English - Chapter 11 - Hud

ALIF LAM RA. This is a Book whose signs (verses) are perfected (confirmed, fundamental and well-established) and then expounded (explained in detail), from the Wise One, the Aware

(Saying,) " Serve (or worship) none other than Allah. Verily, I am unto you from Him a Warner and a herald of Glad Tidings

Seek pardon from your Lord, then turn to Him repentant. He will cause you to enjoy a good provision until an appointed time. He gives of His Bounty (or Grace) to every one deserving it. But if you turn your backs, I fear for you the retribution of a

Unto Allah is your return, and He has power over all things

Do they not, verily, fold up their breasts, that they may hide (their thoughts) from Him? But when they cover themselves with their garments, does He not know what they conceal and what they display? Verily, He knows the nature of men´s heart

There is no creature that walks upon the earth but its provision is from Allah. He knows its permanent settlement and its temporary resting-place. All is in the Perspicuous Book (or in a Clear Record)

He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne (or authority, control) was (first) upon the Water that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct. But should you say, "You will be raised up after death," those

And if We delay from them the doom to a stated time, they will surely say, "What hinders it?" Verily, on the day it comes to them there is no averting it from them and that which they mocked shall close in on them

And if We make man taste of mercy from Us and then strip it off from him, verily, he is despairing, ungrateful

And if We make him taste of comfort after distress has touched him, he will surely say, "All evils have departed from me." Verily, then he is exultant and boastful

Save those who are patient and do right; these, for them is pardon and a mighty reward

Perchance you forsake part of what is revealed to you, and your breast is straitened thereby, lest they should say, "Why is not a treasure sent down to him? Or why did not an angel come with him?". But you are only a Warner. It is Allah who is i

Or they say, "He hath invented it." Say, "Bring ten surahs (chapters) like it, invented; and call upon all whom you can beside Allah, if you are truthful

And if they (false gods, Muses) do not answer, then know that it is revealed by the knowledge of Allah, and that there is no God but He. Do you then Surrender (unto Allah and accept Islam)

Whoever shall desire the life of this world and its pomp (or ornaments), We will pay them their works therein, and they shall not be cheated

These are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter save the Fire; and vain is that they made therein, and fruitless what they were doing

Is he (like them) who relies upon a manifest Sign from his Lord and a witness from Him recites it, and of which the book of Moses came as a model and a mercy before it? These believe in it; and whoever of the tribes disbelieves in it, the Fire is his prom

Who is more unjust than he who invents a lie concerning Allah? Such shall be brought before their Lord, and the witnesses shall say, "These it is who lied about their Lord." Now the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers

Who turn men away from the path of Allah, and crave to make it crooked, and disbelieve in the Hereafter

Such will not escape in the earth, nor have they patrons other than Allah. Doubled for them is the torment. They could not bear to hear, nor did they see

These it is who have lost their souls, and that which they used to devise has failed them

No doubt in the Hereafter these are the greatest losers

Verily, those who believe and do what is right, and humble themselves before their Lord, they are the Fellows of the Garden; they shall dwell therein

The similitude of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf (on the one hand), and the seeing and the hearing (on the other); are they equal in similitude? Will you not then take heed

We did send Noah unto his people, saying, "Verily, I am to you a plain Warner

That you should not worship any save Allah. Verily, I fear for you the torment of the grievous Day

But the chiefs of those who disbelieved amongst his people said, "We only see in you a mortal like ourselves; nor do we see that any follow you except the most abject (or meanest, most ignorant or most deficient) amongst us by a rash (or immature) ju

Noah said, "O my people! Bethink you, if I rely upon a manifest Sign from my Lord, and there come to me mercy from Him, and you are blind to it (or it has been made obscure to you); can we compel you to accept it while you are averse to it

O my people! I do not ask you for wealth in return for it; my hire (or wage, reward) is only from Allah. Nor will I repulse (drive away) those who believe. Verily, they shall meet their Lord. But I see you as a people who are ignorant

O my people! Who will help me against Allah, were I to repel them? Do you not then reflect

I say not unto you that I have the treasures of Allah; nor do I know the unseen; nor do I say: verily, I am an angel; nor do I say of those whom your eyes despise: Allah will never give them any good - Allah knows best what is in their souls, verily

