Surah 11. Hud ............. [123 Verses]

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[50-52]

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. *55My 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 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.'

*54. For a detailed account see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III, 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.

 

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[53-57]

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. 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 do *61 with your associating with Allah others than Him in His divinity. So conspire against me, all of you, and give me no respite. *62 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 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.'

*58. The unbelievers contended that Hud (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 behaviour 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 Hud 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 Hud.

 

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58

And when Our command 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.

 

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[59-60]

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. 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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*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.

 

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[61]

And to Thamud We sent their brother Sali'h. *66 He said: 'My people! Serve Allah; you have no god other than Him. He brought you into being out of the earth, and has made you dwell in it. *67 So ask Him to forgive you, and do turn towards Him in repentance. *68 Indeed My Lord is near, responsive to prayers . *69

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*66. For further information see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, nn. 57-62, pp. 45-8.

*67. This substantiates the fact that there is no god other than the One True God; and that He should be the sole object of worship and service. Now, even those who associated others with God in His divinity acknowledged that it is Allah alone Who created them. Using this obvious premise, Prophet Salih (peace be on him) sought to persuade people to affirm that God alone should be worshipped. He emphasized that it is God alone Who had made them into human beings out of the lifeless materials from the earth, and had subsequently settled them on earth.

In view of this, who else than God could claim godhead?
Likewise, who else could claim that he ought to be served and worshipped?


*68. The Thamud had been guilty of worshipping others besides God. They are now urged to seek God's forgiveness for this grave sin.

*69. This verse is aimed at removing a major misconception which had been prevalent among the polytheists. This misconception is in fact one of the major reasons which prompted men to associate others with God in His divinity. One of man's most persistent faults is that he has conceived God to be similar to those worldly rulers who immerse themselves in a life of ease and luxury in their grand palaces. Such rulers are normally far removed from their subjects. To all intents and purposes they are well beyond the direct access of their subjects. The only way for their subjects to reach them is through the auspices of their favourite courtiers. And even if a subject succeeds in conveying his pleadings through a courtier, these rulers are often too arrogant to directly respond to such pleadings. This is one aspect of the function of a courtier - to communicate to a ruler the pleadings of his subjects, and also to communicate to the subjects the response of the ruler.
Since God was often conceived in the image of such worldly rulers many people fell prey to the false belief that God is well above the reach of ordinary human beings. This belief spread further because many clever people found it quite profitable to propagate such a notion. No wonder many people felt God could only be approached through powerful intermediaries and intercessors. The only way that a person's prayer could reach God and be answered by Him was to approach Him through one of the holy men.

It was, therefore, considered necessary to grease the palm of the religious functionaries who supposedly enjoyed the privilege of conveying a man's offerings and prayers to the One on high. This misconception gave birth to a pantheon of small and large deities and intercessors who are supposed to act as intermediaries between man and God. This misconception has given rise to institutionalized priesthood, according to which no ritual, whether relating to birth or death, can be performed without the active participation of the priests.

Prophet Salih (peace be on him) strikes at the root of this ignorant system, and totally demolishes its intellectual infrastructure. This he does by emphasizing two facts: that God is extremely close to His creatures and that He answers their prayers. Thus he refutes many misconceptions about God: that He is far away, altogether withdrawn from human beings, and that He does not answer their prayers if they are to directly approach Him. God, no doubt, is transcendent, and yet He is extremely close to every person. Everyone will find Him just beside himself.
Everyone can whisper to Him the innermost desires of his heart. Everyone can address his prayers to God both in public and in private, by verbally expressing those prayers or addressing them to Him without so much as uttering a single word. Moreover, God answers the prayers of all His creatures directly. The fact is that God's court with all its majesty is just around everyone's corner, so close to one's threshold, and always open to all. How silly it is, therefore, for people to search for those intercessors who they think will help them approach God, (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. I, al-Baqarah 2, n. 188.)

