English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 11: Hud — Hud (Revealed at Makkah: 10 sections, 123 verses)
Section 10 (Verses 11:110–11:123): Believers are Comforted
Translation:
وَ لَقَدۡ اٰتَیۡنَا مُوۡسَی الۡکِتٰبَ فَاخۡتُلِفَ فِیۡہِ ؕ وَ لَوۡ لَا کَلِمَۃٌ سَبَقَتۡ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ لَقُضِیَ بَیۡنَہُمۡ ؕ وَ اِنَّہُمۡ لَفِیۡ شَکٍّ مِّنۡہُ مُرِیۡبٍ ﴿۱۱۰﴾
11:110 And indeed We gave Moses the Book, but differences arose concerning it. And if a word had not already gone forth from your Lord, judgment would have been given between them. And they are surely in a disquieting doubt about it.
وَ اِنَّ کُلًّا لَّمَّا لَیُوَفِّیَنَّہُمۡ رَبُّکَ اَعۡمَالَہُمۡ ؕ اِنَّہٗ بِمَا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ خَبِیۡرٌ ﴿۱۱۱﴾
11:111 And your Lord will surely pay back to all their deeds in full. He indeed is Aware of what they do.
فَاسۡتَقِمۡ کَمَاۤ اُمِرۡتَ وَ مَنۡ تَابَ مَعَکَ وَ لَا تَطۡغَوۡا ؕ اِنَّہٗ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ بَصِیۡرٌ ﴿۱۱۲﴾
11:112 Continue, then, in the right way as you are commanded, as also (should) those who turn (to Allah) with you. And do not be inordinate (O people). Surely He is Seer of what you do.
وَ لَا تَرۡکَنُوۡۤا اِلَی الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا فَتَمَسَّکُمُ النَّارُ ۙ وَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ مِنۡ اَوۡلِیَآءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنۡصَرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۳﴾
11:113 And do not incline to those who do wrong, so that the fire touch you; and you have no protectors besides Allah, then you would not be helped.1
وَ اَقِمِ الصَّلٰوۃَ طَرَفَیِ النَّہَارِ وَ زُلَفًا مِّنَ الَّیۡلِ ؕ اِنَّ الۡحَسَنٰتِ یُذۡہِبۡنَ السَّیِّاٰتِ ؕ ذٰلِکَ ذِکۡرٰی لِلذّٰکِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۴﴾ۚ
11:114 And keep up prayer at the two ends of the day and in the first hours of the night.2 Surely good deeds take away evil deeds. This is a reminder for the mindful.
وَ اصۡبِرۡ فَاِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یُضِیۡعُ اَجۡرَ الۡمُحۡسِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۵﴾
11:115 And be patient, for surely Allah does not waste the reward of the doers of good.
فَلَوۡ لَا کَانَ مِنَ الۡقُرُوۡنِ مِنۡ قَبۡلِکُمۡ اُولُوۡا بَقِیَّۃٍ یَّنۡہَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡفَسَادِ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ اِلَّا قَلِیۡلًا مِّمَّنۡ اَنۡجَیۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ ۚ وَ اتَّبَعَ الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡا مَاۤ اُتۡرِفُوۡا فِیۡہِ وَ کَانُوۡا مُجۡرِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۶﴾
11:116 Why were there not, then, among the generations before you, those possessing understanding who forbade mischief in the earth except a few among them whom We delivered? And the unjust pursued the enjoyment of plenty, and they were guilty.
