Surah Hud (11): Read Online and Download - English Translation

The Lesson taken from the Destroyed Towns

When Allah mentioned the story of the Prophets and what happened with them and their nations -- how He destroyed the disbelievers and saved the believers -- He goes on to say,

(That is some of the news of the (population of ) towns) meaning, news of them

(which We relate unto you; of them, some are (still) standing,) This means still remaining.

(and some have been (already) reaped.) This means totally destroyed.

(We wronged them not,) This means, "When We destroyed them."

(but they wronged themselves.) their rejecting their Messengers and disbelieving in them.

(So their gods, profited them not...) This is referring to their idols that they used to worship and invoke.

(other than Allah naught) the idols did not benefit them, nor did they save them when Allah's com- mand came for their destruction.

(nor did they add aught to them but destruction.) Mujahid, Qatadah and others said, "This means loss. Because the reason for their destruction and their ruin was that they followed those false gods. Therefore, they were losers in this life and the Hereafter."

(Verily, His punishment is painful (and) severe.) In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Abu Musa said that the Messenger of Allah said,

(Verily, Allah gives respite to a wrongdoer until He seizes him and he cannot escape.) Then the Messenger of Allah recited,

(Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are doing wrong. )

The Destruction of the Towns is a Proof of the Establishment of the Hour (Judgement)

Allah, the Exalted, is saying that in the destruction of the disbelievers and the salvation of the believers by us is,

(a sure lesson). This means an admonition and lesson concerning the truthfulness of that which We are promised in the Hereafter.

.(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth.)40:51 Allah, the Exalted, also says,

(So their Lord revealed to them: "Truly, We shall destroy the wrongdoers.) 14:13 Concerning Allah's statement,

(That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together,) This means the first of them and the last of them. This is similar to Allah's statement,

(And We shall gather them all together so as to leave not one of them behind.) 18: 47

(and that is a Day when all will be present.) This means a day that is great. The angels will be present, the Messengers will gather and all of the creation will be gathered with their families. The humans, Jinns, birds, wild beasts and domesticated riding animals will all be gathered. Then the Most Just, Who does not wrong anyone even an atom's weight, will judge between them and He will increase their good deeds in reward. Concerning the statement,

(And We delay it only for a term (already) fixed.) This means for a fixed period of time than cannot be increased or decreased. Then He says,

(On the Day when it comes, no person shall speak except by His (Allah's) leave.) This means that on the Day of Judgement no one will speak except with the permission of Allah. This is similar to another verse, which says,

(they will not speak except him whom the Most Gracious (Allah) allows, and he will speak what is right.) 78:38 Allah also says,

(And all the voices will be humbled for the Most Gracious (Allah). ) 20:108 In the Hadith about the intercession, which is recorded in the Two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah said,

(No one will speak on that day except the Messengers, and the call of the Messengers will be, "O Allah, save us, save us.") Concerning Allah's statement,

(Some among them will be wretched and (others) blessed.) This means that from the people of the gathering (on Judgement Day), some will be miserable and some will be happy. This is as Allah said,

(When a party will be in Paradise and a party in the blazing Fire) 42:7 Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la recorded in his Musnad on the authority of Ibn `Umar that `Umar said, "When this verse was revealed,

(Some among them will be wretched and (others) blessed.) I asked the Prophet , `O Messenger of Allah, will there be a sign for us to know (which party we are from) Will it be because of something that a person did, or something that he did not do' He said,

(O `Umar, it will be due to something that he did and the pens wrote it down. But every easy deed was created for its purpose (to be carried out).) Then Allah explains the situation of the wretched people and the happy people. He, the Exalted, says,

The Destruction of the Towns is a Proof of the Establishment of the Hour (Judgement)

Allah, the Exalted, is saying that in the destruction of the disbelievers and the salvation of the believers by us is,

(a sure lesson). This means an admonition and lesson concerning the truthfulness of that which We are promised in the Hereafter.

.(Verily, We will indeed make victorious Our Messengers and those who believe in this world's life and on the Day when the witnesses will stand forth.)40:51 Allah, the Exalted, also says,

(So their Lord revealed to them: "Truly, We shall destroy the wrongdoers.) 14:13 Concerning Allah's statement,

(That is a Day whereon mankind will be gathered together,) This means the first of them and the last of them. This is similar to Allah's statement,

(And We shall gather them all together so as to leave not one of them behind.) 18: 47

(and that is a Day when all will be present.) This means a day that is great. The angels will be present, the Messengers will gather and all of the creation will be gathered with their families. The humans, Jinns, birds, wild beasts and domesticated riding animals will all be gathered. Then the Most Just, Who does not wrong anyone even an atom's weight, will judge between them and He will increase their good deeds in reward. Concerning the statement,

(And We delay it only for a term (already) fixed.) This means for a fixed period of time than cannot be increased or decreased. Then He says,

(On the Day when it comes, no person shall speak except by His (Allah's) leave.) This means that on the Day of Judgement no one will speak except with the permission of Allah. This is similar to another verse, which says,

(they will not speak except him whom the Most Gracious (Allah) allows, and he will speak what is right.) 78:38 Allah also says,