 

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They said:

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[/FONT] 'O Salih! Until now you were one of those among us on whom we placed great hopes. *70 Now, would you forbid us to worship what our forefathers were wont to worship? *71 Indeed we are in disquieting doubt about what you are calling us to. *72

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Chapter : 11. Hud verse 62

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*70 The people of Salih (peace be on him) centred many expectations around him. On account of his wisdom, intelligence, maturity, and dignified personality they expected Salih to rise to great heights. They also believed that he would not only achieve personal greatness and prosperity, but would also assist his people in their bid to excel against other tribes and nations in terms of worldly benefits. However, no sooner had Salih begun to teach his people that they are obligated to exclusively worship and serve the One True God and pay due heed to the Hereafter than they became altogether disenchanted with him.
It may be recalled that the predicament of the Makkan unbelievers was no different from that of the people of Salih (peace be on him). The Makkans also recognized that Muhammad (peace be on him) was a person of outstanding qualities. They were confident that he would grow into a very successful merchant and that they would also benefit from his trading acumen. But then they found that the Prophet (peace be on him), contrary to their expectations, began to invite them to serve and worship the One True God. He also began to urge (hem to pay heed to the Next Life and to observe moral excellence. They were instantly disappointed and became totally averse to him. They even began to give vent to the idea that the Prophet (peace be on him) who for so long had been a perfectly normal person, was now seized by some strange mental disease. In their view it was because of this mental derailment that he had ruined his own life and also threw cold water on the hopes and expectations of his people.

*71. This was the main reason which the unbelievers advanced to support their view, the rationale they offered for the worship of the deities in which they believed. The simple reason was, as stated here and elsewhere in the Qur'an, that their ancestors had also worshipped them!

This brings into sharp relief the fundamental difference between the rationale offered by Islam and that offered by jahiliyah. Salih (peace be on him) had said that none but God deserves to be worshipped. He argued that since God had created human beings and had enabled them to settle on earth, they, therefore, ought to worship Him. The unbelievers responded by saying that their deities also deserved to be worshipped, indeed had been worshipped by their ancestors and so they could not just forsake them. In other words, they proclaimed their commitment to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors even if those ancestors had been altogether ignorant and stupid.

*72. The Qur'an does not specify the 'disquieting doubt' to which the unbelievers were subjected. The reason for this is that although all of them had doubts, the doubt entertained by each was different. It may even be said that whenever people are asked to accept the truth, all those who believe in one kind of falsehood or the other feel disturbed.

The complacent faith which they had before they became acquainted with the truth is simply gone, and a 'disquieting doubt' creeps in and begins to agitate them. Although each of them may feel this differently, an amount of disquiet is nevertheless common to all unbelievers.
Before the unbelievers were invited to the truth, they may never have felt the need to critically examine their position. But after the call to the truth has been made such an attitude can no longer persist. This is so because the trenchant criticism of jahiliyah made by the Prophet of the day together with his weighty arguments in support of his teachings is bound to have its effect. Moreover, his lofty morals, his firmness, his forbearance, his grace and dignity, his straightforward and honest ways, and his wisdom and sagacity create a certain respect for him even among his staunchest enemies.

Not only that but the people concerned cannot help but notice that the best elements in the society of the day are continually drawn to the call of the truth. They also observe that as a result of embracing the truth the lives of these people are perceptibly transformed.

Taken together, all these factors agitate the minds of those who wish to cling to and even promote the old jahiliyah even after the truth has been made known to them.

 

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[63-65]

Salih said: 'My people! What do you think? If I had a clear evidence from my Lord, and then He also bestowed His mercy upon me, who will rescue me from the punishment of Allah if I still disobey Him? You can only make me lose even more. *73My people! This she-camel of Allah is a sign for you. So let her pasture on Allah's earth, and do not hurt her or else some chastisement - which is near at hand -should overtake you.' But they slaughtered her. Thereupon Salih warned them: 'Enjoy yourselves in your homes for a maximum of three days. This is a promise which shall not be belied.'

73. Prophet Salih (peace be on him) makes it clear to his people that if he were to follow the advice which they offered him, it would virtually lead to his perdition. Were Salih (peace be on him) to act contrary to his conscience and in opposition to the knowledge and guidance intimated to him by God, he would be liable to God's punishment, and his people would be helpless in their efforts to rescue him from that punishment.
Moreover, Salih (peace be on him) was not an ordinary person but a Prophet. This made his dereliction in the sight of God even more grave. For, God would take him to task on the grounds that although he had been encumbered with the duty to direct his people to the right way, he had consciously led them to error.

 

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[66-68]

Then, when Our command came to pass, We saved Salih and those who shared his faith through Our special mercy, from the disgrace of that day. *74 Truly Your Lord is All-Strong, All-Mighty. And the Blast overtook those who were wont to do wrong, and then they lay lifeless in their homes as though they had never lived there before. Oh, verily the Thamud denied their Lord! Oh, the Thamud were destroyed.

*74. The folk traditions of the Sinaitic Peninsula indicate that when a severe punishment afflicted the Thamud, Salih (peace be on him) migrated to Sinai. Hence, close to the Mount of Moses there is a hillock called Nabi Salih. These traditions make one believe that it is here that Prophet Salih (peace be on him) lived.

 

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[69-73]

Indeed Our messengers came to Abraham, bearing glad tidings. They greeted him with 'peace', and Abraham answered back to them 'peace', and hurriedly brought to them a roasted calf. *75When he perceived that their hands could not reach it, he mistrusted them, and felt afraid of them. *76 They said: 'Do not be afraid. We have been sent to the people of Lot. *77And Abraham's wife was standing by and on hearing this she laughed. *78 And We gave her the good news of (the birth of) Isaac, and after Isaac, of Jacob. *79She said: 'Woe is me! *80 Shall I bear a child now that I am an old woman and my husband is well advanced in years. *81 This is indeed strange!' They said: 'Do you wonder at Allah's decree? *82 Allah's mercy and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house. Surely, He is Praiseworthy, Glorious.'

*75. This shows that the angels visited Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) in human form and that initially they did not disclose their identity. Prophet Abraham (peace be on him), therefore, thought that they were strangers, and immediately arranged a good meal for them.

*76. Some commentators on the Qur'an are of the view that when the guests hesitated to take food Prophet Abraham (peace be on him) felt suspicious about their intentions. He even became apprehensive that they had come with some hostile design. For, in Arabia when someone declines the food offered to him by way of hospitality, this gives rise to the fear that he has not come as a guest but rather with subversive purposes. The very next verse, however, does not lend any support to this view.

*77. The words as well as the tone of the verse suggest that as soon as Abraham (peace be on him) noticed that his guests were disinclined to eat, he realized that they were angels. Since angels appear in human form only in very exceptional circumstances, what terrified Abraham (peace be on him) was the possibility that the angels may have been sent to inflict punishment on account of any lapses that he himself, his family, or his people may have committed. Had Abraham (peace be on him) not been sure about the identity of his guests - as some Qur'an-commentators believe - they would have said: 'Do not fear, we are angels sent by your Lord.' However, they did not say so. They rather tried to allay Abraham's fears by saying: 'Do not be afraid, we have been sent to the people of Lot.' It is, thus, clear that Abraham had become aware of their true identity. What caused Abraham (peace be on him) to worry was the idea that the angels had been sent to his people, that his people were about to suffer a severe chastisement. However, he was soon to feel relieved that the angels had been sent to the people of Lot rather than to his own. So there was no reason to fear that his own people would soon suffer destruction.

*78. According to this verse, the whole of Abraham's family was worried about the visit of the angels in human form. From sheer anxiety Abraham's wife also came out. However, when she came to know that the coming of the angels did not forebode any evil, she was reassured and became joyful.

