النص المفهرس

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Surah Hud : 11 : 69 - 73
and conveniently. Then, if the host is a man of means, he can arrange
for additional hospitality later. (Qurțubi)
2. A host should not worry about making too many formal arrange-
ments for a guest. Anything good available easily is good enough. Let
him put it before the guest. Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI ale had some domes-
tic animals at home. Therefore, he slaughtered a calf, had it roasted
quickly and offered it to his guests. (Qurțubi)
3. Receiving guests and offering hospitality to them is a part of the
essential etiquette of Islam, in fact, a hallmark of high morals. This is
the blessed habit of prophets and the righteous. Is it necessary (wajib)
to entertain guests? Or, is it not? 'Ulama' have difference of opinion in
this matter. According to the majority of them, it is a sunnah, and de-
sirable, but not wajib (necessary, obligatory). Some of them say that it
is wajib on village people that they should offer hospitality to a person
who stays in their village because a stranger has no arrangement for
his meals there. Since such arrangements are possible through a hotel
in cities, therefore, it is not wajib on those who live in cities. Al-Qurtubi
has reported all these different views in his Tafsir.
In verse 70, it was said : ◌ْفَلَقَّارًا آَيْدِيَّهُمْ لاَ تَصِلُ إِلَيْهِ نَكِرَهُم (So, when he noticed
their hands not reaching for it, he found them strange and felt a bit of
fright from them).
From here we learn that there are rules of etiquette for guests as
well. A guest should accept whatever is offered. Let him partake from
it a little bit to please the host, even if not willing to eat because of un-
favorable taste or apprehended harm.
This very sentence also tells us that the host should not consider
himself absolved after having placed the food before the guest. In-
stead, he should be benignly watching whether or not the guest is par-
taking of the food, as was done by Sayyidna Ibrahim ->JI Le when he
noticed that the angels were not eating.
But, this watching has to be discreet, not something like staring at
the guest while he is eating. A casual look is enough, because looking
at the morsels of food being eaten by the guest is contrary to the eti-
quette of entertainment and certainly very humiliating for the invited
guest. This is illustrated by an incident relating to Khalifah Hisham
ibn 'Abd ul-Malik. On a certain day, the Khalifah was sharing his food-

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Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
spread with a rustic Arab. The morsel of food being eaten by the Arab
had a strand of hair in it. When Khalifah Hisham noticed it, he told
the Arab about it. The Arab instantly rose in a huff saying, 'we never
eat with a person who watches our morsels.'
Al-Țabari reports at this place: When the angels abstained from
eating the first time, they had said that they do not eat free meals. If
they were to accept payment for it, they would. Sayyidna Ibrahim Je
JI said, 'Yes, there is a price for it that you can pay. The price is: Say
'with the name of Allah' when you begin, and praise Him when you
finish.' Hearing this, the archangel Jibra'il عليه السلام told his compan-
ions, 'That Allah Ta'ala calls him His friend is correct. He deserves it.'
This tells us that saying: J __ (bismillah: With the name of Allah)
when beginning to eat, and saying: JaJI (alhamdulillah: Praise belongs
to Allah) at the end of it is Sunnah.
Verses 74 - 83
فَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ عَنْ إِبْرُ هِيْمَ الرَّوْعُ وَجَاءَتْهُ الْبُشْرِى يُجَادِ لُنَا فِىْ
قَوْمِ لُوطٍ ﴿٧٤﴾ إِنَّ إِبْرُهِيُمَ لَلِيُمْ آَوَّاهُ مُنِيُبٌ ﴿٧٥) يَابِرُهِيْمُ
أَعْرِضُ عَنْ هُذَاء إِنَّهُ قَدْجَاءَ أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَإِنَّهُمْ أَتِيْهِمْ عَذَابٌ
غَيْرُ مَرُدُودٍ ﴿٧٦﴾ وَلََّ جَآءَتَ رُسُلَنَا لُوطًا سِنَِّبِهِمْ وَضَاقَ
بِهِمْ ذَرْعًا وَقَالَ هَذَا يَوْمٌ عَصِيْتُ ﴿٧٧﴾ وَجَاءَهُ قَوْمُهُ يُهُرَعُوْنَ
إِلَيْهِ* وَمِنْ قَبْلُ كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ السَّاتِ ، قَالَ يُقَوُّمِ خَوْلًا؛
بَنَاتِىُ هُنَّ اطُهَوْلَكُمْ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُخْرُوْنِ فِىٌ ضَيْفِىّ
اَلَيْسَ مِنْكُمْ رَجَلٌ رَشِيْدٌ ﴿٧٨﴾ قَالُوا لَقَدُ عَلِمْتَ مَالَنَا فِىٌ
بَنْتِكَ مِنْ حَقٍِّ وَإِنَّكَ لَتَعْلَمُ مَانُرِيِّدُ ﴿٧٩﴾ قَالَ لَوْ آَنَّ لِىٌ بِكُمْ
قُوَّةً أَوْ اوٌِّ إلى ◌ُكْنٍ شَدِيدٍ ﴿ ٨﴾ قَالُوا يُلُوْطُ إِنَّارُ سُلُ رَبِّكَ
لَنْ يَصِلُؤْآَ إِلَيْكَ فَاسِرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْع ◌ِنَ الَّيْلِ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتُ
مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّ امْرَأَتَكَ إِنَّهْ مُصِيْبُهَا مَا أَصَابَهُمْ﴿ إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ
الصُبْحُ، اَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيْبٍ ﴿٨١﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا

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Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
عَالِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِنُ سِجِّيْلٍ لا مَنْضُؤُهٍ
﴿٢٨٢ ◌ُسَوَمَةً عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ، وَمَا هِىَ مِنَ الظُّلِمِيْنَ بِبَعِيْدٍ ﴿٨٣﴾
So, when fear left Ibrahim and the happy news came to
him, he started pleading before Us for the people of Lut.
[74] Surely, Ibrahim is forbearing, very penitent, ever-
turning to Allah. [75]
O Ibrahim! Leave it, in fact, the command of your Lord
has come, and there has to come upon them a punish-
ment, not to be turned back. [76]
And when Our emissaries (angels) came to Lut, he felt
uneasy and was strained in his heart on account of
them, and said, "This is a very hard day." [77]
And his people came to him, rushing upon him. And al-
ready they used to commit evil deeds. He said, "These
are my daughters. They are far more clean for you. So,
fear Allah and do not disgrace me in respect of my
guests. Is there not a single right man among you." [78]
They said, "You know that we have no claim on your
daughters, and you know well what we want." [79]
He said, "O that I had power over you or might have
some strong support for refuge." [80]
They (the angels) said, "O Lut, we are emissaries of
your Lord. They shall never reach you. So, move with
your family in a part of night, and none of you shall
turn to look back; except your woman. There has to be-
fall her whatever befalls them. Their deadline is the
morning. Is it not that the morning is near?" [81]
So, when Our command came, We turned its highest
into the lowest, and We rained on it stones of hard clay,
one over another [82] marked, with your Lord. And it is
not far from the transgressors. [83]
Commentary
Surah Hud carries an account of different kinds of Divine punish-
ments sent over past peoples because of their antagonism to prophets
of the time. Described in the verses cited above is the moral condition
of the people of Sayyidna Lut WILL and the severe punishment giv-
en to them.

659
Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
Besides being disbelievers, the people of Sayyidna Lut JI ale were
involved in the practice of such abject evil and immodesty as was not
found in the world before them, something even wild animals hate.
That a man would pollute his honor and dignity with another man is a
curse the fallout from which is far more injurious than common forni-
cation. Therefore, the harsh punishment that descended on these peo-
ple had never hit known practitioners of common acts of immodesty.
The event relating to Sayyidna Lut WILL as it appears in the cit-
ed verses tells that Allah Ta'ala sent some angels, including Sayyidna
Jibra'il WUJI Je, to execute the punishment against these people. They
first went to Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI in Palestine, the account of
which has appeared in previous verses. After that, they came to Sayy-
idna Lut JIAle whose abode was located at a distance of ten or
twelve miles from there.
Certainly great is the majesty of Allah Ta'ala. When He seizes a
people in punishment, the punishment that he makes descend upon
them is chosen to be congruous to their misdeed. On this occasion too,
these angels of Allah were sent in the form of handsome young men.
When they reached the home of Sayyidna Lut WILde, he too took
them to be visiting guests for they had come in human form. He found
himself in a fix. If he backed out from entertaining guests, it would be
against his dignity as a prophet. If he took them in as his guests, then,
he knew how evil and dirty his people were. The danger was that they
might storm his home and hurt the guests while he failed to defend
them. So, in his heart, he said, 'this is a very hard day.'
Allah Ta'ala has, in His great design, made this world of ours an
open gallery of lessons full of the countless exhibits of His perfect pow-
er and eloquent wisdom. He made His friend Sayyidna Ibrahim Wie
come out as a prophet from the home of Azar, the idol-worshipper. In
the home of the highly revered prophet, Sayyidna Lut >Je, there
was that wife of his who worked in league with disbelievers and op-
posed her prophet husband. When these honored guests in the form of
handsome young men came to stay at the home of Sayyidna Lut Le
).JI, his wife passed on the information to perverted hoods from these
people telling them about the kind of guests they had in their home on
that day. (Qurtubi, Mazhari)
Things turned out as Sayyidna Lut WILL had first apprehended.

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Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
This finds mention in the second verse (78) :ِوَ جَاءُه قَوْمُهُ مُهُرَعُونَ إِلَيْه (And his
people came to him, rushing upon him) - and they were already used
to committing evil deeds.
It has been hinted here that such was the curse of their evil deed
that they had lost all sense of modesty and propriety, so much so that
they did not hesitate to storm even the home of Sayyidna Lut WILL
for a purpose that sinister.
When Sayyidna Lut JILL realized that it was difficult to protect
his guests, he tried to divert the attention of his people from their evil
advances by telling them that he would give his daughters in marriage
to their chiefs, if they were to stop their evil-mongering. The marriage
of a believing girl with a disbelieving man was permissible at that
time. The practice had continued up to the early period of the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, therefore, he had given two of his daughters in
marriage to 'Utbah ibn Abi Lahab and Abu al-'As ibn al-Rabi', though
both of them were disbelievers. Later came the verses that prohibited
the marriage of Muslim women with disbelieving men as haram.
(Qurțubi)
According to some commentators, 'my daughters' at this place
means the daughters of the whole community because every prophet is
like a father to his people and the whole community is his spiritual
النَّبِىُّ أَوْلِى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَامجه :progeny. It is supported by the noble verse
(The Prophet comes first with the believers against their own
selves and his wives are (like) their mothers - 33:6). This should be
seen with the additional words: gh; (and he is [like] a father for
them) as they appear in the rendition (Qira'ah) of Sayyidna 'Abdullah
ibn Masud رضى الله عنه where the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been
identified as a father to the entire Muslim Ummah. According to this
Tafsir, the statement of Sayyidna Lut >JI_Je would mean, 'you leave
this evil habit of yours, behave like gentlemen, marry girls from your
people and have them as your wives.'
After that, it was to warn them against Divine punishment that
Sayyidna Lut عليه السلام said : فَاتَّقُوا الله (So, fear Allah). Then he pleaded
with them: 212 ; 3333 9; (do not disgrace me in respect of my guests)
and then wondered: ◌ُالَيُسَ مِنْكُمُ رَجُلٌ رَشِيُه (Is there not a single right man
among you?), someone who would listen to his plaint.

