Tafsir of Hud 11:3

His saying, the Exalted: "And that you seek forgiveness of your Lord" is a conjunction linked to "that you worship none but Allah," regardless of whether it is a prohibition or a negation. Both aforementioned possibilities apply here, and you have come to know that the truth is that the infinitive an (that) is connected to commands and prohibitions just as it is connected to other things. In the insertion of the sentence "Indeed, I fear for you..." between the two conjoined phrases, there is an indication—which is not hidden—of the lofty status of monotheism and the high rank of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Consideration was given in placing the warning before the glad tidings, just as consideration was given in the discourse to placing the negation before the affirmation and the emptying (takhliyah) before the adorning (tahliyah), so that the parts may correspond to one another. The recourse to the description of Lordship is a means of instructing those addressed, guiding them to the way of earnest supplication in asking, and serving as a preparation for the enjoyment and the bestowing of bounty that will be mentioned.

His saying, the Glorified: "Then repent to Him" is a conjunction linked to "seek forgiveness." There is disagreement regarding the justification for placing thumma (then) between them, despite the fact that seeking forgiveness (istighfar) is synonymous with repentance (tawbah) according to conventional usage. Al-Jubba'i said: The intention by "seeking forgiveness" here is repentance from sins that have occurred, and by "repentance" is the seeking of forgiveness for what will occur of them after that. That is: seek forgiveness of your Lord for the sins you have already committed, then repent to Him for the sins you will commit thereafter. Thus, the word thumma remains in its literal sense of temporal delay. Al-Farra' said that thumma here carries the meaning of wa (and), as in the verse: "Like the shaking of the Rudayni spear, which flows through the tubes, then (thumma) vibrates." The conjunction here is interpretive.

It is also said: We do not concede that seeking forgiveness is repentance; rather, it is the abandonment of disobedience, whereas repentance is the return to obedience. Even if it were conceded that they are synonymous, then thumma is for delay in rank, and the meaning of repentance is sincerity in it and perseverance upon it. The author of al-Fara'id inclined toward this. Some investigators said: Seeking forgiveness is repentance, except that repentance in the conjoined clause intends the attainment of the desired outcome, metaphorically employing the cause for the effect, and thumma remains in its literal sense, serving as an indication of that.

You know that the root meaning of istighfar is to seek ghafr, which is covering, and the meaning of tawbah is returning. The former is used for seeking the covering of sin from Allah, the Exalted, and His pardon for it, while the latter is used for regretting it with the resolve not to return to it. Thus, there is no identity between them, nor is there even a rational necessity between them. However, for the validity and acceptance of that request (forgiveness) in Islamic law, it is stipulated that there must be regret for the sin with the resolve not to return to it. Furthermore, the usage of the first for the second has occurred. The need for justifying the conjunction on the basis of this [latter view] is obvious. As for the former view, it is because the apparent meaning is that the commanded seeking of forgiveness is that which is preceded by repentance in the sense of regret. It is as if it were said: "Seek forgiveness of your Lord after repentance, then repent to Him." There is no doubt that it appears in need of justification in this case. The heart inclines here to interpreting the second command as sincerity in repentance and perseverance upon it, and the delay in it may be considered a delay in rank or a delay in time, as is not hidden.

"He will let you enjoy a good enjoyment"—it is jussive because of the command (the request), and mata'an (enjoyment) is in the accusative case as a cognate accusative (maf'ul mutlaq) derived from a different root, like His saying, the Exalted: "He has produced you from the earth as a [plant] growth." It is also possible that it is a direct object (maf'ul bihi), as it is a name for the worldly benefits one utilizes, such as wealth, children, and other things. The meaning, as has been said, is: He will let you live in security and comfort. Perhaps this does not contradict the fact that the world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the disbeliever, nor the fact that those with the most severe trials are the best and then the next best; for the intent behind "security" is his security from other than Allah, the Exalted—"And whoever relies upon Allah, then He is sufficient for him"—and by "comfort" is the wholesomeness of his life through hope in Allah, the Exalted, and drawing near to Him, even if the trial becomes a gift:

"Your torment is sweet to me, and your injustice / To me, according to what passion decrees for you, is justice."

Al-Zajjaj said: The meaning is "He will sustain you and not eradicate you with punishment as He eradicated the people of the towns who disbelieved." The address is to the entire nation, regardless of each individual. "To a specified term"—decreed by Allah, the Exalted; it is the end of your lifespans or the end of the days of the world, as the statement of Al-Zajjaj necessitates. There is no indication in the verse that a person has two terms, as the Mu'tazilah claim. "And gives to every possessor of bounty"—that is, grants—"his bounty"—that is, the reward for his bounty in this world or in the Hereafter, for the deed itself is not given. It may be said that there is no need to assume an implicit noun, and the meaning is to emphasize, in the manner of "Their deeds will reward them." The pronoun [in "his bounty"] refers to "every," and it is possible that it refers to the Lord. The first "bounty" refers to what was intended by it first, and the second refers to an increase in reward, based on the context that giving is a reward; in this case, there is no need for such interpretation.

Some investigators chose the first interpretation and then said: This is a completion of what was summarized regarding the enjoyment up to a specified term, and an explanation of what might be difficult to understand regarding the wisdom of some things that occur in the world, such as the disparity in the states of those who perform deeds. For a person may possess the bounty of obedience and work, yet not enjoy in this world more than another who is lesser in bounty, and sometimes the one with less merit is granted more enjoyment. Thus, it was said: "And He gives every person of virtue the reward for his virtue," either in this world, as happens in some matters, or in the Hereafter; and that is something that cannot be averted.

It is understood from the speech of some that there is no consideration of separation, in that He, the Exalted, bestows favor upon the possessor of bounty in this world and the Hereafter, and His kindness is not restricted to one of the two abodes. There is no doubt that every possessor of a righteous deed is favored in the Hereafter with what Allah knows, and likewise in this world by the adornment of righteous deeds in his heart, the comfort of relying upon his Lord, and similar things. There is no issue with this, as is apparent to one who contemplates. It is also said that there is a wrapping and unfolding (laff wa nashr) in the verse, for the enjoyment is arranged upon the seeking of forgiveness, and the bestowing of bounty is arranged upon repentance.

Whatever the case, the speech contains a detailed explanation of what was summarized previously regarding the glad tidings. Then He proceeded to the warning with His saying, the Glorified: "But if they turn away"—that is, persist in turning away from what has been delivered to you of monotheism, seeking forgiveness, and repentance. Its root is tatawallaw, as it is an imperfect verb starting with the ta of address because what follows requires it. One of the two tas was elided, as was done in similar instances. It is said that in tawallaw is a perfect verb for the third person, so there is no elision, and one would assume "so say to them" afterwards, but this is contrary to the apparent meaning. The warning was placed after the glad tidings in accordance with the tradition of placing mercy before wrath, or because the punishment was linked to the turning away from what was mentioned of monotheism and its accompaniments, and that requires that its antecedent be mentioned.

'Isa ibn 'Amr and al-Yamani read tuwallu with a damma on the ta, a fatha on the waw, and a damma on the lam. It is an imperfect verb from the saying "he fled," meaning he turned his back. "Indeed, I fear for you"—out of compassion and pity, or "I expect"—"the punishment of a great day"—which is the Day of Resurrection. It is described as such due to the greatness of what will occur therein, and for this reason, it is also described as heavy. It is also permissible to describe it as "great" because it is such in itself. It is said that the intent is the time in which Allah, the Exalted, tested them in this world. It has been narrated that they were tested with a great famine in which they ate carrion. Regardless, in adding the punishment to it, there is an element of terror and horror.