*79. The angels gave the glad tidings of the birth of Isaac to Sarah rather than to Abraham. For Abraham (peace be on him) already had a son called Ishmael, born of his first wife Hagar. At that time Sarah was without any issue, and for this reason she felt sad. When the angels gave her the glad tidings they foretold her not only of the birth of Isaac, but also of her grandson, Jacob. It is needless to say, perhaps, that both of them - Isaac and Jacob - became Messengers of great standing.

*80.These words were not used by her in their literal sense as an exclamation of grief and lamentation. She uttered these words merely to express surprise at the news.

*81. According to the Bible, Abraham was one hundred years and Sarah ninety years old at that time.

*82. Ordinarily, it is uncommon for women to bear children at such an advanced age. However, such a thing is not at all beyond the range of God's power. And since the tiding had been conveyed at the instance of God, there was no reason why a staunch believer such as Sarah should feel astonished, let alone entertain any doubts about it.

 

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[74-76]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So when Abraham's fear was allayed and his heart was filled with joy (because of the good news of a child), he began to dispute 83 [/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]with Us concerning the people of Lot, for Abraham was tender-hearted and merciful and always turned to Us. (At last Our angels said to him), "O Abraham, desist from this now that your Lord's decree has been issued and the scourge which cannot be averted by anyone shall overtake them 84
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83" .... he began to dispute with Us" is the expression of affection and endearment, which manifests the nature of close relationship of Prophet Abraham with his Lord. This helps depict the picture of the argument that the Servant had with his Lord for pleading the case of the people of Lot. He pleaded persistently, "Lord avert the coming scourge from the people of Lot". The Lord replied, "These people have become so degraded that no good was left in them and their crimes have become so heinous that they deserve no leniency at all." But the Servant still persisted, "Lord, give them more respite, even if a little good yet remains in them; maybe it should bear some fruit." This dispute' has been recorded in the Bible rather in detail, but the concise mention in the Qur'an is more meaningful. (For comparison please refer to Genesis 18: 23-32).

84 A superficial view of this incident from the life of Prophet Abraham in the context it occurs might lead one to consider it to be irrelevant, especially as an introduction to the coming scourge on the people of Lot. But if one reviews this in the light of the object for which these historical events have been related here, one will come to the conclusion that its mention is most apt here. In order to understand its relevancy we should keep in view the following two things:

(1) These historical events have been related here to warn the Quraish that they were absolutely wrong in their self-delusion that they were quite immune from the scourge with which the Qur'an was threatening them because of their relationship with Prophet Abraham and their guardianship of the Ka`abah and their religious, economic and political leadership of Arabia. They thought that Prophet Abraham, whose descendants they were, was a beloved servant of Allah and, would, therefore, intercede for them and defend them against any scourge from Him. That is why the graphic picture of the death of Prophet Noah's son has been drawn to show that the prayer of a great Prophet like him could not save his own son from the scourge. Not only was his prayer rejected but he was also taken to task for making a request for his wicked son. Then this second incident from the life of Prophet Abraham has been related to show that, though Allah was very kind to him, He rejected his appeal for the people of Lot because he had tried to intercede for the wicked people, which was against the requirements of justice.
(2) This incident from the life of Prophet Abraham has been related along with , the destruction of the people of Lot for another object as well. The Quraish had forgotten that the Law of Divine Justice had always been operating continuously and regularly and there were open proofs of this all around them. On the one hand, there was the case of Prophet Abraham. He had to leave his home for the sake of the Truth and righteousness and to live in a foreign country where to all appearances, he had no outward power to support him. But Divine Justice rewarded him for his righteousness with a son like Isaac and a grandson like Jacob (Allah's peace be upon them) whose descendants, the Israelites, reigned supreme for centuries over the same Palestine where he had taken refuge as a stranger. On the other hand, there were the people of Lot who were living nearby in great prosperity, which had intoxicated them so much that they lived in open wickedness, totally forgetting that they would be overtaken by retribution from Allah. So much so that they scoffed at the admonition of Prophet Lot. But Divine Justice came into operation at the same time, when it was conveying the good news to Prophet Abraham and decreed that those wicked people should be annihilated from the face of the earth. As a result of this, no vestige of their habitations was left on the surface of the earth. This fact should serve as a lesson to the wicked people for all times.