661
Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
But, there was no trace of gentility or even humanness left in any
لَقَدُ عَلِمُتَ مَالَنَا فِيٌ بَنتِكَ مِن:of them. So, in acid wickedness, they all responded
i'll IF (You know that we have no claim on your daughters, and
you know well what we want.'
Totally exasperated, what Sayyidna Lut WJIle could say at that
time was: ◌ٍكُرْ آنَّ لِىُ بِكُمْ قُرَّةً أَوْاِىَ إِلى مُركُنٍ شَدِيد that is, 'only if I had enough
strength in me to stand against this onslaught by my people, or that I
had the backing of some strong group who would have helped me get
rid of these oppressors.'
Seeing this anxiety of Sayyidna Lut WILL, the angels disclosed
their identity and said, 'do not worry. Your group is very strong and
very powerful. We are angels of Allah. They cannot touch us. We have
come to execute the punishment for them.'
It appears in a Hadith of the Sahih of al-Bukhari that the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said about it, 'may Allah Ta'ala have mercy on
Lut عليه السلام. He was compelled to seek the protection of some strong
group.' And the report in Tirmidhi carries another sentence with it,
'after Sayyidna Lut JI Je, Allah Ta'ala sent no prophet whose clan or
tribe was not his supporter.' (Qurtubi) This was true in the case of the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The disbelieving Quraysh did everything
they could against him, but his entire clan supported him - though,
they did not agree with him religion-wise. This was the reason why
Banu Hashim as a whole sided with the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in
the boycott imposed by the Quraysh disbelievers whereby they had cut
off essential supplies to him.
During this episode, as reported from Sayyidna 'Abdullah ibn
"Abbas رضى الله عنه ,when the people of Sayyidna Lut عليه السلام mobbed his
home, he had closed the entrance door. The conversation with these
wicked people was going on from behind it. The angels too were inside.
The mob was threatening to jump the walls, barge in and break the
door. Thereupon, came these words on the lips of Sayyidna Lut Le
they ,عليه السلام When the angels saw this anxiety of Sayyidna Lut . السلام
disclosed their real identity and asked him to open the door. It was
time that they took over and gave the miscreants a foretaste of the
Divine punishment. When the door was opened, archangel Jibra'il de
JI pointed his 'Feather' towards their eyes. They turned blind and
started running.

662
Surah Hud : 11 : 74 - 83
At that time, the angels under Divine command said to Sayyidna
Lut فَأَسْرٍ بِاَهُلِكَ بِقِطْع مِنَ الَّيُلِ : عليه السلام (So, move with your family in a part of
night). And asked him to instruct everyone in his family not to turn
and look back with the exception of his wife because she was going to
be hit by the same punishment that was to fall on his people.
This could also mean that he was not to take his wife along with
him. And it could also mean that, being his wife, she was to go along
as part of his family, but she would not obey the instruction of not
looking back he would give to his family. According to some reports,
this is what happened. This wife started off with others, but when she
heard the big bang of the punishment given to her people, she looked
back and felt sorry at their destruction. At that moment there came a
splintered rock and finished her off like others. (Qurtubi, Mazharī)
إِنَّ مَوْ عِدَهُمْ الصُّبُحُ : that عليه السلام The angels had also told Sayyidna Lut
(The deadline [of the punishment] is the morning). He said that he
wished the punishment would come sooner. Thereupon, the angels
said : ◌ٍالَيُسَ القُبُعُ بِقَرِيب (Is it not that the morning is near?)
After that, the Qur'an portrays the occurrence of the punishment
by saying: So, when Our command came, We turned whatever there
was in their habitat upside down raining such stones over it as had
the names of everyone there marked on it.
Reports say that these habitations were composed of four major
towns where those people lived. These very habitations have been
named as 'al-mu'tafik at' (the towns overturned) elsewhere in the Holy
Qur'an (9:70, 69:9). When the Divine command came, the archangel Ji-
bra'il al-Am in WILle dissected the base of the land mass holding all
those towns on top of it with his wing, raised all of it upwards in a way
that everything stayed where it was, even water in a water vessel. It
was in the backdrop of human, animal and canine voices coming from
the sky that he heaved all these habitations straight up towards the
sky and, then, threw the whole thing back upside down - as appropri-
ate to and as called for by the evil they indulged in.
At the end of the verse (83), after having mentioned the actual pun-
ishment that hit the people of Sayyidna Lut WILLe, it was to warn
the contemporary peoples of the world that it was said: 3 1 . 6 65
(And it is not far from the transgressors). It means that people who

