Tafsir of Hud 11:112

After He—glory be to Him—explained the differences regarding monotheism and prophecy, and elaborated at length in describing the promise and the threat, He commanded His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to remain on the right course (istiqamah) just as he had been commanded. This implies a command given to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, via another revelation, even if it were not a recited one, as stated by more than one scholar. The apparent meaning is that this is a command for constancy in "al-istiqamah," which is the adherence to the straight path—that which is intermediate between excess and negligence. It is a comprehensive word encompassing everything related to knowledge, action, and all morals. Thus, it includes the creeds and actions shared between him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the rest of the believers, as well as the matters specific to him—peace be upon him—such as conveying the rulings, fulfilling the duties of prophecy, bearing the burdens of the message, and so on.

They have said: Being intermediate between excess and negligence, such that there is not even a hair's breadth of inclination toward either side, is something that cannot be attained except by needing Allah the Exalted, and by negating one's own power and strength entirely. They likened the intermediate state between those two extremes to a line between the sun and the shadow—it is neither sun nor shadow, but rather a separator between the two. By my life, that is indeed subtle. For this reason, they said: No one can bear istiqamah except one who has been supported by strong spiritual visions and sublime lights, then protected by clinging to the truth ("And had We not strengthened you, you would have almost inclined to them a little"). Some gnostics made the bridge—which is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword—a sign pointing to this intermediate path.

Among that which indicates the intensity of this command is what Ibn Abi Hatim and Abu al-Shaykh recorded from al-Hasan, who said: "When this verse was revealed, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: 'Gird yourselves, gird yourselves,' and he was never seen laughing after that." From Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—it is reported that he said: "No verse was revealed to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that was more intense or more burdensome than this verse." Some exegetes argued for the difficulty of istiqamah based on the widely cited statement of his, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: "Hud has aged me." You know that the reports are consistent in adding other chapters to it, though they differ in specifying which ones are added, as was mentioned at the beginning of the surah. In that case, the ambiguity in this reasoning is evident. Hence, the author of al-Kashf said: "Singling out Hud for this verse is not apparent, for there is no mention of istiqamah in its sisters."

It is mentioned in Qut al-Qulub that because the beloved, the close one, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was one who remembers, he remembered the distance and its people. Then it says: Perhaps it is more apparent that he—peace and blessings be upon him—remembered the horrors of the Resurrection, and it is as if—my father and mother be sacrificed for him—he was witnessing a day that turns children’s hair gray. And some attribute this singling out to the dream of Abu Ali al-Shatri mentioned previously; however, even if one concedes the authenticity of the report, while the Prophet’s dream is true—since the Devil cannot take his form—one cannot be certain of the dreamer’s precision and verification of what he saw. Moreover, what weakens the matter of this dream and strengthens the suspicion of its lack of establishment is what Ibn Asakir recorded from Ja’far ibn Muhammad from his father: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Hud and its sisters have aged me, and [I was aged by] what was done to the nations before me."

Al-Shihab mentioned what reinforces the objection of the author of al-Kashf, noting that the accounts narrated in this regard are not limited to Hud; rather, its sisters are mentioned with it, and the command in question is not present in them, even though it occurs in others from the Al-Ha-Mim chapters. Then he mentioned that it occurred to him what could dispel the problem: the foundation of this noble surah is the guidance of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by the Exalted in His Majesty, regarding the manner of calling [to the faith] from its beginning to its end, and regarding the hardships that befall one who undertakes this sublime rank, and the endurance of the benefits that follow it—not for consolation, as the context does not fit that, contrary to what preceded from the author of al-Kashf.

Since this surah is comprehensive in its guidance for him from the beginning of his affair to the end, and this verse is the summary of it, when this surah was revealed, the hardships within it frightened him, and he feared not fulfilling its burdens until he meets Allah the Exalted on the Day of Recompense, where he might be questioned about it. Thus, the mention of the Resurrection in those surahs reminds him of its horror due to the possibility of him falling short in what Allah the Exalted guided him to in this one. This does not contradict his infallibility—peace be upon him—or his nearness [to Allah], for he is the most knowledgeable of Allah and the one most fearful of Him. Therefore, the fear of it reminds him of what this surah contains, as if it is the one that aged him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, among them; and that is why it is prioritized in all reports. And since that verse is its summary, it is the one that truly aged him. Therefore, there is no contradiction between attributing the aging to those surahs, or to this surah alone—as some have done—or to that verse alone, as occurred in that dream.

Some researchers held that the kaf in (kama) signifies "upon," as in their saying: "Be as you are" (kun kama anta ‘alayh), i.e., "remain upon what you are." Hence, Ibn Atiyyah and a group said: The meaning is "remain upon the Quran." Muqatil said: "Proceed upon monotheism." Ja’far al-Sadiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "Remain upon reporting from Allah the Exalted with sound resolve." The most apparent view is to keep "what" (ma) in its general sense, meaning: "Remain upon all that you have been commanded." The omission of such a pronoun is a common affair in discourse, and attention has already been drawn to it. Some inclined to the kaf being for likeness, as is its apparent meaning, but said: It is in the position of "like" in their saying: "One like you does not act stingily," as if it were said: "Remain with the istiqamah which you were commanded," to avoid comparing a thing to itself. It is not hidden that this is not necessary.

