| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah Hud(Hud)
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| 11:1 | | A.L.R. Qur’an is a firm Book [which is well-balanced, strong, and unchangeable. It mentions only the truth.] In its verses, God, the Most Wise, the Most Knowledgeable, Himself explain the Message in detail |
| 11:2 | | Proclaim: “Man shall not worship except His Creator; I (Mohammad) am only the Lord’s Messenger and my mission is to relay the Lord’s warning, as well as, good news (about a peaceful life after death) to mankind.&rdquo |
| 11:3 | | “Ask for your Lord’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. May He generously reward you in this life and shower those who deserve it with His blessings. If you turn away from the right path, I dread the horrible punishments which you will be sentenced to on the Day of Judgment.&rdquo |
| 11:4 | | Know that you will return to your Lord (after death.) God is capable of doing whatever He decides to do |
| 11:5 | | Some avoid Mohammad in order not to hear the truth. They should know that they cannot hide themselves from God. Even when they cover themselves with cloths, God knows what is hidden inside them and reads their innermost thoughts. He knows what they keep as secrets and what they publicly reveal |
| 11:6 | | There is no creature on earth for whom God has not appointed a provision (which he needs to survive.) God knows where/ how they live and where/ how they hide themselves. Everything is registered in a profound record (the Lord’s computer. |
| 11:7 | | God is the One Who created the heavens and the earth in six days. His (earthly) domain was completely covered with water. He has provided this [hospitable] world for your trial (so that you prove yourself to Him and learn by going through hardships) and see which one of you will do his best. If you (Mohammad) let them know that they will be raised after death, their only response will be: “This man is talking witchcraft.&rdquo |
| 11:8 | | If I [out of mercy] postpone the most severe punishment which they have earned (and is reserved for certain communities (such as Sodom & Gomorrah)), they will start making fun and say: “How come our punishment is delayed?” If they knew how their mocking will come back to haunt them, when they get their punishment |
| 11:9 | | Man becomes desperate and (like a rotten child) acts ungratefully when I (as a part of his trial) deprive him of a privilege that I had entitled him to |
| 11:10 | | If after the hardship, I shower him with My blessings, he will say: “Good bye bad times.” then he shows [excessive] happiness and pride |
| 11:11 | | Only those are free from such vices that show patience and do good deeds. These are the ones who are entitled to My forgiveness and a great reward |
| 11:12 | | Be extremely careful as you may be tempted to forget about some of My Commandments [that you, personally may not like them.] Also, do not take it personally when the disbelievers mockingly say: “What kind of a Prophet is this man who does not have any treasure at his disposition nor any angel under his commandment.” Remember, you are only a Warner and it is God Who is in charge |
| 11:13 | | When they say: “He has fabricated this Qur’an”, reply: “If this Qur’an is a book that can be fabricated, then I challenge you to fabricate only ten similar chapters, with the help and consultation of whoever you choose.&rdquo |
| 11:14 | | Now, if those whom you idolize, cannot help you, come to conclusion that this Qur’an is revealed with the knowledge of God and that there is no god beside Him, Now, will you choose to submit yourself to the commandment of the Lord and call yourselves Muslims |
| 11:15 | | Those who prefer this world and are fascinated by its vanities, will get whatever they desire from it |
| 11:16 | | However, they should know that, nothing but the Fire is waiting for them in the Hereafter; their deeds are nullified and whatever they do [is worldly oriented and therefore] will be worthless |
| 11:17 | | You know this person who based his belief upon the contents of Qur’an. He found that this Book is self-explanatory and that it comes from the Lord and like the Book of Moses (which was revealed before) is a guidance and the blessing from God for the believers. As for those who choose to disregard it, they will end up in the Hell as promised. Do not harbor any doubt about in your heart. Qur’an is Truth and revealed by your Lord. What a shame that most people do not realize it |