663
Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
insist upon indulging in this shameful act should not consider them-
selves very far from this punishment. It can come even today. The
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, 'even in my Ummah, some people will
do what the people of Lut عليه السلام used to do. When this starts happen-
ing, then wait, for they too would be subjected to the same punishment
'.عليه السلام that was inflicted on the people of Lut
Verses 84 - 95
وَإِلى مَدْيَنَ آَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا، قَالَ يُقَوْمِ اعْبُدُو اللّهَ مَالَكُمْ ◌ِّنْ
إِلٍ غَيْرُهُ، وَلاَ تَنْقُّصُوا الْكْيَالَ وَالُمْزَانَ إِنَّ أَرْسِكُمْ بِخَيْرٍ
قَإِنٌِّ آخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ تُحِيْطٍ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَيُقَوْمِ أَوْفُوا
اُكْيَالَ وَ الِيْزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَّاتَهُمْ وَلَ
تَعُثَوْا فِى الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِيْنَ ﴿٨٥) بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْ لَّكُمْ إِنْ
كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنِينَ ، وَمَآ أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيُظٍ ﴿٨٦﴾ قَالُوا يُشُعَيْبُ
أَصَلَوْتُكَ تَأْمُكَ أَنْ تَتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ابَاؤُنَا أَوْ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ فِی
أَمْوَالِنَا مَانَشْؤُهُ إِنَّكَ لَأَنْتَ الْحَلِيْمُ الرَّشِيْدُ ﴿٨٧﴾ قَالَ يُقَوْمِ
آَرَءَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِى وَرَزَقَنِىْ مِنْهُ رِزْقًّا حَسَنَاء
وَمَّا أُرِيِّدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمُ إِلى مَّ أَنْهُكُمْ عَنْهُ إِنْ أُرِسُدُ إِلَّ
الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، وَمَا تَوْفِيُقِىَّ إِلَّ بِاللهِ، عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ
وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيْبُ ﴿٨٨﴾ وَيَقَوْمٍ لَا يَجْرِ مَنَّكُمُ شِقَاقِىٌّ آَنْ يُصِيُبَكُمُ
◌ِثْلُ مَّا أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوْجَ أَوْ قَوْمَ هُوْرٍ أَوْقَوْمَ صلِحٍُ وَمَا قَوْمُ
لُوطٍ مِنْكُمْ بِبَعِيْدٍ ﴿٨٩﴾ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ* إِنَّ
رَبِّى رَحِيمٌ وَدُوُدٌ ﴿ ٩﴾ قَالُوْا يُشُعَيْبُ مَانَفْقَهُ كَثِيرًاحِمَّا تَقُوْلُ
وَإِنَّا لَنَرِيكَ فِيْنَا ضَعِيْفًا، وَلَوْ لَا رَهُطُكَ لَرَجَمْتُكَ : وَمَّا أَنْتَ
عَلَيْنَا بِعَزِيْزٍ ﴿٩١﴾ قَالَ يُقَوْمِ آَرَهُطِىٌّ اعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِّنَ اللهِ وَ
اتَّخَذْ تُمُهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهُرِتَّاء إِنَّ رَبِىُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيْطٌ ﴿١٢﴾

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Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
وَ يُقَوْمِ اعْمَلُؤْا عَلى مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّيُ عَامِلٌ+ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُوْنَ!
مَنْ تَّأْتِيْهِ عَذَابٌ تُخْزِيْهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ* وَارٌتَقِبُوا إِنّى
مَعَكُمُ رَقِيُبُ ﴿٩٣﴾ وَلَّا جَاءَ أَمْوُنَا نَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِيْنَ
امَنُوْا مَعَهْ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَا، وَ آَخَذَتِ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَهُوا الصَّبْحَةُ
فَاصْبَحُوْا فِىْ دِيَارِهِمْ جَئِمِيْنَ ﴿٩٤﴾ كَانُ لَّمْ يَغْنَوْا فِيْهَاء اَلَا
ع
بُعُدًا لِدِيَنَ كَمَا بَعِدَتُ ثَمُوُدُ ﴿٩٥﴾
And to Madyan (We sent) their brother, Shu'aib. He
said, "O my people, worship Allah. You have no god
other than Him. And do not lessen the measure and the
weight. I see you quite well off, and I fear for you the
punishment of an encircling day. [84]
And O my people, perfect the measure and the balance
with justice and do not make the people short of their
things, and do not go about the earth spreading disor-
der. [85]
Whatever is left (with you) by Allah is better for you, if
you are believers. And I am not a watchman over you.
[86]
They said, "O Shu'aib, does your salah (prayer) com-
mand you that we should give up what our fathers used
to worship or give up our free-will in (spending) our
wealth? You are provenly the man of wisdom and guid-
ance." [87] He said, "O my people, tell me, if I am on a
clear path from my Lord and He has provided me from
Himself with a good provision, (should I still leave you
unguided?) And I do not want to do in your absence
what I prohibit for you. I want nothing but to set
things right as far as I can. And my ability to do things
comes from none but Allah. In Him alone I have placed
my trust and to Him alone I turn in humbleness. [88] O
my people, let not your hostility towards me cause you
to suffer what was suffered by the people of Nuh, or the
people of Hud, or the people of Salih. And the people of
Lut are not far from you. [89] And seek forgiveness from
your Lord, then turn towards Him in repentance. Sure-
ly, my Lord is very merciful, most loving." [90]
They said, "O Shu'aib, we do not understand most of

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Surah Hud : 11: 84 - 95
what you say, and, in fact, we see you weak among us.
But for your clan, we would have stoned you. And to us,
you are not a man of respect." [91]
He said, "O my people, is my clan more respectable to
you than Allah? And you have taken Him as something
thrown behind your backs. Surely, my Lord encom-
passes all that you do. [92] And O my people, do what
you can, I am to do (what I can). Soon you will know
the one whom the punishment visits humiliating him,
and the one who is false. And wait. I am, with you, wait-
ing." [93]
And when Our command came, We saved Shu aib and
those who believed along with him, out of mercy from
Us, and those who transgressed were caught by the
Cry, and they were found (dead) in the homes, fallen on
their knees, [94] as though they never lived there. Lo!
Curse be upon Madyan, like Thamud were cursed. [95]
Commentary
An account of Sayyidna Shu aib JI and his people appears in
the verses cited above. Besides being kafirs and mushriks, his people
used to give less in weights and measures. Sayyidna Shu aib XJIle
carried his call to them, told them not to give less in weights and
measures, and warned them of Divine punishment if they persisted
with this way of life. But, they did persist with their denial and contu-
macy and, as a consequence, all those people were destroyed through a
severe punishment, details of which appear as follows.
In the first verse (84), it was said: وَإِلى مَدُيَنَ آَخَاهُمْ شُعَيُبًا (And to Madyan
.(عليه السلام We sent] their brother, Shuraib]
Madyan was actually the name of a town settled by Madyan ibn
Ibrahim. Its present location has been given as 'Ma'an' in Jordan. The
people of this town are also called Madyan. Therefore, by calling
Sayyidna Shu aib WJInde a 'brother of Madyan,' it was hinted that
Allah Ta'ala sent His messenger to those people from among them so
that they feel familiar and find it easier to accept his teachings.
Then, it was said:
قَالَ يِقَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَالَكُمُ ◌ِنُ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ، وَلَا تَنْقُصُوا الْكْيَالَ وَالِيْزَانَ
O my people, worship Allah. You have no god other than Him.

