When they believed,
We erased for them the
punishment of disgrace
in the life of this world,
and We granted them
enjoyment for a while.
99If it had been your Lord’s wish,
everyone on earth would believe.
But would you, Prophet,
compel people to believe?
100No soul can believe, except
by God’s leave; He despoils
those who won’t use reason.
101Tell them, “Observe all
that is in the heavens and earth.”
But neither signs nor those who warn
can help a people who don’t believe.
102Do they wait, then, only
to meet a fate like those
who passed away before them?
Say, “Wait, then—
I will be waiting with you.”
103In the end, We shall save
Our messengers and those
who believe. It is for Us
to save the believers.°
104Say, “People, if you are still
in doubt about my religion—
know that I do not worship
those you worship besides God,
but I worship the One God,
Who will cause you to die.
And I am commanded
to be a believer.
105“And [I was commanded],
‘Set your sight° toward
the religion of the upright
and do not be a polytheist’
106“and do not call upon
any besides God, on those
who can neither profit nor harm you—
for you would be doing wrong.”
107If God brings adversity to you,
none can remove it but He;
and if He intends good for you,
none can withhold His favor.
He bestows His bounty
on whichever of His servants He will,
for He is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.
108Say, “People, the truth
has come to you from your Lord.
Whoever accepts guidance
does so for their own good,°
and whoever strays,
does so to their own loss°—
and I am not your custodian.”
109So, Prophet, follow
what is revealed to you,
and be patient until God
delivers His judgment—for He
is the Most Excellent of Judges.
SURA 11
Hud (Hud)
Named after an Arabian, non-Abrahamic prophet, linked to the tribe of ʿAd (v. 50), this late Meccan sura of 123 verses begins and ends with addresses to the Prophet Muhammad. It includes accounts of Noah, Salih, Abraham, Lot, Shuʿayb, as well as brief mentions of Moses and Pharaoh (vv. 96–99).
In the Name of God, the All Merciful, Ever Merciful
SECTION 1
1Alif. Lam. Ra.°
This is a Book whose verses
are determined and explained°
by the One Who is
All Wise, All Aware,
2to urge you to worship
none but the One God.
Say, Prophet,
“I have come from Him,
to warn you and to bring
joyous news.
3“Ask forgiveness of your Lord,
Then turn to him repenting.
He will grant you
gracious enjoyment of life
for a certain time,
and bestow His grace
on those worthy of grace.
But if you turn away,
I fear for you the torment
of a momentous day.°
4“You will return to God,
Who has Power over all things.”
5See, how they fold up their hearts,
to hide their feelings from Him.
But even when they cover themselves
with their clothes, He knows
what they conceal, and
what they reveal. He Knows
what their hearts enclose.
6There is no creature on earth
that God does not provide for.
He knows its home and its last abode:
all is recorded in a clear Book.
7It is He who created
the heavens and earth in six days
—with His throne over the waters—
that He might try you, to see
which of you is best in deeds.
But if you were to say to them,
“You shall be raised up after death,”
the disbelievers would say,
“This is nothing but plain sorcery.”
8If We defer their punishment
for a definite term, they will taunt,
“What holds it back?”
But on the day it comes to them,
nothing shall avert it from them,
and it shall besiege them on all sides—
the very thing they used to mock.
SECTION 2
9If We let humans taste Our mercy,
then withdraw it from them,
they become hopeless, thankless.
10But if We let them taste Our favor,
after hardship has touched them,
they say, “Evils are gone from me,”
and they become joyful, boastful.
11But those who show patience
and do good deeds
shall be shown forgiveness
and a great reward.
12You might be inclined to forgo
part of the message revealed to you,
and to let your heart be constrained
by their questioning,
“Why is no treasure sent to him,” or
“Why is there no angel with him?”
But you are here merely to warn—
and God is Guardian over all things.
13Or they exclaim, “He forged it.”
Say, “Then bring ten similar verses,
all forged, and call upon what [gods]
you can other than the One God,
if you are speaking the truth.”
14“If [your gods] don’t answer you,
you should know that this message
is sent down with God’s knowledge,
and that there is no God but Him.
So, will you submit to Him?”
15As for those who desire
the life of this world and its lure—
We shall recompense in full
their deeds in it,
and they will not be denied
their due in it.
16The hereafter holds for them
nothing but fire—there, their works
shall be rendered vain, and
all that they did shall be worthless.
17[Can they really be likened
to] those who have a clear sign
from their Lord, recited by
a witness from Him,
before which the Book of Moses
came as a guide and mercy?
Those people believe in it,
but the sects who deny it
are fated for the fire.°
So have no doubt about it—
it is the truth from your Lord.
Yet most people won’t believe.
18Who does more wrong than those
who forge a lie about God? They
will be brought before their Lord,
and the witnesses will say,
“These are the ones
who lied about their Lord.”