It is strange what is narrated from Abu Hayyan, who said in his Tadhkira: "If you ask: How did this likeness of istiqamah come to the command? I say: It is based on the omission of a genitive, with the estimate: 'like the requirement of the command,' i.e., its significance." If you say: "The istiqamah commanded is the requirement of the command, so how can it be a likeness of it?" I say: "The requirement of the command is universal, and the commanded [act] is particular, so difference is achieved and the likeness is valid, as in your saying: 'Pray two units as you were commanded.'" Some went to extremes, making the kaf signify "upon," and understood the verb form istafta'ala as seeking, like istaghfir (seek forgiveness), meaning: "Seek remaining upon the religion."

"(And whoever has turned to Allah with you)"—that is, turned from polytheism and believed with you. The accompaniment (ma’iyyah) is based on the necessary implication, without looking at what preceded it or otherwise. It may be said that sharing in repentance and the accompaniment in it is sufficient, regardless of the one from whom one turns. Indeed, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would seek forgiveness from Allah the Exalted more than seventy times a day; this was favored by al-Jalabi. "And whoever" (man), according to what Abu Hayyan and a group chose, is a conjunction to the hidden pronoun in "remain" (istaqim), and the separation by the prepositional phrase sufficed to confirm it with a detached pronoun because the goal was achieved by it. In the discourse, there is a dominance of the judgment of the second-person address over the third-person in the wording of the command. Many chose that it is the subject of an omitted verb, i.e., "and let those who... remain," because the command does not elevate the explicit noun. In that case, the sentence is conjoined to the first sentence. Those who went with the first [view] favored it by the lack of need for estimation and by دفع (repelling) the objectionable, on the grounds that what is not tolerated in the primary is tolerated in the subordinate. Abu al-Baqa permitted it being in the accusative case as an object of accompaniment (ma’ah), and the meaning is: "Remain, accompanied by those who turned to Allah." It is said: This is more perfect in meaning, even if it has a type of distance in wording. It is said: It is an initial noun and the predicate is omitted, i.e., "so let them remain." He also permitted the predicate to be "with you" (ma’ak).

"(And do not transgress)"—that is, do not deviate from what has been set for you by excess or negligence, for both sides of intentional matters are blameworthy. This is called transgression (tughyan), which is exceeding the limit, [used here] for emphasis or due to the dominance of the state of the rest of the believers over his state, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. From Ibn Abbas, the meaning is: "Do not transgress regarding the Quran by permitting and prohibiting what you have not been commanded to." Ibn Zayd said: "Do not disobey your Lord." Muqatil said: "Do not mix monotheism with polytheism." Perhaps the first is more appropriate. "(Indeed, He is Seeing of what you do)." He will recompense you for that. This is a justification for the preceding command and prohibition, as if it were said: "Remain on the right course and do not transgress, because Allah the Exalted is watching over your actions and will recompense you for them." It is said: It is a completion of the command for istiqamah. The first is better and more perfect in benefit. Al-Hasan and al-A’mash recited "they do" (ya’malun) with the third-person ya, and this is also reported from Isa al-Thaqafi.

In the verse, as stated by more than one, there is evidence for the obligation of following what is specified by the text without deviating based on mere whim or the exercise of pure reason, for that is transgression and misguidance. As for acting according to the requirements of ijtihad (legal reasoning) that follows the rational causes of the texts, that is from the category of istiqamah as commanded, according to the requirement of the texts commanding ijtihad.

The Imam said: "In my view, it is not permissible to specify a text by analogy, because when the generality of a text indicates a ruling, it is mandatory to rule by its requirement due to His saying: 'So remain on a right course as you have been commanded,' and acting by analogy is a deviation from it. Thus, when the Quran brought the command for ablution and the limbs were mentioned in order in the wording, sequence became mandatory in them. And when the command came in Zakat regarding paying camels from camels and cows from cows, their consideration became mandatory. And so goes the statement regarding everything Allah the Exalted has commanded, all of which is for the command of istiqamah as commanded."

You know that mandating sequence in ablution for that reason is nothing; it would require him to mandate sequence in commands conjoined by "and" (waw), such as "Establish prayer and give Zakat," and similarly in matters like "Seek help through patience and prayer," with the very same logic mentioned regarding ablution. It is as you see. It is as if—may Allah the Exalted pardon him—he is certain that the Hanafis, who do not mandate sequence in the actions of ablution, are transgressors who have gone outside what Allah the Exalted has set, with no possibility that they are on the right course. This is of the utmost injustice.