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Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
And do not lessen the measure and the weight.
Here, Sayyidna Shu'aib WI us has invited his people to believe in
the Oneness of Allah (Tauhid) because they were Mushriks, those who
associated partners in the divinity of Allah. They worshipped trees.
That has been pointed to through the use of the word: Syl (al-'aikah:
trees) in the Holy Qur'an and it is in this respect that the people of
Madyan have also been given the sobriquet of Kylazi (ashabu al --
aikah: the people of aikah - 15:78, 26:176, 38:13, 50:14). Along with this
kufr and shirk, they were also involved in the grave sin of cheating in
commercial transactions when they would weigh short and give less in
measure and thus deprive people of what was to come to them as their
right. Sayyidna Shu'aib >JI ale told them not to do that.
Special Note
Here, it is useful to keep in mind that kufr and shirk are the roots
of all sins. People soaked in these are usually the first to be invited to
believe. Faith comes before consideration could be given to matters
like social transactions and individual deeds. Whether they have deliv-
erance in the present world or would deserve punishment are things
that too are decided on the basis of this faith or denial. All events re-
lated to past prophets and their peoples mentioned in the Qur'an bear
witness to this mode of action - with the exception of two communi-
ties. Punishment came upon them because of their disbelief as well as
due to their evil deeds. The people of Sayyidna Lut >JI ule were one of
them upon whom, as mentioned earlier, their entire habitation was
overturned. It has been stated that their evil practice was the reason
for it. The people of Sayyidna Shu aib WJI _le were the other one. They
were punished because of their kufr and shirk as well as because of
their habit of weighing less and measuring short.
This tells us that both these things are most hated and grave, more
than any other sin. Obviously, the reason is that they bring serious
loss upon the entire human race leaving the world populated by it in a
disorder of ominous proportions.
Turning to the verses cited above, we see that Sayyidna Shu'aib Lle
JI has used his prophetic compassion to make his people stop their
evil practice of giving short measure and less weight. The words he
has used to say that are eloquent : ◌ِإِنَّّ ارُكُمُ بِخَيْرٍ وَإِنّىَ آَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمُ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ مُّحِبُط (I
see you quite well off, and I fear for you the punishment of an encir-

667
Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
cling day - 84). It means that Sayyidna Shu aib WI be found them liv-
ing comfortably. There were not poor, hungry and financially strait-
ened which could be one of the reasons why they had to take recourse
to such a cursed practice. Now that they were already blessed by Allah
Ta'ala, it required that they should not subject His creation to injus-
tice. Not leaving it at that, they were also told that, in the event they
did not listen to their prophet and did not stop this evil practice, he ap-
prehended that Divine punishment might encircle them. This punish-
ment could mean the punishment of the Hereafter, and the punish-
ment of the present world too. Then, the punishments due to come in
this world may be of different kinds. The lowest punishment could be
that they might lose the prosperity they had, or they may fall victims
: صلى الله عليه وسلم to famines and price hikes, as said by the Holy Prophet
'When a people start lessening weights and measures, Allah
Ta'ala makes them suffer from the punishment of famine and
price hikes.'
Obviously, the very prohibition of weighing and measuring short
makes weighing and measuring in full necessary. But, to emphasize it
further, Sayyidna Shuraib عليه السلام said:
وَيُقَوْمٍ أَوْفُوا الْمُكْيَالَ وَالْمِيْزَانَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تَبْخَهُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَ هُمْ وَلَ
تَعُثُوا فِى الْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِيْنَ
And O my people, perfect the measure and the balance with
justice and do not make the people short of their things, and
do not go about the earth spreading disorder - 85.
Then, affectionately, he explained to them:
بَقِيَّتُ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنِيْنَ، وَمَّا أَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ بِحَفِيُظٍ
Whatever is left [with you] by Allah is better for you, if you
are believers. And I am not a watchman over you - 86.
It means if they were not to listen to him, let them remember that
he was not responsible for the eventuality that they may be seized by
some punishment.
عليه السلام said about Sayyidna Shu'aib صلى الله عليه وسلم The Holy Prophet
that he was an orator among prophets. His eloquence was exceptional.
He went to its farthest limits in order to make his people understand
his message and take to the right path. But, even after having listened

668
Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
to him, the response of his people was different from that given by ig-
norant diehards to their reformers. They threw taunts at him, made
fun of him, and said:
اَصَلَوْتُكَ تَأْمُرُكَ أَنْ تَتْرُكَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ابَاؤُنَّا أَوْ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ فِىَ أَمْوَالِنَا مَانَشَاءُ، إِنَّكَ
لَأَنْتَ الْخَلِيْمُ الَّشِيْدُ.
O Shu'aiblue, does your salah (prayer) command you that
we should give up what our fathers used to worship or that we
give up doing with our wealth whatever we wish? You are pro-
venly the man of wisdom and guidance - 87.
The salah (prayer) of Sayyidna Shu'aib >JI de was well known
among his people as he was constantly devoted to it. Therefore, they
referred to it tauntingly in the sense that (God forbid) his salah taught
him to say all those 'wild' things. From what they said we learn that
they too thought that religion is restricted to acts of worship, and that
it had nothing to do with material dealings. Let everyone earn and
spend one's wealth at will. Placing any restriction on that is no job of
religion - as many people, even in this time of ours, generally believe,
in total ignorance of the real fact.
What Sayyidna Shu aib Ile had said to his people was good
counsel based on earnest fellow feeling. But, his people responded to
him with a sarcasm that was biting. However, they had done that to a
blessed prophet of Sayyidna Shu'aib's class. He heard their caustic
comments, yet turned to them with the same empathy and once again
يُقَوْمِ آَرَءَيُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَّبِّئُ وَرَزَقَنِى : tried to make them see the truth. He said
Gas G3, 22 (O my people, tell me, if I am on a clear path from my Lord
and He has provided me from Himself with a good provision, [should I
still leave you unguided?] ) Sayyidna Shu aib WILL was telling his
people that he had been blessed by his Lord in that He gave him good
provision for his material life and in that He also gave him the light of
revelation and spiritual insight. Now, with these wonderful assets in
his hands, how could he ever think of becoming like them, willingly
embracing error and injustice, and thus failing to bring the truth home
to them?
After that, he said: ◌ُوَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلى مَا أَنْهُكُمُ عَنْه (and I do not want to
do in your absence what I prohibit for you). This tells us that the way
a preacher of religion conducts his life has a major role in what he

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Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
preaches. What a preacher does not himself practice produces no effect
on others.
Then, he said : ◌ُإِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّ الإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْت (I want to do nothing but to set
things right as far as I can). And since, this effort too was not by his
وَمَا تَوُفِيُقِنَّ إِلَّ بِاللهِ، عَلَيُهِ تَوَكَّلُتُ وَإِلَيْهِ : personal choice and volition, he further said
¿al (And my ability to do things comes from none but Allah. In Him
alone I have placed my trust, and to Him alone I turn in humbleness).
After having given this good counsel to them, he warned them of
the punishment of Allah Ta'ala. He said:
وَيُقَوْمِ لَا يَجْرِ مَتَّكُمُ شِقَا قِيِّ أَنْ تُصِيْبَكُمْ قِنْلُ مَّا أَصَابَ قَوْمَ نُوْجٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ
هُوْدٍ أَوْ قَوْمَ صُلِجٍ، وَمَا قَوْمُ لُّوُطٍ مِنْكُمْ بِبَعِيْدٍ
And O my people, let not your hostility towards me cause you
to suffer what was suffered by the people of Nuh, or the people
of Hud, or the people of Salih ( JI ale). And the people of Lut
.are not far from you (عليه السلام)
The sense of the last sentence is that the overturned habitations of
the people of Sayyidna Lut JILL were close to Madyan where they
were. Then, in terms of time, the punishment that came upon them
was very close. From this they could learn their lesson and leave their
obstinacy.
Hearing this, his people were enraged. They said that had it not
been for the support he had from his clan, they would have stoned him
to death. Despite this threat, Sayyidna Shu'aib Ide, true to his
mettle as a prophet, did not hesitate to tell them that they feared his
clan all right, but would have no fear of Allah who holds everything in
His power.
Finally, when his people did not listen to anything said to them,
Sayyidna Shu'aib )JILL told them that they could now wait for the
punishment. After that, Allah Ta'ala took out Sayyidna Shuaib JI
and those who had believed in him, as is the Divine practice, from that
habitation and the rest of them were destroyed instantly at the harsh
.عليه السلام Cry of Sayyidna Jibra'il
Injunctions and Rulings:
Rules about Lessening of Weights and Measures
One of the reasons why punishment fell on the people of Sayyidna

670
Surah Hud : 11 : 84 - 95
Shu aib JIale was their practice of weighing and measuring less
than due - called tatfif. The Holy Qur'an has described the severe pun-
ishment for those who do that in Surah al-Mutaffifin which opens with
the verse: 30si je; (Woe to those who give less - 83:1). There is a con-
sensus of the entire Muslim Ummah that doing so is strictly haram
(unlawful). Quoting a saying of Sayyidna 'Umar at July»,, Imam Malik
has said in Mu'atta' that weighing and measuring less essentially
means that someone does not fulfill the right of another person due on
him, fully and duly. In fact, makes it less, whether it happens to be
something given by weight, or measure, or something of another kind.
If an employee falls short in performing his or her assigned duty, or an
office worker, or a laborer cuts his working hours short, or fails to ful-
fill his job assignment as due, then, they all will be counted in this cat-
egory. Anyone who does not perform his or her Salah with due consid-
eration of everything obligatory and masnun in it has also committed
the crime of this 'ta tfif.' May Allah keep all of us protected from it!
Ruling
It appears in Tafsir al-Qurtubi that the people of Sayyidna Shu'aib
Lulu would save gold and silver by trimming the edges of gold and
silver coins, like dinar and dirham, circulating in the country as offi-
cial currency, and which they would channel back into circulation at
par value. Sayyidna Shu aib JI u prohibited them from doing so.
In Hadith as well, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has declared the
chipping of the coins of an Islamic state to be haram (unlawful). Tafsir
authority, Zayd ibn Aslam has said exactly this while explaining the
verse of the Qur'an :َتِسْعَهُ رَهُطِ تُفُسِدُونَ فِى الْأَرْضِ وَلَا يُصْلِحُون (nine family heads
spreading corruption in the land and not correcting [their ways] -
27:48). He says that these people of the city mentioned in the verse
used to chip off gold and silver from dinar and dirham coins and ran a
profitable business of their own through this source - something the
Qur'an calls a great corruption.
During the Khilafah of Sayyidna 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, someone
was arrested while he was cutting a dirham coin. He was awarded a
punishment of lashes and was paraded around head shaved. (Tafsir al-
Qurțubi)

