Surah 11. Hud

[Whereupon the angels] said: "O Lot! Behold, we are messengers from thy Sustainer! Never shall [thy enemies] attain to thee! Depart, then, with thy household while it is yet night, and let none of you look back;¹¹² [and take with thee all thy family] with the exception of thy wife: for, behold, that which is to befall these [people of Sodom] shall befall her [as well].¹¹³ Verily, their appointed time is the morning - [and] is not the morning nigh?"

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in an abstract sense, "to what you are leaving behind" (Razi)-evidently meaning the severing of all associations with the sinful city, and not a physical looking-back.

Cf. 7:83 and the corresponding note, as well as 66:10 , where it is mentioned that Lot's wife, who was apparently a native of Sodom, had acted faithlessly towards her husband, i.e., had refused to believe in his prophetic mission; and her story was thereupon "propounded as a parable of those who are bent on denying the truth".

The messengers said: "O Lut! We are the messengers of your Rabb. They will not be able to harm you. Now, take your family and get out of this town while yet a part of the night remains - and let none of you turn back - except your wife, who should be left behind. She will face the same fate as they. Their scheduled time of doom is the morning. Is not the morning very close?"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

(The messengers) said: O Lot! Lo! we are messengers of thy Lord; they shall not reach thee. So travel with thy people in a part of the night, and let not one of you turn round (all) save thy wife. Lo! that which smiteth them will smite her (also). Lo! their tryst is (for) the morning. Is not the morning nigh?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so, when Our judgment came to pass, We turned those [sinful towns] upside down, and rained down upon them stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained,¹¹⁴ one upon another,

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "stones of sijjil", which latter noun is regarded by some philologists as the Arabicized form of the Persian sang-i-gil ("clay-stone" or "petrified clay"): cf. Qamus and Taj al-'Arus. If this supposition is correct, the "stones of petrified clay" would be more or less synonymous with "brimstones", which in its turn would point to a volcanic eruption, probably in conjunction with a severe earthquake (alluded to in the preceding phrase, "We turned those [sinful towns] upside down"). But there is also a strong probability, pointed out by Zamakhshari and Razi, that the term sijjil is of purely Arabic origin - namely, a synonym of sijjil, which primarily signifies "a writing", and secondarily, "something that has been decreed": in which case the expression hijarah min sijjil can be understood in a metaphorical sense, namely, as "stones of all the chastisement laid down in God's decree" (Zamakhshari and Razi, both in conjunction with the above verse and in their commentaries on 105:4 ). It is, I believe, this metaphorical meaning of "stone-hard blows of chastisement pre-ordained", i.e., of God-willed doom, that the concluding sentence of the next verse alludes to.

When Our Judgement came to pass, We turned the cities upside down and rained down on them brimstones of baked clay, layer upon layer,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

So when Our commandment came to pass We overthrew (that township) and rained upon it stones of clay, one after another,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

marked out in thy Sustainer's sight [for the punishment of such as are lost in sin]. And these [blows of God-willed doom] are never far from evildoers!¹¹⁵

  - Mohammad Asad

According to some of the earliest Qur'an-commentators (e.g., Qatadah and 'Ikrimah, as quoted by Tabari), this threat of ultimate doom applies to evildoers of all times - which further supports the assumption that the expression hijarah min sijjil has a metaphorical connotation.

specially marked by your Rabb. Such scourge is not far off from the wrongdoers!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Marked with fire in the providence of thy Lord (for the destruction of the wicked). And they are never far from the wrong-doers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND UNTO [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shu'ayb.¹¹⁶ He said: "O my people! Worship God [alone]: you have no deity other than Him; and do not give short measure and weight [in any of your dealings with men].¹¹⁷ Behold, I see you [now] in a happy state; but, verily, I dread lest suffering befall you on a Day that will encompass [you with doom]!

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {7}, note [67].

Thus, belief in the One God and justice in all dealings between man and man (see surah {6}, note [150]) are here placed together as the twin postulates of all righteousness. Some commentators assume that the people of Madyan were of a particularly commercial bent of mind, and given to fraudulent dealings. It is obvious, however, that the purport of this passage and of its sequence goes far beyond anything that might be construed by a purely "historical" interpretation. What this version of Shu'ayb's story aims at is - as always in the Qur'an - the enunciation of a generally applicable principle of ethics: namely, the impossibility of one's being righteous with regard to God unless one is righteous - in both the moral and social senses of this word - in the realm of human relationships as well. This explains the insistence with which the above prohibition is re-stated in a positive form, as an injunction, in the next verse.

