The Light of the Holy Qur'an Interpretation of Sura Hud

Commentary : Verse 89

(89) وَ يا قَوْمِ لا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شِقاقي‏ أَنْ يُصيبَكُمْ مِثْلُ ما أَصابَ قَوْمَ نُوحٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ هُودٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ صالِحٍ وَ ما قَوْمُ لُوطٍ مِنْكُمْ بِبَعيدٍ

  1. " And O My people! Let not(your)breach with me cause you to sin, lest befalls you the like of what befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud or the people of Salih; and the people of Lot are not far off from you. "

Commentary :

Shu'ayb advises his opponents that they should not burn their bridges behind themselves, i. e., because of their hostility to one person they should not destroy the destiny and happiness of themselves and their society. They should stop thinking that the tragic stories of their ancestors were simplistic and parochial in nature. The histories of many people are similar and correspond with each other.

We must note that Allah's hands are always capable of meting out punishment. He can annihilate any nation anywhere regardless of what form they might take any time He wants. Just as He drowned the people of Noah(a.s.) , swept away the people of Hud by storm, blasted the people of S alih(a.s.) to extermination, and annihilated the tribe of Lot(a.s.) by assailing them with stones and overturning the land with them. The verse says:

" And O My people! Let not(your)breach with me cause you to sin, lest befalls you the like of what befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud or the people of Salih; and the people of Lot are not far off from you. "

Commentary : Verse 90

(90) وَ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّي رَحيمٌ وَدُودٌ

  1. "(Then come)and ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him(in repentance): Verily my Lord is Merciful, Loving. "

Commentary :

‏The dissidents and unbelievers must not only be warned and informed of the punishment to come, but they must also be shown the method by which they can reform themselves and the course of action that may attract Divine mercy. They must be notified that in order to receive Allah's favor and friendship(1), they must follow the path of the prophets and the leadership of the Sinless Ones. If they repent and reconstruct their lives, they will receive positive answers from Allah. The verse says:

"(Then come)and ask forgiveness of your Lord, and turn unto Him(in repentance): ..."

Allah's(s.w.t.) favor is not a passing affair, rather it is a continuous process and possesses numerous signs and characteristics, He does not only accept repentance, but He also loves those who repent. It says:

"... Verily my Lord is Merciful, Loving. "

(1) The term/ wadoud/ refers to that kind of friendship which is everlasting.

Commentary : Verse 91

(91) قالُوا يا شُعَيْبُ ما نَفْقَهُ كَثيراً مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَ إِنَّا لَنَراكَ فينا ضَعيفاً وَ لَوْ لا رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْناكَ وَ ما أَنْتَ عَلَيْنا بِعَزيزٍ

  1. " They said: 'O Shu'ayb! We do not understand much of what you say; and most surely we see you weak among us. Were it not for your family, we would certainly stone you; and you are not mighty against us'. "

Commentary :

The prophets and the divine preachers have had to bear the utmost contempt and humiliation in the course of their mission in leading mankind on to the Right Path. Shu'ayb(a.s.) is one of those examples, for they did both to him. They ridiculed and belittled his words and saw him as someone weak and insignificant. They denigrated his family, threatened him with death, and did not give due regard to his honor. The verse says:

" They said: 'O Shu'ayb! We do not understand much of what you say; and most surely we see you weak among us. Were it not for your family, we would certainly stone you; and you are not mighty against us'. "

The idol worshippers told Shu'ayb(a.s.) that they did not grasp the meaning of his words. But what was his speech about which they claimed they did not understand Was it not but the following

1- I am empowered to perform miracles and to offer you valid proofs. "If I be upon a clear proof ..."

2- I have no financial difficulties and I am not in need of your assistance.

3- I practice what I preach.

4- I intend to reform the society. "I desire naught save reform ..."

5- I struggle with all my might. "... so far as I am able ..."

6- I put all my hopes and trust in Allah. "... On Him do I rely ..."

7- I warn you of the consequences at the end of time and the actions of past generations. "... The like of what befell the people of Noah, ..."