671
Surah Hud : 11 : 102 - 111
Verses 96 - 101
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُؤْسِى بِأَيْتِنَا وَسُلُطْنِ تُّبِيْنٍ ﴿٩٦﴾ إلى فِرْعَوْنَ وَ
مَلَابِهٍ فَاتَّبَعُؤْآ آَمْرَ فِرْعَوْنَةٌ وَمَآ آَمُُ فِرْعَوْنَ بِرَشِيْدٍ ﴿٩٧﴾
يَقْدُمُ قَوْمَةً يَوْمَ الْقِيمَةِ فَأَوْرَدَهُمُ النَّارَ * وَيِنْسَ الْوِرُدُ الْمُوْرُ
﴿٩٨) وَأُتْبِعُوا فِىْ هَذِهِ لَعْنَةٌ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيْمَةٍ* بِنْسَ الْرِقْهُ الْمَفُوْدُ
﴿٩٩ ) ذُلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَاءِ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّهُ عَلَيْكَ مِنْهَا قَائِمٌ وَحَصِيْدٌ
﴿١٠٠﴾ وَمَا ظَلَمُنْهُمْ وَلكِنْ ظَلَمُؤْآَ أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَمََّ آَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ
الِهَتُهُمُ الَّتِىُ يَدْعُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَىْءٍ لََّ جَاءَ آَمْرٌ
رَبِّكَ﴿ وَمَا زَادُوُهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيُّبِ ﴿١.
And We sent Musa with Our signs, and with clear proof,
[96] to Pharaoh and his group. So, they followed the
command of Pharaoh. And the command of Pharaoh is
not right. [97] He will lead his people on the Day of
Judgement, and make them descend into the Fire. And
it is the evil descending place. [98] And the curse was
made to pursue them here and on the Day of Judge-
ment. It is the evil reward to be offered. [99]
That is a part of stories of the towns that We narrate to
you. Some of them are standing, and (some) harvested.
[100]
And We have not wronged them; rather, they have
wronged themselves. So, their gods whom they used to
invoke beside Allah did not come to their help in any
thing, when came the command of your Lord, and they
gave them nothing more than destruction. [101]
Verses 102 - 111
وَكَذَلِكَ آَخُذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا آَخَذَ الْقُرِى وَهِىَ ظَائِمَةٌ ﴿ إِنْ آَخْذَةٌ أَلِعُمُّ
شَدِيِّدٌ ﴿١٠٢) إِنَّ فِيْ ذُلِكَ لَآيَةً لَِّنُ خَافَ عَذَابَ الْأَخِرَةِ ذلِكَ
يَوْمٌ مَجْمٌُُ للَّهُ النَّاسُ وَذَلِكَ يَوْمُ تَّشُهُوُدٌ ﴿١٠٣) وَمَا
نُؤَخِّوَةٌ إِلَّ لِاَجَلِ مَّعُدُوُدٍ ﴿١٠٤) يَوْمَ يَأْتِ لَا تَكَلَّمُ نَفْسٌ إِلَّ

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Surah Hud : 11 : 102 - 111
بِإِذْنِهِ، فَمِنْهُمْ شَقِىٌّ وَسَعِيْدٌ ﴿١٠٥﴾ فَأَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ شَقُوْا فَفِى
خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا مَادَامَتِ
النَّارِ لَهُمْ فِيْهَا زَفِيٍْ وَ شَهِيْقٌ ﴿١٠٦)
السَّمُوتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّ مَاشَاءَ رَبُّكَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَقَالٌ لَِّ مُِيْدُ
﴿١٠٧﴾ وَأَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ سُعِدُوا فَفِى الْجُنَّةِ خُلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا مَادَامَتٍ
السَّمُوْتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إلَّ مَاشَاءَ رَبُّكَ عَطَاءٌ غَيْرَ مَجْذُوٍُ
﴿١٠٨﴾ فَلَتَكُ فِىٌ مِرْيَةٍ تَمَّا يَعْبُدُ هَؤُلاءِ* مَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّ كَمَا
يَعْبُدُ ابَاؤُهُمْ ◌ِنْ قَبْلُ وَإِنَّا لَمُوَقُؤُهُمْ نَصِيْبَهُمْ غَيْرَ مَنْقُوُصٍ
﴿١٠٢٤) وَلَقَدُ اتَيْنَا مُؤْسَى الْكِتْبَ فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيْهِ، وَلَوْ لَا ◌َكَلِمَةٌ
سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ لَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِىْ شٍَّ ◌ِنُهُ مُرِئْبٍ
﴿٠ ١١﴾ وَإِنَّ كُلَّا لَّا لَهُوَقِيَنَّهُمْ رَبُّكَ أَعْمَالَهُمْ﴿ إِنَّهُ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
خَبِيرٌ ﴿١١١﴾
And such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the
(people of) towns while they are transgressing. Indeed,
His seizing is painful, severe. [102]
In this there is a sign for the one who fears the punish-
ment of the Hereafter. That is a day when all the peo-
ple shall be gathered together, and that is a day having
everyone present. [103] And We do not defer it but for a
limited term, [104] the day it comes no one shall speak
except by His leave. So, some of them are wretched and
(some) blessed. [105]
As for those who are wretched, they shall be in the
Fire. For them there is (nothing but) crying and howl-
ing. [106] They shall remain there for ever, as long as
the heavens and the earth remain, unless your Lord
wills (otherwise). Surely, your Lord does what He in-
tends. [107]
As for those who are blessed, they shall be in Paradise
living there forever, as long as the heavens and the
earth remain, unless your Lord wills (otherwise) an
award never to be cut off. [108]

