Surah Hud – Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary

Hud is the eleventh surah of the Quran, named after the prophet sent to the people of 'Ad. A Meccan surah of 123 verses, it is 52nd in the traditional order of revelation, right after Yunus. Through the stories of Noah, Hud, Salih, Abraham, Lot, Shu'ayb and Moses, it warns those who reject the message and calls the Prophet and his followers to stand firm.

Name and context

The story of the prophet Hud and his people 'Ad, who dwelt among the sand dunes of al-Ahqaf, occupies verses 50–60. The surah belongs to the late Meccan period, when opposition to the Prophet ﷺ was at its height: each story ends with the believers saved and the deniers destroyed, a consolation for the Prophet and a warning to his opponents.

When Abu Bakr remarked that the Prophet's hair had turned grey, he replied: "Hud, Al-Waqi'a, Al-Mursalat, 'Amma yatasa'alun and Idha ash-shamsu kuwwirat have made me grey" (at-Tirmidhi 3297). At-Tirmidhi graded it hasan and al-Albani sahih, though some earlier critics found its chains inconsistent. The surahs named are Al-Waqia, Al-Mursalat, An-Naba and At-Takwir.

Main themes

• A Book "whose verses are made firm, then set out in detail" (11:1), calling people to worship God alone and to seek His forgiveness (11:2–4).
• God's provision for every creature on earth (11:6) and the challenge to produce ten surahs like it (11:13).
• Noah: the building of the Ark, the Flood, and his son who refused to board and drowned (11:25–49).
• Hud and 'Ad (11:50–60); Salih, Thamud and the she-camel (11:61–68).
• The angels bringing Abraham and Sarah the news of Isaac and, after him, Jacob, then the destruction of Lot's people (11:69–83).
• Shu'ayb and Madyan, who cheated in weights and measures: "I only want to set things right as far as I can, and my success comes only from God" (11:84–95).
• Moses and Pharaoh (11:96–99), and the lessons drawn from these accounts (11:100–123).

Notable verses

"So stand firm, as you have been commanded, you and those who have turned to God with you" (11:112).

"Establish prayer at both ends of the day and in the early hours of the night: good deeds wipe out bad deeds" (11:114). This verse was revealed when a man who had kissed a woman came to the Prophet full of remorse (al-Bukhari 526, Muslim 2763).

The same prophets appear in Al-Araf and Ash-Shuara; the surah that follows, Yusuf, was revealed just after it.