| 11:18 | | After all, who can be more unjust (which was not the case of Mohammad as he was known to be the most trustworthy among the Arabs) than the one who forges something and then claims that it is revealed by God? Such person will be prosecuted by the Lord [on the Day of Judgment.] He will find witnesses against himself who will testify: “This man falsified a revelation.” Beware! The unjust people are already cursed by God |
| 11:19 | | An unjust person is the one who does not believe in the Hereafter and confuses the people by portraying a crooked image of the Lord’s straight path |
| 11:20 | | The unjust people will fail to overcome the Lord on the earth and will find that there is none to protect them from the Lord in the Hereafter. Their punishment will be doubled for the simple reason that they failed to hear and to see |
| 11:21 | | They are those who wronged their soul and their inventions (false theories, false gods, etc.) will be destroyed with them |
| 11:22 | | Beyond any shadow of the doubt they will be the worse losers in the Hereafter |
| 11:23 | | As for those who chose to believe, did good deeds and devoted themselves to their Lord, they will reach Paradise, wherein there will live for ever |
| 11:24 | | The above mentioned groups are not equal for the same token that a deaf and blind person is not equal to the one who sees and hears. Would you contemplate and learn from this example |
| 11:25 | | I sent Noah to his people [as my Messenger.] He said: “I have come to you with a plain warning.&rdquo |
| 11:26 | | “Do not worship but God. I hate to see you being sentenced to an awful punishment in a nasty day |
| 11:27 | | The leaders of the disbelievers responded: “You are a human being like us; your followers are bunch of low life people; you do not have my superiority; therefore, you are nothing but a bunch of liars.&rdquo |
| 11:28 | | He replied: “Consider this: What if after having observed the signs of the [the existence and oneness] of the Lord in the nature, God (out of His mercy) has revealed the truth only to me [so that I present it to you? Is such thing impossible?] Are we forcing you to accept it?&rdquo |
| 11:29 | | “My people, I am not asking you for any compensation [for this most valuable service of mine.] Lord will pay me for that. I do not mistreat the believers [the way that you treat them.] After all, they have to meet their Lord [and complain about being mistreated.] The ignorant people like you have my pity.&rdquo |
| 11:30 | | “And if I [listen to you and] disperse the believers [whom you treat as “low lives”] who is going to save me from the Lord [for doing that?] Why do you not get it?&rdquo |
| 11:31 | | “I do not pretend that I own the Lord’s treasures, nor that I have knowledge over everything. I can neither satisfy you by saying: “God has not favored those who [have chosen to believe and that you] resent so much.” God know what kind of persons they are; It will be unjust of me to say something [nasty about] them [to satisfy your ego.]&rdquo |
| 11:32 | | The Noah’s people finally said: “Noah, You have lectured us more than enough (for year!) Enough is enough. If you are right in what you claim, then bring upon us that “awful punishment” that you are talking about.&rdquo |
| 11:33 | | Noah replied: “If God wills, He will subject you to His punishment and you [who are making fun of this] cannot win the war that you have declared to God.&rdquo |
| 11:34 | | “Even if I wanted to give a well wished lecture, now it is too late for you to benefit from it. After all, when God wants to send someone [who has earned the Lord’s displeasure] to the wrong path, none can re-direct them to the right path. But know that He is your Lord and to Him you will return.&rdquo |
| 11:35 | | The disbelievers say that you (Mohammad) have invented this Qur’an. Reply: “I am innocent of such a crime; If I commit such a terrible crime, the Lord will severely punish me.&rdquo |
| 11:36 | | And I said to Noah: “Apart from those who have already chosen to believe, no one else from your people will join you in belief. Therefore, never mind what they are doing.&rdquo |
| 11:37 | | “Start to build an arc under My watchful eyes and according to the revelations that you are going to receive. Do not ask Me to forgive the disbelievers as they are already sentenced to be drawn.&rdquo |
| 11:38 | | Then Noah started to build the arc. Every time that the chieftain of his people would pass by, they would make fun of him. His reply was: “Go on, continue laughing. We are also making fun of you (for your ignorance) the same way that you are making fun of us.&rdquo |
| 11:39 | | “Soon you will see who will be humiliated by a painful punishment and who will be sentenced to an everlasting punishment.&rdquo |
| 11:40 | | When The time approached, the springs began to gush up from the earth (and the heavy rain poured down constantly.) Then I said: “Take into the Arc a pair from every species, your family members (except the ones who are condemned) and those who have chosen to believe (which were few in number) to join you.&rdquo |
| 11:41 | | Noah said: “Come on board; in the name of God it will sail and cast anchor. Indeed my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.&rdquo |
| 11:42 | | As the Arc was sailing through the waves (which were as high as the mountains), Noah cried at his son (who was struggling in a distance): “Come and join us in the Arc and forget about the disbelievers.&rdquo |
| 11:43 | | His son replied: “Do not worry about me, I will climb up the [highest] mountain to find in safety from the water.” Noah said: “Today, nothing can protect anyone from the Lord’s judgment. Only those will be saved who deserve His Mercy. Then a big wave separated the father from the son and the latter drowned.&rdquo |
| 11:44 | | It was commanded: “O earth swallow up your water. O sky, stop raining.” Then the water sank into the earth. Thus, the ordeal came to its end and the Ark rested upon Mt. Judea. It was then proclaimed: “The era of unjust people is now over.&rdquo |
| 11:45 | | Noah prayed to his Lord, saying: “Lord, my son is a member of my family [and you have promised to save my family members;] your promise is always fulfilled [would you save him now?] I beg you as the best of judges |
| 11:46 | | I said: “Noah, he is not a member of your family as he [is carrying the wrong genes and consequently) is doing nothing but wrong. Therefore, do not ask for something that you have any knowledge about it. Do not behave like ignorant people (who think the criminals are human beings and should not be destroyed.)&rdquo |
| 11:47 | | Noah replied: “Lord, I apologize about begging for something that I do not have the least knowledge about it. Now, if you do not accept my apology and have no mercy on me, I will find myself in line with the losers.&rdquo |
| 11:48 | | I replied: “Noah, you may leave the Arc now. Peace and My blessings will be with you and your people (and the generations who will follow them.) As for other [disbelieving] nations, I will let them enjoy their appointed lifetime [lifetime in this world] and then subject them to a painful punishment |
| 11:49 | | O’ Mohammad, these are some of the historical facts [that now have become a part] of the unseen which I reveal to you. Neither you, nor your people, knew about it before this. Be patient, [it is the law of the Lord that] the final victory belongs to those who respect the Lord |
| 11:50 | | As for the people of Ad, I appointed their brother Hood as a Prophet. He said to them: “My people, worship only the Lord as you do not have any other god beside Him. Any other god [that you believe in] is just a fabrication of yours.&rdquo |
| 11:51 | | “O’ my people, I am not asking any compensation for this service of mine to you. The same God who originated me will reward me. Why do you not get it?&rdquo |
| 11:52 | | “My people, ask for your Lord’s forgiveness and promise Him that you will not repeat your sins. God, then, will shower you with provisions from the sky and make you a strong nation. Do not repeat your sins.&rdquo |
| 11:53 | | They replied: “O Hood, you have come with no clear miracle. We do not give up our gods because you say so. We simply do not believe in you.&rdquo |
| 11:54 | | “We think that some of our gods have put a jinx on you.” Hood replied: “I take you and the Lord as my witness that [there is only One God and that] I do not believe in your [fabricated] gods.&rdquo |
| 11:55 | | “There is no god beside Him. Now do whatever you want to me.&rdquo |
| 11:56 | | “I put my trust in God Who is my Lord and yours as well. There is not a creature which escapes his authority. The right path is the path indicated by the Lord.&rdquo |
| 11:57 | | “Now that I have relayed the Message, the choice is yours. If you do not obey my Lord, He will replace you with another nation and you cannot hurt Him the least as my Lord is in complete control.&rdquo |
| 11:58 | | When I decreed My Sentence, I saved Hood and those who joined him in belief. It was only in account of My Mercy that they escaped such an awful punishment.&rdquo |
| 11:59 | | Such was the end of Ad; people who rejected their Lord’s revelations, disobeyed His Messengers, and supported their tyrants |
| 11:60 | | They were doomed in this world (and in the Hereafter as well) because they disregarded their Lord. Thus was perished Ad, the people of Hood |
| 11:61 | | And to Thamud, I appointed their brother Saleh. He said: “O’ my people, worship the Lord as you do not have any other god beside Him. He raised you from the earth and sustained you therein. Pray for forgiveness from your Lord and repent sincerely; you will find the Lord very close to you and the Most Forgiving |
| 11:62 | | They replied: “O Saleh, you used to be such a nice person. Now you are asking us not to worship what our fathers have worshipped for generations? We are having second thought about you; you make us feel uncomfortable |
| 11:63 | | Saleh said: “Suppose for the sake of argument that I am sincere in saying that my Lord has sent me with undeniable signs and that He has showered me with His mercy, then who will save me from His punishment, if I join you in His disobedience? The only thing that I will earn for pleasing you is my doom.&rdquo |
| 11:64 | | “By the way, God has asked you not to bother this camel that I am indicating to you [as a symbolic gesture of His obedience.] Let this camel roam in the land freely and do not touch her with an evil intention; otherwise, you will be punished immediately.&rdquo |
| 11:65 | | They killed the camel (proving that they are not willing to follow even a symbolic commandment of God which is revealed to test their obedience.) Saleh said: “Listen carefully; you have only three days to live (an excellent opportunity to repent.) This is a true prophecy.&rdquo |
| 11:66 | | When they were being subjected to My Punishment, I saved Saleh (and those who had joined him in belief) out of mercy and spared them from the humiliating punishment of that Day. Yes; your Lord is Powerful, Almighty |
| 11:67 | | As for those who were unjust [to their own souls,] a powerful blast overtook them in their houses and instantly killed them |
| 11:68 | | The blast was so disastrous that you would think no one had ever lived there before. The people of Thamood did not obey their Lord; the people of Thamood were destroyed |
| 11:69 | | There came My Messengers to Abraham (in the form of human beings) to relay some good news. They said: “Peace be with you [which is the greeting phrase for Muslims (those who obey the Lord.)] Abraham responded: “Peace be also upon you (not Hi, Good day, etc.)” Abraham then prepared a roasted calf for them (to show the highest hospitality, not knowing yet that they were the Lord’s Angels. |
| 11:70 | | When Abraham saw that they did not extend their hands to eat, he became suspicious and fear overtook him. They said: “Do not be afraid; we are on our way to visit the people of Ad.&rdquo |
| 11:71 | | When they gave him the good news (that he will have Isaac [as his son] and Jacob [as his grand son,]) his wife (who was present) burst into laugh |
| 11:72 | | She said: “A son from an old couple like us will be really something!&rdquo |
| 11:73 | | The angels replied: “Do you doubt the power of God? He has decided to shower you and your family with His blessings and mercy. The Lord is indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.&rdquo |
| 11:74 | | When Abraham overcome his initial shock and enjoyed the good news, he began to plea for the people of Lot |
| 11:75 | | What a tender-hearted and merciful servant was Abraham. He would always keep Me in mind |
| 11:76 | | “Abraham, forget about them. Your Lord’s unchangeable sentence is already issued and they must be tortured.&rdquo |
| 11:77 | | When My Messengers [left Abraham and] reached to Lut, He felt very bad [about the way that they had been treated by his people] and was disappointed that he is powerless [and, therefore, cannot protect them.] He said: “What a tough day today is.&rdquo |
| 11:78 | | Then Lut faced with a bunch of thugs who wanted to break into his house [and have sex with his guests] as they were deeply corrupt. Lut said: “My people, take my daughters instead as they are more natural for your purpose. Fear God and do not humiliate me in front of my guests. Is there not a real man among you?&rdquo |
| 11:79 | | They said: “You know that we do not have the least desire for your daughters and you know exactly what we want.&rdquo |
| 11:80 | | Lut angrily said: “I wish I were strong enough [to deal with you personally] or had someone strong with me [so that he punishes you.] |
| 11:81 | | The angels said: “Lut, we are your Lord’s Messengers. Do not worry about them; they cannot harm you at all. Take your family and leave the town in these last hours of the night. Do not let none look behind except your wife who will be punished like everyone else in this town. The punishment will start early morning. Hurry up as the morning is approaching.&rdquo |
| 11:82 | | When the time arrived, I turned the town upside down [by an earthquake] and showered them with baked clay type of stones (probably caused by a volcanic eruption) one after another |
| 11:83 | | Each stone was already destined to hit a given person. May the disbelievers [listen to this story and] realize that they [are not immune and that they] may be soon subjected to such a punishment |
| 11:84 | | As to the people of Median, I appointed their brother Shu’aib as My Messenger. He said: “O my people, Worship none but God as you do not have any other lord beside Him. Quit this habit of cheating people when you measure or weight. I see you a prosperous people now, but I am afraid that the continuation of your behavior will lead to a sudden doom day for you.&rdquo |
| 11:85 | | “My people, give full measure and full weight, do not defraud people of their gods and do not spread corruption on earth.&rdquo |
| 11:86 | | “By Lord a small profit (rightfully earned) is better for you (than a larger profit obtained through cheating,) if you have any belief. Anyhow [the choice is yours,] I am not a guardian over you.&rdquo |
| 11:87 | | They replied: “Tell us Shu’aib, does your kind of worshipping the Lord mean that we have to abandon our forefathers’ religion and that we should give up our freedom of choice in the manner that we trade or do whatever we want with our properties? Then you are the only generous (,liberal, romantic) and righteous man [left in our community!]&rdquo |
| 11:88 | | Shu’aib said: “For the sake of argument, imagine that God (beyond the shadow of the doubt) has revealed the truth to me. In addition, He has showered me with His best blessings. How can I, then (just in order to please you) join you in your evil practices? No way, I will never do what I forbid you to do. My only desire is to reform you and I will do my best to achieve this goal. My success in this enterprise completely depends on God in Whom I have put my trust and to Whom I have submitted full heartedly.&rdquo |
| 11:89 | | “O’ my people, let not your opposition to me lead you to adoom that the peoples of Noah, Hud and Saleh were subjected to. What happened to the people of Hud (the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah) is a recent event.&rdquo |
| 11:90 | | “Apologize to God and promise that you will never do the evil deeds that you are addicted to. The Lord is Merciful and Kind.&rdquo |
| 11:91 | | They replied: “What you say (to give up our freedom and submit ourselves to the “tyranny” of God) does not make any sense to us. You are a powerless person among us. If it were not for your family, we would have stoned you to death long time ago. You are too insignificant to impose your desire upon us.&rdquo |
| 11:92 | | Shu’aib said: “You mean that your fear of my family (which prevents you from stunning me) is more than your fear of God (which does not prevent you of His disobedience!) Is it why you disregard the Lord (or do you think that God does not see you)? Rest assured that God is aware of anything that you do.&rdquo |
| 11:93 | | “Well, do whatever you want and I will do whatever I believe to be proper. Pretty soon we will see which one of us will be subject to a humiliating torture and who the liar is. Wait if you will and I, too, will wait in anticipation along with you.&rdquo |
| 11:94 | | When I passed My Sentence, I saved Shu’aib and those who joined him in faith. The wrongdoers were struck by a disaster that left them dead in their homes |
| 11:95 | | It was as though they never existed. That was the end of the Midyan’s civilization. It came to an end the same way that the civilization of Thamood came to its end |
| 11:96 | | As to Pharaoh and his officers, I sent Moses with undeniable miracles and delegated authority |
| 11:97 | | Unfortunately, the people of Pharaoh chose to follow the Pharaoh’s commands; and his commands were not wise |
| 11:98 | | On the Day of Resurrection, He will lead his people all the way to Hell. What a miserable place to be led to |
| 11:99 | | The curse that they earned in this world will last even in Hereafter. what an thing to earn |
| 11:100 | | These are the stories of the past communities that I inform you of. Some of those nations still exist while the others completely vanished |
| 11:101 | | I was not unfair to them. It was they, themselves, who wronged their own souls. The lords that they had invented, was of the least help to them when the sentence of your Lord was carried. As a matter of fact, it was those same false lords that ensured their doom |
| 11:102 | | Such is the way that your Lord punishes the unjust nations. Know that His punishment is sever and painful |
| 11:103 | | Such punishment is imposed as a lesson for those who mind the punishment of the Last Day. A Day when all people will be gathered together to witness its events |
| 11:104 | | The Last Day (which is not too far away) will take place at its appointed time |
| 11:105 | | On that Day none will be able to speak without the Lord’s permission. Some will be miserable and some will be happy |
| 11:106 | | As for those who will be miserable, they will be thrown in the Fire. Their reaction will be nothing but sighs and tears |
| 11:107 | | They will “live” in the Hell as long as the heavens and the earth shall last, unless your Lord decides otherwise as it is the Lord Who [makes the laws and] may do whatever He wants |
| 11:108 | | As for those who will be happy (on the Day of Judgment), they will end up in the heavens wherein they will live as long as the heavens and the earth shall last, unless your Lord decides otherwise. They will be blessed with an everlasting reward |
| 11:109 | | Therefore, do not have any doubt about [the ineffectiveness of] the lords that they worship. They simply blindly follow the footstep of their forefathers. I will give them exactly what they have earned without reducing the least from it |
| 11:110 | | I blessed Moses with the Scripture, but it was disputed. If it was not in account of a decision of the Lord [not to intervene and see how they will behave], the matter would have been solved long time ago (and the trouble makers would have been punished.) Thus, they are in doubt about it (the authenticity of their Scripture. |
| 11:111 | | Your Lord will punish them according to their deeds without reducing the least from it as He is aware of what they are doing |
| 11:112 | | Therefore you (Mohammad) and those who have repented [learn from this and] stick firmly to the right way [as revealed here in Qur’an] and do not disobey as the Lord sees all you do |
| 11:113 | | Do not lean the least towards those who have chosen the disobedience as you may be attracted to the Hell. In that case you will find none to protect you against the Lord and you will end up losers |
| 11:114 | | You must worship the Lord at both end of the day and in the evening. Know that good deeds cancel out the sins. This is a reminder for those who do not mind to be criticized |
| 11:115 | | Be patient and know that the Lord does not deprive the good people from their rewards |
| 11:116 | | What a shame that in the past there were not good people who would forbid the people of making mischief. If there were any, there were very few who were saved from [the punishment imposed upon] those nations. As for the wrong-doers, they were absorbed with their materialistic pre-occupations and ended up as criminals |
| 11:117 | | Your Lord is not such a One as to unjustly destroy any community while their citizens are righteous |
| 11:118 | | If God wanted, He would have made mankind one community; but (the wisdom of God necessitates that) people try different alternatives (and eventually arrive to the conclusion that only the Lord’s way is conducive to salvation. |
| 11:119 | | Only those who have [earned and] received the Lord’s Mercy will be saved. They are the ones created to (be examples for freedom of choice and to) fulfill the promise of the Lord that: “I will fill the Hell with human beings and Jinns (extra-terrestrials) alike.&rdquo |
| 11:120 | | I tell you about the previous prophets to strengthen your belief. Here You have received the truth and enlightenments to be reminders for the believers |
| 11:121 | | Say to those who have chosen not to believe: “Feel free to do whatever you want to do and we will follow our way of life.&rdquo |
| 11:122 | | Then add: “Then let us wait and see what will happen.&rdquo |
| 11:123 | | To God belongs the secret of the heavens and the earth. Every thing is controlled by God. Therefore, obey Him and put your trust in Him. Rest assured that your Lord is never unaware of what you are doing |
