NAME: هود, Hud.
Name taken from Verse 50-60 where there is a mention of the story of “Prophet Hud”.
٥٠ وَإِلَىٰ عَادٍ أَخَاهُمْ هُودًا ۚ قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا مُفْتَرُونَ
50 And to ‘Aad [We sent] their brother Hud. He said, “O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him. You are not but inventors [of falsehood].
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: Hud.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 11
SURAH HUD TOTAL VERSES: 123
SURAH HUD TOTAL WORDS: 1,946
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 939
TOTAL LETTERS: 7,817
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 615 – 619 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Disbelievers, Prophet Muhammad, Nuh/Noah, Aad and Hud, Thamud and Salih, She Camel, Ibrahim/Abraham, Angels, Abraham’s wife, Prophet Lut and his people, Prophet Shoaib, Moses and Pharaoh.
SURAH HUD MAIN TOPICS:
Provision Of All Creatures, Creation, Challenge Of 10 Ten Surah To Make Like Of It, Two types of people the blind and deaf, and the seeing and hearing, Detailed Nuh Story, Story of Aad and Hud, Thamud and Salih, Angels came To Ibrahim for tidings of Issac and for Punishment to People of Lut, God would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers.
SURAH HUD KEY VERSES:
٦ وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا ۚ كُلٌّ فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ
6 And there is no creature on earth but that upon Allah is its provision, and He knows its place of dwelling and place of storage. All is in a clear register.
٧ وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا ۗ وَلَئِنْ قُلْتَ إِنَّكُمْ مَبْعُوثُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْمَوْتِ لَيَقُولَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ
7 And it is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days – and His Throne had been upon water – that He might test you as to which of you is best in deed. But if you say, “Indeed, you are resurrected after death,” those who disbelieve will surely say, “This is not but obvious magic.”
١٣ أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۖ قُلْ فَأْتُوا بِعَشْرِ سُوَرٍ مِثْلِهِ مُفْتَرَيَاتٍ وَادْعُوا مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ
13 Or do they say, “He invented it”? Say, “Then bring ten surahs like it that have been invented and call upon [for assistance] whomever you can besides Allah, if you should be truthful.”
١٥ مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا نُوَفِّ إِلَيْهِمْ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فِيهَا وَهُمْ فِيهَا لَا يُبْخَسُونَ
15 Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments – We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived.
٥٦ إِنِّي تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّي وَرَبِّكُمْ ۚ مَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
56 Indeed, I have relied upon Allah, my Lord and your Lord. There is no creature but that He holds its forelock. Indeed, my Lord is on a path [that is] straight.”
١٠٨ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ ۖ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ
108 And as for those who were [destined to be] prosperous, they will be in Paradise, abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord should will – a bestowal uninterrupted.
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-5(Quran Is a Book Whose Verses Are Perfected and Then Presented in Detail, the Disbelievers Turn Away Their Breasts To Hide Themselves From God. But God Knows What They Conceal and What They Declare) 6(God Provides Rizq/Provision of all Creatures. He Knows Its Place Of Dwelling And Place Of Storage), 7 (Creation in 6 Six Days, That Time God’s Throne Had Been Upon Water, Reason of Creation Is That He Might Test You), 9-11(Man Is Ever Ungrateful), 12(Muhammad, May Be You Get Dishearten and You Forsake What Revealed on You), 13(Challenge Of 10 Ten Surah, To Make Like Of It), 15-16(Whoever Desires the Life of This World God Will Fully Repay Them but no Share in Hereafter), 17-24(Two Types of People the Blind and Deaf, and the Seeing and Hearing. Are They Equal in Comparison?), 25-48(Detailed Nuh Story, his People Said “We Do Not See You Followed Except by Those Who Are the Lowest of Us” Verse27, Order of Boat Building Verse37, Oven “Tanur” Overflowed Verse40 “Until When our Command Came and the Oven Overflowed”, Nuh Son Drowned Verse43, Mount Al Judi Verse 44 “”O Earth, Swallow Your Water, and O Sky, Withhold and the Water Subsided, and the Matter Was Accomplished, and the Ship Came To Rest on the Judi”, Nuh Argues About his Son; Allah Said O Noah, Indeed He Is Not of Your Family Verse 45-47, Earth Will Fill With Your OffSpring Verse48), 50-60( to Aad God Sent Prophet Hud, There Is no Creature but That God Holds its Forelock Verse56), 61-68(to People of Thamud God Sent Prophet Salih, She Camel Sent as a Sign, They Hamstrung Her, 3 Days Ultimatum Verse65), 69-76(Angels Came to Ibrahim, He Brought [Them] a Roasted Calf, Ibrahim Saw Them Not Eating, Tiding Of Isaac), 77-83( Prophet Lut, Desire Of Lut’s People To Get Access To Angels, Lut Said O My People, These Are my Daughters; They Are Purer for You Than What You Desire Verse78, Angels Said to Lut Leave The City And Don’t Turn Back, Lut’s Wife Exempted From the Saved Ones Verse81, all City Destroyed by Marked Stones Verse82-83), 84-94(Prophet Shoaib), 96-99( Mention of Moses, Pharaoh Will Precede his People on the Day of Resurrection and Lead Them Into the Fire), 101-108( Last Day No Soul Will Speak Except by God’s Permission, They Will Abide in Hell or Heaven Forever Except What Else God Wills Verse107-108), 112-113 (Warning to Prophet: and Do Not Incline Toward Those Who Do Wrong, Lest You Be Touched by the Fire, and You Would Not Have Other Than God any Protectors), 117-118 (God Would Not Have Destroyed the Cities Unjustly While Their People Were Reformers, and if Your Lord Had Willed, He Could Have Made Mankind One Community) 119&123(Word Of God Has To Be Fulfilled “I Will Surely Fill Hell With Jinn And Men All Together”, and to Allah Belong The Unseen [Aspects] of the Heavens and the Earth)
SURAH HUD BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND
This Surah has 123 verses divided into 10 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Mecca. It takes its name from the reference to Prophet Hud in verse 50. Like other Surahs revealed in Mecca the subject of this Surah is almost the same which is urging people to believe in Muhammad’s prophethood and warning them by showing the end of previous nations who rejected their prophets.
This Surah tells the stories of Prophets Noah, Hud, Salih, Lot, Shuaib and Moses to comfort and encourage the Prophet and the believers. And to convey that when people reject God’s message, and God decided to punish them He does not spare anyone except those who believe, even the close relatives of the prophet cannot escape God’s Wrath.
The message in this Surah is so intense that as per a tradition narrated by Abu Juhayfah, Ibn ‘Abbas and others, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) one day, and remarked how he looked older: “Of late I have been noticing that you are growing older and older”. Specifically, the Arabic wording refers to ‘shayb’ which is when one’s hair turns grey and white. The Prophet replied “It is Surah Hud and her sisters i.e. similar Surahs which have made me old.
In Mishkat al-Masabih #2174 Kaab reported that The Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘Recite surah Hud on Fridays.
There is also a narration from the Prophet (PBUH): “The one who recites this Surah, will get rewards, the size of which would equal the number of all those who believed in Hud and the other prophets, and he will be raised in rank equal to those of the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection, and thus everything would be easy for him.”