وَ مَا کَانَ رَبُّکَ لِیُہۡلِکَ الۡقُرٰی بِظُلۡمٍ وَّ اَہۡلُہَا مُصۡلِحُوۡنَ ﴿۱۱۷﴾
11:117 And your Lord would not destroy towns unjustly, while their people acted well.3
وَ لَوۡ شَآءَ رَبُّکَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ اُمَّۃً وَّاحِدَۃً وَّ لَا یَزَالُوۡنَ مُخۡتَلِفِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۸﴾ۙ
11:118 And if your Lord pleased, He would have made people a single nation.4 And they do not cease to differ,
اِلَّا مَنۡ رَّحِمَ رَبُّکَ ؕ وَ لِذٰلِکَ خَلَقَہُمۡ ؕ وَ تَمَّتۡ کَلِمَۃُ رَبِّکَ لَاَمۡلَـَٔنَّ جَہَنَّمَ مِنَ الۡجِنَّۃِ وَ النَّاسِ اَجۡمَعِیۡنَ ﴿۱۱۹﴾
11:119 except those on whom your Lord has mercy; and for this did He create them. And the word of your Lord is fulfilled: I will certainly fill hell with jinn and people, all together.5
وَ کُلًّا نَّقُصُّ عَلَیۡکَ مِنۡ اَنۡۢبَآءِ الرُّسُلِ مَا نُثَبِّتُ بِہٖ فُؤَادَکَ ۚ وَ جَآءَکَ فِیۡ ہٰذِہِ الۡحَقُّ وَ مَوۡعِظَۃٌ وَّ ذِکۡرٰی لِلۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۲۰﴾
11:120 And all We relate to you from the account of the messengers is to strengthen your heart with it. And in this has come to you the truth and an admonition and a reminder for the believers.
وَ قُلۡ لِّلَّذِیۡنَ لَا یُؤۡمِنُوۡنَ اعۡمَلُوۡا عَلٰی مَکَانَتِکُمۡ ؕ اِنَّا عٰمِلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۱﴾ۙ
11:121 And say to those who do not believe: Act according to your power, surely we too are acting;
وَ انۡتَظِرُوۡا ۚ اِنَّا مُنۡتَظِرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۲﴾
11:122 and wait, surely we too are waiting.
وَ لِلّٰہِ غَیۡبُ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اِلَیۡہِ یُرۡجَعُ الۡاَمۡرُ کُلُّہٗ فَاعۡبُدۡہُ وَ تَوَکَّلۡ عَلَیۡہِ ؕ وَ مَا رَبُّکَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۲۳﴾٪
11:123 And Allah’s is the unseen in the heavens and the earth, and to Him the whole affair will be returned. So serve Him and put your trust in Him. And your Lord is not heedless of what you do.
Commentary:
- Not only is man forbidden to do any wrong himself, but he should keep himself at a safe distance from wrong and refrain from leaning towards the wrongdoers. ↩︎
- The times of prayer are clearly indicated here. Of the two ends of the day, the first is the fajr, or the prayer before sunrise, and the second includes the ẓuhr, or the early afternoon, and the ‘aṣr, or the later afternoon, prayers. In the first hours of the night we have the maghrib, or the after sunset prayer, and the ‘ishā’, or the prayer before going to bed. The two afternoon prayers and the two after sunset prayers, which are spoken of together, may under exceptional circumstances be said together in each case. ↩︎
- God does not destroy people unjustly. He destroys them only when they act corruptly and make mischief in the world. He would not destroy them if they act well, whatever their beliefs. Most of the commentators take the word ẓulm (injustice in the word “unjustly”) here as meaning shirk or setting up partners with God, and the meaning becomes that God would not destroy people, even though they were guilty of shirk, provided they acted well. The translation in this case would be: your Lord would not destroy towns for wrong beliefs, while their people acted well. ↩︎
- God does not force people to one particular belief. He has given them the choice to accept or reject the truth. ↩︎
- Here it is clearly stated that Allah created all human beings to have mercy on them. By His mercy He guides some to the right path, while to others, who go over to evil and make themselves deserving of hell, mercy will come only after suffering. It is by their own hands that they get into distress and difficulty, while Allah has mercy on them in extricating them from it.
The filling of hell with jinn and people would be because they went against the ways which Allah had mercifully shown to them. Therefore they must pass through another ordeal, so that they may be purged of evil and made fit for spiritual progress. ↩︎