Commentary : Verse 92

(92) وَ يا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلى‏ مَكانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتيهِ عَذابٌ يُخْزيهِ وَ مَنْ هُوَ كاذِبٌ وَ ارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقيبٌ

  1. " He said: 'O my people! Is then my family more esteemed with you than Allah And you cast Him behind your back, with neglect. Verily my Lord encompasses what you do'. "

Commentary :

We should not give priority to the rights of the people, or of groups, parties, or even of international law over Divine rights. We must stop excluding Allah's role in the political and social domains and not let it be dominated by any other matter. According to the verse, these people refrained from doing harm to Shu'ayb because of the fear of retaliation from his tribe. The verse says:

" He said: 'O my people! Is then my family more esteemed with you than Allah? ..."

Shu'ayb's response was why could they not accept his words simply for Allah's sake Given that Allah was infinitely more powerful than his tribe, they did not give any importance to Him at all ignoring Him and violating His commandments. It continues:

"... And you cast Him behind your back, with neglect. ..."

In fact they should stop thinking that Allah was not seeing what they did and did not hear what they said, for one can be sure, that the Lord is aware of all of our deeds. The verse concludes:

"... Verily my Lord encompasses what you do'. "

Commentary : Verse 93

(93) وَ يا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلى‏ مَكانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتيهِ عَذابٌ يُخْزيهِ وَ مَنْ هُوَ كاذِبٌ وَ ارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقيبٌ

  1. " And O my people! Act according to your ability. I will do(my part). Soon you will know on whom comes the Penalty disgracing him, and who it is a liar. And watch you; Verily I(too)am watching with you. "

Commentary :

As the disbelievers of the people of Shu'ayb threatened to stone him to death while giving him their last words, Shu'ayb, declaring his stand in the face of these threats did not flinch from the threat and issued a challenge to them, instead he said that they would do whatever they could, and might not spare anything. He should do what is in his power as well. The verse says:

" And O my people! Act according to your ability. I will do(my part). ..."

However, you will soon realize who will be the one suffering a humiliating punishment, and who is a liar. So, wait and see and I will do the same. The verse continues saying:

"... Soon you will know on whom comes the Penalty disgracing him, and who it is a liar. ..."

You try to win me over with your power, numbers, wealth, and your influence and I shall also wait and see how the Divine punishment will soon entangle you and your misguided population, exterminating you from the face of the earth. The verse says:

"... And watch you; Verily I(too)am watching with you. "

Commentary : Verse 94

(94) وَ لَمَّا جاءَ أَمْرُنا نَجَّيْنا شُعَيْباً وَ الَّذينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَ أَخَذَتِ الَّذينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا في‏ دِيارِهِمْ جاثِمينَ

(95) كَأَنْ لَمْ يَغْنَوْا فيها أَلا بُعْداً لِمَدْيَنَ كَما بَعِدَتْ ثَمُودُ

  1. " And when Our Command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us, and the(heavenly)Blast overtook those who were unjust, so they become motionless corpses in their abodes. "

  2. " As if they had never dwelt there. Behold! Away with(people of) Madyan, even as were cast away(the people of)Thamoud. "

Commentary :

Ultimately, the final stage did come. The Qur'an implies that when Allah's Command for the punishment of this misguided, oppressing and obstinate people was issued, after Shu'ayb and those who believed with him were saved by Divine favor and blessings, the terrible sound from the skies and the great death- dealing blast came over the people of Madyan and took them all by the throat. The verse says:

" And when Our Command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us, and the(heavenly)Blast overtook those who were unjust, ..."

In the aftermath of the blast, the Qur'an indicates that the people of Shu'ayb lay face down on the earth, they had died in their houses as a result of this great blast, and their corpses were left there to provide others with didactic lessons. Their lives were terminated in such a way that it was as if they had never existed there before. The verse continues saying:

"... so they become motionless corpses in their abodes. "

The Divine outrage is far superior in destruction than any other form of devastation, in the case of bombardment, for example, some people may have the chance to escape more or less unharmed, and some would remain alive after the event. However, when the time for Allah's anger and punishment comes, it wipes the evildoers away in such a way that it is as if no one had ever lived there. The verse says:

" As if they had never dwelt there. ..."

Eventually, as was explained at the end of the stories of the peoples of 'Ad and Thamoud, Allah's favor and blessings were removed from the people of Madyan as they had been removed from the people of Thamoud. It says:

"... Behold! Away with(people of)Madyan, even as were cast away(the people of )Thamoud. "