They said, "O Noah! You have wrangled with us, and have multiplied disputation among us. Now bring upon us what you have threatened us with, if you are of the truthful

Said he, "Allah will only bring it on you when He pleases, nor can you make Him helpless (frustrate Him)

Nor will my advice profit you were I minded to advise you, if Allah wills to keep you astray. He is your Lord, and unto Him shall you return

Do they say, "He has invented it?" Say, "If I have devised it, then on me be my crime, but I am clear (innocent) of all that you commit

And Noah was inspired (in these words), "None shall surely believe amongst your people but those who have believed already; take it not then ill that which they do

And make the Ark under Our eyes (supervision, purposes), and at Our inspiration (instructions); and plead not with Me for those who have done wrong. Verily, they shall be drowned

So he made the Ark; and every time the chiefs of his people passed by him they mocked at him. Said he, "If you mock at us, verily, we shall mock at you even as you are mocking

And you shall surely soon know who it is to whom the punishment that confounds and shames shall come, and upon whom shall fall the lasting doom

Then when Our commandment came to pass, and the geysers gushed forth water, We said, "Load therein two of every kind, a pair (male and female), and your family, save him on whom the sentence has already been passed, and those who believe." But t

And he said, "Ride you therein. In the name of Allah is its course, and its mooring. Verily, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful

And it sailed with them amid waves like mountains; and Noah cried to his son who had gone aside (stood aloof or separated himself), "O my boy! Ride with us and be not with the disbelievers

The son replied, "I will betake me to some mountain that shall save me from the water (I will find another solution)." Said Noah, "There is none this day that can save from the command of Allah, except for him on whom He may have mercy.&quo

And it was said, "O earth! Swallow down your water! And, O heaven! Withhold you rain!" And the water abated; and the matter was decided, and the Ark settled on Mount Judi, and the word went forth, "Removed are the evildoing people

And Noah called unto his Lord saying, "My Lord, verily, my son is of my family (people), and, surely Thy promise is true, and Thou art the most just of judges

He said, "O Noah! He is not of your family (people); verily, because his conduct is unrighteous. Therefore ask Me not for that of which you have no knowledge. Verily, I give you counsel lest you should be among the ignorant

He said, "My Lord, verily, I seek refuge in Thee (from wrong) lest I ask Thee that whereof I have no knowledge. Unless Thou dost forgive me and have mercy on me, I shall be of those who are lost

The word came, "O Noah! Descend (from the Ark) in peace from Us, and blessings upon you and upon some of the communities who will descend from you; but other communities We shall grant enjoyment for a time and then there shall touch, them, from Us gr

These are some of the stories of the Unseen that We reveal unto you. You did not know them before this, you and your people. So persevere patiently; verily, the sequel is for those who fear (are righteous)

And unto the tribe of A´ad (We sent) their brother Hud. He said, "O my people! Serve Allah; you have no God but Him. You do but invent lies (superstitions, fantasies, self-deception)

O my people! I do not ask you for hire (wages, rewards) in return (for the message); Lo, my hire is only from Him who created me: have you then no sense (or understanding)

O my people! Ask pardon of your Lord; then turn to Him in repentance; He will send the skies (rain, spiritual, social and material bounties) down on you in torrents; and He will add strength to your strength: turn not away, guilty

They said, "O Hud! You have not come to us with a manifest sign (or clear proof); nor will we leave our gods at your word; nor will we believe in you

We say nothing but that, perhaps, some of our gods have possessed you with madness." Said he, "Verily, I call Allah to witness, and do you bear witness too, that I am free from ascribing to (or associating with) Him

Other gods as partners. Plot then against me together (as much as you like), and give me no respite

Verily, I trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no beast that walks but He grasps it by its forelock (has complete power over it). Verily, my Lord is on the Straight Way

But if you turn your backs, then I have conveyed to you that wherewith I was sent to you; and my Lord will replace you with another people. You cannot harm (frustrate) Him at all; verily, my Lord is Guardian over all things

And when Our commandment came We saved Hud, and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us; We saved them from a harsh torment