See, the curse of God
is upon the wrongdoers,
19those who bar people
from the path of God,
seeking to make it crooked,
and who deny the hereafter.
20They will not escape on earth,
with no protectors besides God;
their punishment shall be doubled—
those who could not hear,
and would not see.
21They are the ones who
have lost themselves
and the gods they invented
have gone from them.°
22Without doubt, they
will be the ones who lose most
in the hereafter.
23Those who believe, do good deeds,
and humble themselves before their Lord
shall live in the garden—forever.
24These two groups are like
the blind and deaf alongside
the seeing and hearing—
are the two equal?
Will you not, then, take heed?
SECTION 3
25We sent Noah to his people, to say,
“I am here to warn you plainly,
26“not to worship any but God.
I fear for you the punishment
of a painful day.”
27But the leading disbelievers
among his people said,
“We see you as merely human like ourselves,
and we see only the lowest of our folk
following you, those rash in their opinion;
and we see in you no merit above ours.
In fact, we think you’re a liar.”
28He replied, “My people, consider:
if I had clear proof from my Lord,
and He granted me His mercy
—though you were blind to this—
could we compel you to accept it
despite your dislike of it?
29“Also, my people,
I ask of you no wealth,
and I seek no reward
except from God.
I will not drive away
those who believe—
they shall meet their Lord,
but I see that you
are an ignorant people.
30“Moreover, my people,
who would help me against God,
if I did drive them away?
Will you not, then, take heed?
31“I don’t say to you that
I have the treasures of God,
or that I know what is hidden,
or that I am an angel.
Nor do I say that God will not
grant good to those you despise
—God knows best
what is in their souls—
[if I said such things]
I would be doing wrong.”
32They said, “Noah, you have
argued and argued with us.
Now bring down upon us
[the torment] you threatened us with,
if you are speaking the truth.”
33He said, “Only God will bring it upon you,
if He wishes; and you shall not escape.
34“Though I wish to advise you,
my advice would not profit you,
if God wished to lead you astray.
He is your Lord—and to Him
you will be returned.”
35Or do they say,
“He has forged the message”?
Say, “Had I forged it, my sin
would be upon me, but
I am free of the sins you incur.”°
SECTION 4
36It was revealed to Noah,
“None of your people will believe
beyond those who already believe,
so don’t grieve over what they do.”
37“Build an ark, under Our eyes,
inspired by Us,
and plead with me no further
on behalf of those who do wrong—
for they shall be drowned.”
38He began building the ark
and whenever the chiefs
among his people passed by,
they would mock him.
He said, “Just as you mock us now,
so we shall mock you.
39“For soon you shall know
who shall face a punishment
that shames them—those on whom
a lasting punishment shall fall.”
40Then, when Our command came,
and earth’s fountains overflowed,°
We said, “Load the ark
with a pair of each kind,
and your family
(except those on whom
judgment has been passed)
and those who believe.”
Yet few believed with him.
41So Noah said, “Board the ark.
Let it sail and let it anchor in the name of God—
my Lord is Forgiving, Ever Merciful.”
42So the ark sailed with them
on the waves towering like mountains
and Noah cried out to his son,
who was apart, stranded,
“My son, board with us,
don’t stay with the unbelievers.”
43His son replied,
“I’ll find some mountain
to save me from the water.”
Noah warned, “This day,
no one can save anyone
from the command of God,
except those to whom
he shows mercy.”
A wave came between them,
and his son was among
those who were drowned.
44Then a voice said,
“Earth, swallow up your waters,
and sky, withhold your rain.”
Then the waters subsided,
and the command was fulfilled.
The ark came to rest on Mount Judi.°
And a voice said, “Gone are the people
who did wrong.”
45And Noah called upon his Lord, saying,
“Lord, my son was one of my family,
though your promise is true,
for you are the Most Just of Judges.”
46He replied, “Noah, actually,
he was not of your family—
his deeds were unrighteous.
So do not question me about things
beyond your knowledge—
I caution you against such ignorance.”
47Noah replied, “My Lord,
I seek refuge in You
from asking You about things
beyond my knowledge,
and unless You forgive me
and have mercy on me,
I too will be among the losers.”
48A voice came, “Noah,
come down from the ark,
with Our peace and blessings
on you and on the nations
to arise from those with you.
As for other nations,
We shall grant them contentment
for a while, then Our painful torment
will reach them.”
49These are the chronicles
of the unseen world that
We revealed to you, Prophet,
which neither you nor your people
knew before. So, have patience,
for the outcome will favor those°
who are mindful of God.
SECTION 5
50To the people of ʿAd
We sent their brother° Hud,
who said, “My people, worship God,
for you have no other god but Him—
your gods are merely invented.°
51“My people, I ask of you
no reward for this.
My only reward is from Him
who fashioned me.
So, won’t you use reason?
52“And,
