham (peace and blessing be upon him) in the form of men, giving good news to him and his wife of Isaac and Jacob. The angels said ‘Peace’, so he replied by saying ‘Peace’. Then he went quickly and brought them a roasted calf to eat, thinking that they were men.

Hud 11:69Listen in Qur'an →

فَلَمَّا رَءَآ أَيْدِيَهُمْ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ نَكِرَهُمْ وَأَوْجَسَ مِنْهُمْ خِيفَةًۭ ۚ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّآ أُرْسِلْنَآ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِ لُوطٍۢ

But when he saw their hands not reaching for it, he distrusted them and felt from them apprehension. They said, "Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lot."

But when Abraham saw that their hands did not reach out for the calf and that they were not eating it, he was confused by them, and felt fear of them. When the angels saw his fear of them, they told him not to be afraid, and that they had been sent by Allah to the people of Lot to give them their punishment.

Hud 11:70Listen in Qur'an →

Commentary: Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Qur'an by Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies. Qur'an text and translation via AlQuran Cloud.