Such were (the tribe of) A´ad. They denied the signs of their Lord, and rebelled against His Messengers, and followed the bidding of every headstrong tyrant

They were followed in this world by a curse, and on the Day of Resurrection. Behold! A´ad disbelieved in their Lord! Aye! Removed were A´ad the people of Hud

And unto Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. Said he, "O my people! Serve Allah; you have no God but Him. He it is that produced you from the earth, and made you live therein! So ask pardon of Him; then turn to Him in repentance. Verily, my Lord is

They said, "O Salih! You were, before this, amongst us one we hoped in. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? Verily, we are in grave doubt as to that to which you call us

He said, "O my people! Bethink you, if I stand upon a manifest sign (clear proof) from my Lord, and there come from Him mercy, who will help me against Allah if I rebel against Him? You will add to me naught but perdition

O my people! This she-camel of Allah is a test (symbol, token) for you; leave her, then, to feed in Allah´s earth, and touch her not with harm, lest a near torment seize you

But they did hamstring her, and he said, "Enjoy yourselves in your houses for three days; this is the promise that shall not be belied

And when Our commandment came to pass, We saved Salih, and those who believed with him, by Our mercy, from the ignominy of that day. Verily, your Lord He is Powerful and Mighty

And a mighty noise caught those who had done wrong; and on the morrow they were lying corpses in their houses

As though they had never dwelt therein. Behold, Thamud indeed disbelieved in their Lord. Aye! Removed were the Thamud

Our messengers came unto Abraham with Glad Tidings. They said, "Peace!" He answered, "Peace be it!" and did not delay to bring the roasted calf

But when he saw that their hands reached not to it, he felt mistrust, and conceived a fear of them. They said, "Fear not. Verily, we are sent unto the people of Lot

And his wife was standing by, laughing; and We gave her the glad tidings of Isaac, and of Jacob after Isaac

Said she, "Alas for me! Shall I bear a son when I am an old woman, and this husband of mine an old man? Verily, this is a strange thing

They said, "Do you wonder at the commandment of Allah? The Mercy of Allah and His blessings upon you, O you people of the house! Verily, He is worthy of all Praise, worthy of all Glory

And when his terror left Abraham, and the glad tidings reached him, he pleaded with Us on behalf of the people of Lot

Verily, Abraham was relenting (tolerant), compassionate, and Allah-relying

And when Our messengers (angels) came to Lot, he was grieved for them (the people), and his arm was powerless to aid them. He said, "This is a distressful day

And his people came unto him, rushing, for they were long used to committing abomination (homosexuality). He said, "O my people! Here are my daughters (or young women), they are purer for you. Fear Allah, and do not disgrace me through my guests. Is

They said, "You know that we have no need of your daughters; verily, you well know what we want

He said, "Would that I had strength to resist you or could betake myself of some powerful support

(The messengers) said, "O Lot! Verily, we are the messengers of your Lord. They shall certainly not reach you; now travel with your people in the darkness of the night, and let none of you look round. But your wife (will do so), and there shall befal

And when Our commandment came, We overthrew (their town), making their high parts into low parts (turned them upside down). And We rained down upon them stones and baked clay one after another

Marked with fire from your Lord, and these are never far from the wrongdoers

And unto Midian (we sent) their brother Shu´eyb. He said, "O my people! Serve Allah; you have no God but Him, and give not short measure and weight. Verily, I see you well off; but, verily, I fear for you the torments of an encompassing Day

O my people! Give measure and weight fairly, and defraud not men of their due; and wreak not wrong in the earth, corrupting it

That which Allah leaves for you is better for you if you be believers. But I am not a guardian (or keeper) over you

They said, "O Shu´eyb! Do your prayers bid you that we should forsake what our fathers served, or that we should not do as we please with our own property? You are, forsooth, the clement and straight-forward one (or simpleton)

He said, "O my people! Bethink you, if I stand upon a manifest sign (clear proof) from my Lord, and He provides me from Himself with a goodly provision, how can I concede aught to you. I desire not to do behind your backs that which I forbid you. I d

O my people! Let not a breach with me cause you to so sin that there befall you the like of that which befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih, nor are the people of Lot far off from you