(And all the voices will be humbled for the Most Gracious (Allah). ) 20:108 In the Hadith about the intercession, which is recorded in the Two Sahihs, the Messenger of Allah said,

(No one will speak on that day except the Messengers, and the call of the Messengers will be, "O Allah, save us, save us.") Concerning Allah's statement,

(Some among them will be wretched and (others) blessed.) This means that from the people of the gathering (on Judgement Day), some will be miserable and some will be happy. This is as Allah said,

(When a party will be in Paradise and a party in the blazing Fire) 42:7 Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la recorded in his Musnad on the authority of Ibn `Umar that `Umar said, "When this verse was revealed,

(Some among them will be wretched and (others) blessed.) I asked the Prophet , `O Messenger of Allah, will there be a sign for us to know (which party we are from) Will it be because of something that a person did, or something that he did not do' He said,

(O `Umar, it will be due to something that he did and the pens wrote it down. But every easy deed was created for its purpose (to be carried out).) Then Allah explains the situation of the wretched people and the happy people. He, the Exalted, says,

The Condition of the Wretched People and their Destination

Allah, the Exalted, says,

(in it they will experience Zafir and Shahiq.) Ibn `Abbas said, "Az-Zafir is a sound in the throat and Ash-Shahiq is a sound in the chest. This means that their exhaling will be Zafir and their inhaling will Shahiq." This will be due to the torment that they will be experiencing. We seek refuge with Allah from such evil.

(They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure,) Imam Abu Ja`far bin Jarir said, "It was from the customs of the Arabs that when they wanted to describe something that would last forever, they would say, `This is as enduring as the heavens and the earth.' Or, `It will last as until the night and day separate.' They would say, `As long as talkers at night continue to chat.' They meant by these statements the condition of eternity. Therefore, Allah addressed them in a manner that they were familiar with among themselves. Thus, He said,

(They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure,) The literal meaning is also intended with; "for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure." This is due to the fact that there will be heavens and earth in the life of the next world, just as Allah said,

(On the Day when the earth will be changed to another earth and so will be the heavens.) 14:48 For this reason, Al-Hasan Al-Basri said concerning the statement of Allah,

(the heavens and the earth endure.) "Allah is referring to a heaven other than this heaven (which we see now) and an earth other than this earth. That (new) heaven and earth will be eternal." Concerning Allah's statement,

(except as your Lord wills. Verily, your Lord is the doer of whatsoever He intends.) This is similar to His statement,

(The Fire be your dwelling place, you will dwell therein forever, except as Allah may will. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing.) 6:128 It has been said that the exception mentioned in this verse refers to the disobedient among the people of Tawhid. It is these whom Allah will bring out of the Fire by the intercession of the interceders. Those who will be allowed to intercede are the angels, the Prophets and the believers. They will intercede even on behalf of those who committed major sins. Then, the generous mercy of Allah will remove from the Fire those who have never done any good, except for saying La ilaha illallah one day of their life. This has been mentioned in numerous authentic reports from the Messenger of Allah , including narrations from Anas bin Malik, Jabir bin `Abdullah, Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri, Abu Hurayrah and other Companions. No one remains in the Fire after this final intercession, except those who will remain there forever without escape. This is the opinion held by many of the scholars, both past and present, concerning the explanation of this verse.

The Condition of the Happy People and their Destination

Allah, the Exalted, says,

(And those who are blessed.) These are the followers of the Messengers.

(they will be in Paradise,) This means that their final abode will be Paradise.

(abiding therein for all the time) This means that they will remain there forever.

(that the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills:) The meaning of the exception that is made here is that the condition of eternal pleasure that they will experience therein is something that is not mandatory by itself. Rather, it is something that is dependent upon the will of Allah. Unto Him belongs the favor of immortality upon them. For this reason they are inspired to glorify and praise Him, just as they are inspired to breathe. Ad-Dahhak and Al-Hasan Al-Basri both said, "It is about the right of the disobedient people of Tawhid who were in the Fire and then brought out of it." Then Allah finished this statement by saying,

(a gift without an end.) This means that it will never be cut off. This has been mentioned by Mujahid, Ibn `Abbas, Abu Al-`Aliyah and others. This has been mentioned so that the suspicious person will not doubt after the mention of the will of Allah. Someone may think that the mention of Allah's will here means that the pleasure of Paradise may end or change. To the contrary, it has been decreed that this pleasure will truly be forever and will never end. Likewise, Allah has clarified here that the eternal torment of the people of the Fire in Hell also is due to His will. He explains that He punishes them due to His justness and wisdom. This is why He says,

(Verily, your Lord is the doer of whatsoever He intends.) Similarly, Allah says,

(He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.)21:23 Here, Allah soothes the hearts and affirms the intent, by His saying,

(a gift without an end.) It has been recorded in the Two Sahihs that the Messenger of Allah said,

(Death will be brought in the form of a handsome ram (on the Day of Judgement) and it will be slaughtered between Paradise and the Hellfire. Then, it will be said, "O people of Paradise! Eternity and no death! O people of Hellfire! Eternity and no death!") In the Sahih it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

(It will be said, `O people of Paradise, verily you will live and you will never die. You will remain young and you will never grow old. You will remain healthy and you will never become ill. You will be happy and you will never grieve.)