 

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[77-80]

And when Our Messengers came to Lot 85 he was greatly perturbed and distressed in mind because of their visit and said, "This is a day of woe! 86 (No sooner did the visitors come to him than) his people spontaneously rushed towards his house, for they had previously been addicted to wicked deeds. Lot said to them, "O my people, here are my daughters, who are purer for you.87 So fear God and don't degrade me by committing evil to my guests. what ! Is there not a single good man among you ?" They replied, "You know it well that we have no need of your daughters 88 and you also know what we want. " Lot cried, "I wish I had the power to set you right or I could find some strong support for refuge."

85 ....Please keep in view E.N.'s 63-68 of Al-A'araf.


86 From the tenor of the details of the story as given in the different parts of the Qur'an, it becomes quite plain that the angels came to Prophet Lot in the shape of handsome boys and that he was unaware that they were angels. That is why he was troubled and distressed in his mind, for he knew how wicked and shameless were his people.

87....By "my daughters" Prophet Lot might have meant either of the two things. He might have referred to the daughters of the community as "ray daughters" because the relationship of a Prophet to his people is as of a father to his children. But it is also possible that he aught have meant by this his own daughters. Anyhow this could not have been an offer of adultery, for the succeeding sentence "..these are purer for you" leaves no room for such a misunderstanding. This makes it quite obvious that Prophet Lot admonished them in this way so as to turn them to the females for the lawful gratification of their sexual desires instead of seeking unnatural ways.

88....his answer of the people of Lot shows that they had gone to the lowest depth of depravity and openly and brazen-facedly declared that they did not want females but males. This was the proof that they had not only left the natural way of purity and strayed into the unnatural way of impurity but had also lost all interest in the natural way of gratification. Such a depraved condition is the worst form of moral degradation, for it shows that no good has been left at all. Supposing a person has fallen a victim to an unlawful and sinful behavior but at the same time considers it to be a wrong behavior which should be avoided. There is hope for the reform of such a person, and even if he does not mend his way the utmost that can be said about him is that 'he is a depraved person'. On the other hand, if a person gives himself wholly to the unlawful because he has no interest in the lawful, such a filthy person is not worthy of being considered a man at all, and therefore should be wiped out of the earth. That is why Allah decreed that the people of Lot should be completely annihilated from the face of the earth.

 

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[81]

Then the angels said, "O Lot, We are messengers sent by your Lord. They shall not be able to do you any harm. So depart from here with the people of your household in the last hours of the night. And look here: none of you should turn round to look behind 89 but your wife (who will not accompany you) shall meet with the same doom as they 90 The morning has been appointed for their destruction-the morning has almost come."

89...This meant to impress on them the urgency of the matter so that they should get out of the doomed place and should not even turn round to look behind to see what was happening there. They were warned lest they should be attracted by the loud noises caused by the explosions and by the wailing of the people and thus lag behind in the territory that had been marked for the scourge and was to be overtaken by it.

90..The doom of the wife of Prophet Lot is the third incident related in this Surah to serve as a lesson that no relationship can deliver a people from the horrible consequences of their sin.

 

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[82-83]

Accordingly, when the time of the execution of judgment came, We turned the habitation upside down and rained on it stones of baked clay 91 and each one of these stones had been specifically marked 92 by your Lord. And such scourge is not far from the workers of iniquity 93

91...Probably the scourge came in the form of a horrible earthquake which turned their habitations upside down and the explosion of a volcano which rained stones on them.

"Stones of baked clay" probably refers to the stones that are formed by the underground heat and lava in the volcanic regions. The signs of such a formation are found even today near the Lot Sea.

92..That is, "Every stone had been specified by Allah to do some particular work of destruction there, and to hit a particular offender".

93..This was meant to warn the workers of iniquity who were engaged in their evil work, as if to say, "You should not consider yourselves immune from scourge as though it were far from you. If it could visit the people of Lot, it could overpower you as well. Neither the people of Lot were able to defend themselves against Allah, nor can you frustrate Him now.

 

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[84-86]

And to (the people of) Midian We sent their brother Shu'ayb. *94 He said: 'My people! Serve Allah; you have no god other than Him. And do not diminish the measure and weight. Indeed I see that you are prospering now, but I fear for you the chastisement of an encompassing day in the future. My people! Give full measure and weight with justice, do not diminish the goods of others, and do not go about creating corruption in the land. The gains that Allah lets you retain are better for you, if you indeed believe. In any case, I have not been appointed a keeper over you. *95

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*94. For details see Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Ill, al-A'raf, nn. 69-75, pp. 53-7.


*95. Shu'ayb (peace be on him) made it clear to his people that he had no power to compel them to adopt one kind of behaviour or another. His task was merely that of a sincere adviser. All he could do was to admonish and warn them. It was up to them either to pay heed to that advice or to disregard it. What really mattered was that one day all human beings will be mustered by God to render an account of their deeds. It is this - the rendering of an account before God - that people should truly fear. It matters little whether they care for Shu'ayb or not. What really matters is whether they have any fear of standing before God's judgement. If they do fear this, it is essential that they give up the iniquity in which they are engrossed.

 

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[87]

They replied: 'O Shu'ayb! Does your Prayer enjoin upon you *96 that we should forsake the deities whom our forefathers worshipped, or that we should give up using our wealth as we please? *97 Do you fancy that you, and only you, are forbearing and right-directed?'

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*96. This, in fact, is a taunting remark.

Remarks which are expressive of the same spirit are heard today among every group of people who are heedless of God and who are engrossed in sin and evil. Prayer is obviously the first and the most obvious symbol of man's religious orientation. That orientation is not simply considered a dangerous disease, but the most dangerous one by irreligious people. Hence, Prayer is looked upon by these people as a manifestation of mental derailment rather than what it actually is - an act of worship. Irreligious people are also aware that those who become religiously committed are not content merely with self-reform. Such people are wont to go a step further and strive to reform others. Not only that, but it even becomes difficult for such people to refrain from criticizing attitudes opposed to religion and morality. Hence, irreligious people feel jittery because they fear that Prayer is not simply performed as a religious ritual but that it is the precursor of endless sermonizing on religion and morality. In addition, it may even lead to scathing criticisms of every aspect of social life. It is for this reason that Prayer is often singled out for every kind of taunt and reproach. Moreover, if those who observe Prayer criticize the evils rampant in their society and urge people to act righteously, this inspires opponents of religion to direct every possible invective against Prayer and to lash out at it as the source of every conceivable evil.

*97. This is a full-blooded expression of the world-view of Ignorance (Jahiliyah) as distinguished from that of Islam. The Islamic view is that all worship except the worship of God is erroneous. It is erroneous because worshipping any other than the One True God is supported by nothing - neither reason, knowledge, nor revelation. Moreover, God should not only be worshipped in the limited sphere of life called 'religion'. God's worship should extend to all aspects of life - social, cultural, economic and political. For all that man has in the world belongs only to God. Man, therefore, has no right to consider any aspect of his life to be independent of God's guidance.

The contrary of this is Jahiliyah. According to this view, man ought to observe the customs and usages he inherits from his ancestors, and he ought to do so merely because they come down from the past. This world-view considers religion to be confined to the domain of ritual; the ritual of worship. As for the ordinary affairs of worldly life, man ought to act as he pleases.
It is thus quite clear that there is nothing so 'modern' about the tendency of driving a wedge between the religious and secular spheres of life.

For some three and a half thousand years ago the nation of Shu'ayb was as emphatically insistent on bifurcating life into two water-tight compartments - the secular and the religious - as Westerners and their Eastern disciples of our time are wont to do.

There seems little justification, therefore, to characterize the attitude of the present-day secularists as something altogether novel, as an attitude that has emerged in modern times as a result of the cumulative intellectual progress of mankind. Far from it, the new-fangled ideology which is being played up everywhere for its freshness and newness is, in fact, the same stale, old-fashioned obscurantism which characterized Jahiliyah several thousand years ago. Likewise, the Islamic defiance of, and opposition to, Jahiliyah is also a perennial reality of human history.

 

[kalamazoo]

[88-90]

Shu'ayb said: 'My people! What do you think? If I stand on clear evidence from my Lord, and He has also provided me a handsome provision from Himself *98 -(should I be ungrateful to Him and share your error and iniquity?) Nor do I desire to act contrary to what I admonish you. *99 I desire nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My succour is only with Allah. In Him have I put my trust, and to Him do I always turn. My people! Let not your opposition to me lead you to guilt that would bring upon you the chastisement that struck earlier the people of Noah, and the people of Hud, and the people of Salih. And the land of the people of Lot is not far from you! *100 Seek the forgiveness of your Lord and turn to Him in repentance. Surely my Lord is Ever Merciful, Most Loving. *101

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*98. 'Provision' in this context has two connotations. It might signify, in the first place, the provision of knowledge of the truth communicated by God to someone. Secondly, it might also signify, as it commonly does, the provision of the means bestowed by God on His creatures in order that they may be able to live.
Were we to understand this word in the first sense, the verse substantially repeats the same point that has been expressed earlier in this surah through the Prophets Muhammad, Noah and Salih (peace be on them). Common to their statements is their affirmation that they found the signs of the truth in their own beings and in the universe around them. Those signs were corroborated by direct knowledge of the truth intimated to them by God. (See verses 17,28 and 63 above - Ed.) Hence it was not possible for them to join their people in their errors of belief and in their acts of wickedness.

However, if the word is taken in the latter sense, it amounts to a response to the sarcastic remark hurled at Shu'ayb: 'Do you fancy that you, and only you, are forbearing and right-directed?' (See verse 87 above.) It is noteworthy that the answer to this most bitter and caustic query is couched in exceedingly moderate and dispassionate words. The answer amounts to telling his opponents that if his Lord had granted Shu'ayb knowledge of reality and also a livelihood that is pure and lawful, how could their sarcastic remarks change the fact that Shu'ayb had received God's favours? Also, in view of the favours which God had lavished upon Shu'ayb, how could it be appropriate for him to act ungratefully towards God by legitimizing their erroneous beliefs and acts of corruption?

*99. Shu'ayb pointed out to his detractors that they could measure his integrity by only one thing: whether he practised what he preached. Had he forbidden others from visiting false deities, and then had become the custodian of some such shrine, people would have been justified in reproaching him for inconsistency and self-contradiction. They could have rightly criticized him for preaching something and practising its opposite. Had he asked them to abstain from unlawful earnings and had himself resorted to dishonest practices they would have been perfectly justified in accusing him of talking of honesty merely to build up a good image of himself and then exploiting it for his personal ends.

It was clear, however, that Shu'ayb could be accused of nothing like that. It was crystal clear that he had stayed well away from all those vices which he asked others to abstain from. He had no stains on him of which he wanted others to remain free. Shu'ayb also practised all those acts of goodness to which he invited others. All this was sufficient to establish that Shu'ayb was fully sincere about his mission.

*100. Shu'ayb reminded his people of the story of the people of Lot (peace be on him). This tragic episode took place not far from where the people of Shu'ayb lived. In addition, it was no more than six or seven centuries previously that the people of Lot were utterly destroyed.

*101. God is neither callous nor merciless. He has no enmity towards His own creatures. It cannot even be conceived that God would want to punish people just for the fun of it. It is only when people exceed all reasonable limits and exercise no restraint in their wickedness that God punishes them, and then only reluctantly. He is so prone to forgiveness that no matter how sinful a person may have become, God's mercy encompasses him if only he sincerely repents and turns to God. For God's love and compassion for His creatures is simply immense.