So ask pardon from your Lord, then turn to Him repentant; verily, my Lord is Merciful, Loving

They said, "O Shu´eyb! We do not understand much of what you say, and we see that you are weak (powerless) amongst us; and were it not for your family we would stone you, nor could you have power over us

He said, "O my people! Are my family more esteemed by you than Allah? Or have you taken Him as something to cast behind your backs? Verily, my Lord, surrounds all you do

O my people! Act according to your power; verily, I too will act, and you soon will know on whom comes a doom that will abase them, and him who is a liar. Watch then; verily, I am watching with you

And when Our commandment came, We saved Shu´eyb, and those who believed with him, by Our Mercy; and the great noise seized those who had done wrong, and on the morrow they were found prostrate in their houses

As though they had not dwelt therein. Behold! Removed was Midian! As was removed Thamud

And We sent Moses with our signs (revelations) and with obvious (clear) power

Unto Pharaoh and his chiefs; but they followed the command of Pharaoh, and the command of Pharaoh was no right (or true, straight) guidance

He shall approach his people on the Day of Resurrection, and take them to the Fire (as cattle are led to the watering-place) - ah, a woeful watering-place is that wither they are led

A curse follows them in this world and on the Day of Resurrection - ah, woeful is the gift that will be given them

That is one of the stories of the communities that We recite to you - Some of them are standing now and some already mown down

We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Their gods on whom they called instead of Allah availed them naught when once the command of your Lord had come; they add to them naught save ruin

Even thus is your Lord´s grasp when He overtakes the communities that have done wrong; verily, His grasp is grievous, strong

Verily, in this is a sign to him who fears the torment of the Hereafter - that is a Day unto which mankind shall be gathered, and that is a Day of Witness (a Day pointed to by events, a Day when testimony is given about the deeds of men, a Day which will)

We will delay it not, save unto an appointed time, already numbered

The Day when it comes, no soul shall speak save by His permission, and some shall be wretched and some glad

And as for those who are wretched, they will be in the Fire; sighing and wailing will be their lot

Abiding therein for so long as the heavens and the earth endure; save for what your Lord wills. Verily, your Lord is Accomplisher of what He wills (or plans)

And as for those who are glad, they will be in the Garden, abiding therein so long as the heavens and the earth endure; save what your Lord wills, a gift unfailing

Be not then in doubt concerning what these men serve (or worship); they only serve as their fathers served before; and We will give them their portion undiminished

When We gave Moses the Book before, they disagreed (or disputed) concerning it. Had it not been for a Word that had already gone forth from your Lord, the matter would have been decided between them; but, verily, they are still in hesitating doubt concern

But, verily, every one will your Lord surely recompense for their works; verily, He is well Informed of what they do

So stand you firm in the Straight Path, as you are commanded - you and those who turn unto Allah with you, and transgress you not. Verily, He is Seer of what you do

Lean not unto those who do wrong, lest the Fire touches you, for you have no patrons but Allah; nor shall you be helped

And be you steadfast in prayer at the two ends of the day, and the (three) watches of the night. Verily, good things annul evil things. This is a reminder for the mindful

And be you patient, for Allah wastes not the wages of those who do good

If only there had been, among the generations before you, men endowed with a remnant of virtue (balance, sobriety, righteousness, good sense) forbidding (warning, preventing) men from corruption in the earth, as did the few whom We saved from them. But th

In truth your Lord did not destroy the communities unjustly while they were doing right. (Or for a few or minor wrong-doings, or while there were few wrong-doers, or while they had the potentiality to mend)

Had your Lord pleased, He could have made men one nation; but they will not cease to dispute

Save those on whom your Lord has had mercy. For this did He create them. And the Word of your Lord is fulfiled, "Verily, I will surely fill hell with Jinns and Mankind altogether

And all that We relate to you of the stories of the Messengers in order that thereby We might make firm your heart. And herein has the truth come to you, an admonition and a reminder to the believers

Say to those who believe not, "Act according to your power, verily, we are acting too

And wait ye, verily, we are waiting too

Allah´s are the unseen things of the heavens and of the earth; and unto Him do all affairs return. So serve (worship) Him and put your trust in Him; for your Lord is not heedless of what you do