To the people of Median We sent their brother Shu'aib. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no god but Him. Do not give short measure and weight. Although I see you in prosperity today, I fear for you the scourge of a Day that will encircle you.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And unto Midian (We sent) their brother Shueyb. He said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other God save Him! And give not short measure and short weight. Lo! I see you well to do, and lo! I fear for you the doom of a besetting Day.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, O my people, [always] give full measure and weight, with equity, and do not deprive people of what is rightfully theirs,¹¹⁸ and do not act wickedly on earth by spreading corruption.

  - Mohammad Asad

See surah {7}, note [68].

O my people! Give full measure and weight in all fairness. Do not defraud people of their goods and do not spread mischief in the land.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

O my people! Give full measure and full weight in justice, and wrong not people in respect of their goods. And do not evil in the earth, causing corruption.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

That which rests with God¹¹⁹ is best for you, if you but believe [in Him]! However, I am not your keeper."

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the lasting merit achieved by virtue of good deeds and fair dealings with one's fellow-men (cf. the expression al-baqiyat as-salihat in 18:46 and 19:76 ).

What remains with Allah is better for you if you are true believers, and I am not set up as a guardian over you."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

That which Allah leaveth with you is better for you if ye are believers; and I am not a keeper over you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Said they: "O Shu'ayb! Does thy [habit of] praying compel thee to demand of us¹²⁰ that we give up all that our forefathers were wont to worship, or that we refrain from doing whatever we please with our possessions?¹²¹ Behold, [thou wouldst have us believe that] thou art indeed the only clement, the only right-minded man!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "Do thy prayers command thee...", etc.

I.e., without regard to the rights and needs of others, especially the poor: hence their sarcastic reference, in the next sentence, to Shu'ayb's clemency and right-mindedness.

They said: "Oh Shu'aib! Does your Salah (prayer) command you that we give up all those deities whom our forefathers worshiped or that we have no right of doing what we like with our own goods? For sure, you are the only gracious and righteous man left in the land!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They said: O Shueyb! Doth thy way of prayer command thee that we should forsake that which our fathers (used to) worship, or that we (should leave off) doing what we will with our own property. Lo! thou are the mild, the guide to right behavior.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

He answered: "O my people! What do you think? If [it be true that] I am taking my stand on all clear evidence from my Sustainer, who has vouchsafed me goodly sustenance [as a gift] from Himself - [how could I speak to you otherwise than I do]?¹²² And yet, I have no desire to do, out of opposition to you, what I am asking you not to do:¹²³ I desire no more than to set things to rights in so far as it lies within my power; but the achievement of my aim depends on God alone. In Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him do I always turn!

  - Mohammad Asad

According to Zamakhshari, Razi and several other commentators, the clause interpolated here between brackets is elliptically implied in Shu'ayb's answer. His stress on the fact that God has graced him amply with worldly goods is meant to remind his countrymen that it is not self-interest that causes him to ask them to be fair in their dealings with their fellow-men.

I.e., "I do not aim at depriving you of what is rightfully yours" - a reference to verse {85} above.

He said: "O my people! You see, if I have a clear sign from my Rabb and He has given me good sustenance from Himself how can I, then, be a party to your evil and unlawful practices? I do not want to oppose you in what I am forbidding you. I desire nothing but to reform so far as I can manage. My success in this task depends entirely on the help of Allah; in Him do I trust and to Him do I turn for everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: O my people! Bethink you: if I am (acting) on a clear proof from my Lord and He sustaineth me with fair sustenance from Him (how can I concede aught to you)? I desire not to do behind your backs that which I ask you not to do. I desire naught save reform so far as I am able. My welfare is only in Allah. In Him I trust and unto Him I turn (repentant).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And, O my people, let not [your] dissent from me drive you into sin, lest there befall you the like of what befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih: and [remember that] the people of Lot lived not very far from you!¹²⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

As pointed out in surah {7}, note [67], the region inhabited by Shu'ayb's people extended from what is known today as the Gulf of 'Aqabah to the mountains of Moab, east of the Dead Sea, in the vicinity of which Sodom and Gomorrah were situated.