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Surah Hud : 11 : 112 - 113
So, be not in doubt about what they worship. They do
not worship except in the way their fathers used to
worship earlier. And surely, We are going to pay them
their full share, non-curtailed. [109]
And We gave Musa the Book, then it was disputed
about. But, for a word from your Lord that had already
come, the matter would have been decided between
them. And surely, they are in confounding doubt about
it. [110]
And to all of them, your Lord shall pay for their deeds
in full. Surely, He is aware of all that they do. [111]
Verses 112 - 113
فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَّا أُمِرُتَ وَمَنْ تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوَاء إِنَّهَ بِمَا
تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيْرٌ ﴿١١٢) وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَهُوْا
فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ" وَمَا لَكُمْ قِّنُ دُوْنِ اللَّهِ مِنْ آَوْلِيَاءَ تُتَّ
لاَ تُنُصَرُونَ ﴿١١٣﴾
So, stand firm - as you have been commanded - you,
and those who have repented with you, and do not
cross the limits. Surely, He is watchful of what you do.
[112]
And do not incline towards the wrongdoers, lest the
Fire should catch you, and you shall have no support-
ers other than Allah, then you shall not be helped. [113]
Commentary
Events relating to past prophets and their peoples, from Sayyidna
Nuh JI ale to Sayyidna Musa, have been mentioned in Surah Hud in a
fair enough order and detail with many wise counsels, injunctions and
directives. At the end of the description of these events, it is by ad-
dressing the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم that his entire community has
been exhorted to draw their essential lessons from them. It was said:
That is a part of the stories of the) ذُلِكَ مِنْ أَنْبَآءِ الْقُرْى نَقُصُهُ عَلَيُكَ مِنُهَا قَابِمٌ وَّحَصِيٌْ
towns that We narrate to you. Some of them are standing, and (some)
harvested - 100). It means that some of the habitations that were visit-
ed by Divine punishment still have their ruins standing while some
others have been erased like harvested fields with no signs of what

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Surah Hud : 11 : 112 - 113
was there in the past.
After that it was said that Allah did not wrong them, rather, they
had wronged themselves (101,102) in that they abandoned their creator
and sustainer and took to idols and other things as their gods. Finally,
when the Divine punishment came, their self-made gods did not come
to their rescue in any way. The lesson to learn was that the grip of Al-
lah is painful and severe. When He seizes heedless wrongdoers doing
what they do, this is what happens invariably.
Then, to turn them round to the concern of the Hereafter, it was
said (103-105) that these events carry in them great lessons and signs
for those who fear the punishment of the Hereafter, a day when all hu-
man beings will be gathered together, with everyone present there.
That will be a day of such awe that no one present there shall dare ut-
ter a word without Divine permission.
Six verses later, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was addressed
again by saying:
فَاسْتَقِمُ كَمَّ أُمِرْتَ وَمَنْ تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيْرٌ
So, stand firm - as you have been commanded - you, and those
who have repented [from kufr and are] with you, and do not cross
the limits. Surely, He is watchful of what you do - 112.
The Sense of Istiqamah (Standing Firm):
Some related problems and their solutions
Istiqamah means to stand straight without the least tilt one way or
the other (hence expressed in English as straightforwardness,
straightness, directness, rectitude etc.) As obvious, it is not something
easy to do. If we were dealing with a vertical object cast in iron, rock or
some other material, our expert engineers could make it stand straight
at the very outset in a way that it stands on perfect right angles from
all sides without the least tilt on any side. But, having a moving object
stand straight at all times and under all conditions in this perfect
state is certainly something extremely difficult. For discerning people,
this is no secret.
The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and all Muslims have been com-
manded in this verse that they should stand firm under all conditions
in everything they do. Istiqamah is a small word but in its sense it ex-

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Surah Hud : 11 : 112 - 113
tends to many areas of application in a very unusual manner. The very
meaning of this act of standing firm is that one has to move straight-
forwardly, as commanded by Allah, on the straight path identified by
Him, remaining within the limits set by Him. This has to be in all
matters of beliefs, acts of worship, personal and collective transac-
tions, morals, social dealings, economic pursuits inclusive of all chan-
nels of income and expenditure. In the event, there occurs the slightest
tilt, or decrease or increase, or shortcoming or excess, under any condi-
tion, and in any deed, in any of these areas of activity, Istiqamah be-
comes the first casualty.
Errors in thinking and practice that show up around us are an out-
come of this deviation from the command to stand firm. When people
do not stand firm in beliefs ('aqa'id), they start with self-invented prac-
tices in religion (bid'at) and end up into the extremes of kufr (disbelief)
and shirk (associating others with Allah). The principles of Allah's
Oneness (Tauhid) and His Being (Dhat) and Attributes (Șifat) conveyed
to us by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are moderate and sound. People
who commit any act of excess and deficiency or addition and deletion
in them - even if they may be doing so with good intentions on their
part - shall be considered astray and in error. As for those who belittle
and lessen the limits set for having regard and love for the blessed
prophets, everyone knows that they are astray and audacious. Similar-
ly, those who commit the excess of assigning a prophet proprietary
rights in Divine attributes and powers also cross those limits and fall
into an error of this nature. The Jews and the Christians lost them-
selves into this error. The methods of worshipping Allah and seeking
nearness to Him determined by the Glorious Qur'an, and the Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are great benchmarks. Any slicing, undercutting
or shortcoming in these drags one down from the desired level of
standing firm and, similarly, any addition to these from one's own side
ruins one's chances of standing firm by his indulgence in self-
innovated ways in established religion. Unfortunately, such a person
honestly thinks that he is pleasing Allah while, in fact, it is precisely
the very cause of His displeasure. Therefore, the Holy Prophet Jul
que has very emphatically prohibited his community from indulging
in self-innovated ways in established religion (bid'at and muhdathat)
and has declared that to be acute error and straying. Therefore, before
one does something as an act of worship ('ibadah) for the pleasure of