The Prophet (peace be on him) fully illustrated this by two examples. One is that of a man who had a camel carrying his food and water provisions. The camel strays away in a dreary desert. The person continues to search for the camel until he retires under the shade of a tree in utter despair. Then, suddenly, he finds the camel standing right in front of him. When a sinner repents and turns to God, He is even more joyous than the owner of the camel who suddenly finds his lost beast in a moment of total despair. (See Muslin-, al-Tawbah, Bab fi al-Hadd 'ala al-Tawbah, traditions 1-8.)

The second example is perhaps even more moving. 'Umar narrated that once a few prisoners of war were brought to the Prophet (peace be on him). One of them was a woman whose infant child had been left behind. Her motherly compassion overwhelmed her to such an extent that she would grab any baby she could lay her hands on, would clasp him to her bosom, and start suckling him. When the Prophet (peace be on him) saw that woman in such a state of mind he asked the Companions whether they thought she would cast her children into fire. The Companions replied in the negative. They said that rather than throw her children into a fire, she would make every possible effort lest they slide into it. The Prophet (peace be on him) added: 'God is even more merciful to His servants than this woman is to her child.' (Muslim, al-Tawbah, Bab Sa'at Rahmat Allah - Ed.)

A little reflection may help one appreciate that it is God Who has created compassion in the hearts of parents for their children. Had God not created this compassion for children, their parents may, in fact, have been quite inimical to them. For a child is indeed one of the greatest causes of parents' discomfort and annoyance. If one remembers that it is God Who planted love and compassion for children in the hearts of parents it is quite easy to grasp the extent of God's love and compassion for His creatures.

 

[kalamazoo]

[91]

They said: 'O Shu'ayb! We do not understand much of what you say. *102 Indeed we see you weak in our midst. Were it not for your kinsmen, we would surely have stoned you for you have no strength to overpower us. *103

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*102. When Shu'ayb's people stated that they did not understand much of what Shu'ayb said, they did not say so because Shu'ayb (peace be on him) spoke in some foreign language, or because he talked in an ambiguous or complicated manner. On the contrary, Shu'ayb's teaching was quite clear and simple and was conveyed to his people in a language they fully understood - their own. The difficulty in understanding Shu'ayb's teaching arose from the fact that his people had become simply too perverse to grasp it.


It is always the case that when some people become fully seized by their prejudice, are overpowered by their lusts, or begin to move vehemently in one particular intellectual direction, they hardly have the patience to give ear to any idea which is different from their own. But even if they were to listen to any unfamiliar idea, it would only sound to them as gibberish, as something coming to them from some other planet.



103

While studying this part of the story of Prophet Shu'aib, it should be kept in view that similar conditions were prevalent at Makkah at the time of the revelation of this story. The Quraish were as blood thirsty to kill the Holy Prophet as were the people of Madian to take the life of Prophet Shu`aib. Just as the people of Prophet Shu'aib desisted from this evil design because they were afraid of his family, likewise the Quraish were afraid of Bani Hashim and refrained from executing their evil designs. So this story was being related to warn the Quraish that they should learn a lesson from the answer of Prophet Shu`aib (vv. 92-93), as if to say, "O people of Quraish! This same is the answer to you from Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him)".

 

[kalamazoo]

[92-93]

Shu'ayb said: 'My people! Are my kinsmen mightier with you than Allah that you (hold the kinsmen in awe while) you cast Allah behind your back? Surely my Lord encompasses all what you do. My people! Go on working according to your way and I will keep working (according to mine). Soon you will come to know who will be afflicted by a humiliating chastisement, and who is proved a liar. And watch, I shall also watch with you.'

 

[kalamazoo]

[94]

And when Our command came to pass, We delivered Shu'ayb and those who shared his faith, through Our mercy, and the Blast seized those who were engaged in wrong-doing, so they lay lifeless in their homes

 

[kalamazoo]

[95]

Listen! Cast away were also the people of Madian as were Thamud cast away.