O my people! Let not my dispute with you bring upon you the doom similar to that of the people of Nuh or of Hud or of Saleh, nor are the people of Lut far off from you;

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And, O my people! Let not the schism with me cause you to sin so that there befall you that which befell the folk of Noah and the folk of Hud, and the folk of Salih; and the folk of Lot are not far off from you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, ask your Sustainer to forgive you your sins, and then turn towards Him in repentance - for, verily, my Sustainer is a dispenser of grace, a fount of love!"

  - Mohammad Asad

seek forgiveness of your Rabb and turn to Him in repentance; for my Rabb is indeed Merciful, Affectionate."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Ask pardon of your Lord and then turn unto Him (repentant). Lo! my Lord is, Merciful, Loving.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[But his people] said: "O Shu'ayb! We cannot grasp the purport of much of what thou sayest;¹²⁵ on the other hand, behold, we do see clearly how weak thou art in our midst:¹²⁶ and were it not for thy family, we would have most certainly stoned thee to death, considering that thou hast no power over us!"

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. 6:25 . In the present instance, however, the self-confessed lack of understanding on the part of the people of Madyan may have a more subjective meaning, similar to the half-indignant, half-embarrassed retort, "I don't know what you are talking about."

Lit., "we regard thee indeed as a weak one among us" - i.e., without any appreciable tribal support.

They said: "O Shu'aib! We do not comprehend much of what you say. In fact, we see that you are a powerless person among us. Were it not for your family, we certainly would have stoned you, for you are not strong enough to prevail against us."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

They said: O Shueyb! We understand not much of that thou tellest, and lo! we do behold thee weak among us. But for thy family, we should have stoned thee, for thou art not strong against us.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Said he: "O my people! Do you hold my family in greater esteem than God? - for, Him you regard as something that may be cast behind you and be forgotten!¹²⁷ Verily, my Sustainer encompasses [with His might] all that you do!

  - Mohammad Asad

In classical Arabic usage, as well as in the speech of certain bedouin tribes to this day, the phrase ittakhadhahu (or ja'lahu) zihriyyan (lit., "he put him behind his back") has the meaning of "he held him in contempt", or "he forgot him", or "regarded him as something that may be forgotten". This last rendering seems to be the most appropriate in the above context.

He said: "O my people! Do you regard my family to be more powerful than Allah, that you have disregarded Him totally as a thing cast behind your back? Surely my Rabb encompasses all that you do.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

He said: O my people! Is my family more to be honored by you than Allah? And ye put Him behind you, neglected! Lo! my Lord surroundeth what ye do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Hence, O my people, do [to me] anything that may be within your power, [while] I, behold, shall labour [in God's way]; in time you will come to know which [of us] shall be visited by suffering that will cover him with ignominy, and which [of us] is a liar. Watch, then, [for what is coming:] behold, I shall watch with you!"

  - Mohammad Asad

O my people! You keep on doing your way, and I shall keep up mine: soon you will find out who receives the disgraceful punishment and who is a liar! Wait if you will; I too am waiting with you!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And, O my people! Act according to your power, lo, I (too) am acting. Ye will soon know on whom there cometh a doom that will abase him, and who it is that lieth. And watch! Lo! I am watcher with you.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so, when Our judgment came to pass, by Our grace We saved Shu'ayb and those who shared his faith, whereas the blast [of Our punishment] overtook those who had been bent on evildoing: and then they lay lifeless, in their very homes, on the ground,¹²⁸

  - Mohammad Asad

See verse {67} of this surah and the corresponding note [98]; also surah {7}, note [73].

When Our judgement came to pass, We delivered Shu'aib and those who believed with him through Our special mercy. A mighty blast seized the wrongdoers and they lay dead with their faces down in their homes by the morning,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when Our commandment came to pass we saved Shueyb and those who believed with Him by a mercy from Us; and the (Awful) Cry seized those who did injustice, and morning found them prostrate in their dwellings.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

as though they had never lived there. Oh, away with [the people of] Madyan, even as the Thamud have been done away with!

  - Mohammad Asad

as if they had never flourished there. Behold! Like Thamud, gone are the people of Median!

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

As though they had not dwelt there. A far removal for Midian, even as Thamud had been removed afar!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall