Surah Hud , 11

Surah Hud, Recitation of Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais ;-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_b78VcQag8



THE SURAH HAS ONE OUTSTANDING feature which distinguishes it from the rest. It is full of intensely personal, direct and indirect instructions addressed to Prophet Muhammad, using the first personal pronoun, emphasizing the weight and the significance of the mission he had undertaken. Consider the following words:

A likely thing, that thou wouldst forsake aught of that which hath been revealed unto thee, and that thy breast should be straitened for it, because they say: Why hath not a treasure been sent down for him, or an angel come with him? Thou art but a warner, and Allah is in charge of all things. (12)

Such instances recur scores of times, as we shall see, throughout the surah. Here is another example:

And wait! Lo! We (too) are waiting. (122) And Allah's is the Invisible of the heavens and the earth, and unto Him the whole matter will be returned. So worship Him and put thy trust in Him. Lo! thy Lord is not unaware of what ye (mortals) do.(123)

Commenting on the fate of Noah's people following the Flood, God says to Muhammad:

This is of the tidings of the Unseen which We inspire in thee (Muhammad). Thou thyself knewest it not, nor did thy folk (know it) before this. Then have patience. Lo! the sequel is for those who ward off (evil). (49)

Half way through this narration, Muhammad is again directly addressed with the following words:

Or say they (again): He hath invented it? Say: If I have invented it, upon me be my crimes, but I am innocent of (all) that ye commit. (35)

How could Muhammad have invented the Qur'an himself or interfered with its authorship when he had had a solid, untarnished reputation for honesty and truthfulness all his life?

The surah goes on to relate the encounter of people of 'Ad with their messenger Hud and their mistreatment of him. God says: "And when Our commandment came to pass We saved Hud and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us; We saved them from a harsh doom. "(58). This is followed, yet again,  with a comment directed at Muhammad, saying: : "And such were A'ad. They denied the revelations of their Lord and flouted His messengers and followed the command of every froward potentate "(59).  Thamud, the people of Salih, had met with a similar fate. God informed Muhammad: "So, when Our commandment came to pass, We saved Salih, and those who believed with him, by a mercy from Us, from the ignominy of that day. Lo, thy Lord! He is the Strong, the Mighty "(66). God then tell the Messenger of the end of the people of Lot, whose city was totally destroyed and submerged underground, saying:

So when Our commandment came to pass We overthrew (that township) and rained upon it stones of clay, one after another, (82) Marked with fire in the providence of thy Lord (for the destruction of the wicked). And they are never far from the wrong-doers. (83)

The last sentence is meant for the Arabs who were bent on repudiating Muhammad and his message.

Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1996 ]




Reflection and commentary by Dr Israr Ahmed:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoWGMhfrImw