Tafsir of Hud 11:61

The discussion regarding this is the same as the discussion concerning its preceding counterpart. The majority of the reciters (Qurra) hold the view that Thamud is diptote (non-declinable), treating it as the name of a tribe. Ibn Wathab and al-A’mash recited it as triptote (declinable), intending by it the living group (clan).

"He brought you into being from the earth" means He initiated your creation from it, for it is the primary material, and Adam—who is the root of humanity—was created from it. It is also said that the discourse contains an ellipsis (deletion of a genitive), meaning: He brought your forefather into being. It is also said that "from" is in the sense of "in," but this is of no account.

The intent here is restriction (Hasr), as understood from the speech of some eminent scholars. It is as if the people, due to their failure to render His due—Exalted be He—believed that the agent of this act was other than Him, or He alongside someone else; thus, they were addressed with the intent of Qasr al-Qalb (negating a wrong belief) or Qasr al-Ifrad (singling out). The possibility that they truly believed one of these two things—not merely metaphorically—necessitates saying that they were naturalists or dualists. Otherwise, polytheists, even if they worship others alongside Him, do not believe that those others are their creators in any way.

The restriction is understood, according to what is said, from the fronting of the agent (in the structure). It is also said that it is derived from the context, for when He restricted divinity to Himself—Exalted be He—it necessitated the restriction of creation as well; for the clarification of what they were created from, following the statement that He is the Creator and none other, necessitates this. Ponder this.

It is apparent that whoever posits the restriction here also posits it in His saying—Exalted be He—"and He settled you therein [wa-ista‘marakum]," due to the conjunction and the fact that it is conjoined after considering the aforementioned fronting. It does not extend to what follows it, where there is no benefit in committing to such. Meaning: He is the One who made you its cultivators and inhabitants. The form Istif’al is in the sense of If’al. It is said: "I made him settle the land [a’martuhu al-ard]" and "I caused him to settle it [ista’martuhu]" when you make him its cultivator and entrust its cultivation to him. This is the view held by al-Raghib and many commentators.

Zayd ibn Aslam said: The meaning is "He commanded you to cultivate what you need, such as building dwellings, digging rivers, planting trees, and so forth." Thus, the sin (in ista'marakum) denotes seeking (the request). This is the view of al-Kiya, who inferred from the verse that the cultivation of the earth is mandatory due to this request. In al-Kashshaf, it is divided into: obligatory, such as constructing necessary bridges and the congregational mosque; recommended, such as building mosques; permissible, such as building homes; and forbidden, such as building inns or what is built for vanity, or from unlawful wealth, like the buildings of many oppressors. It was objected against al-Kiya that there was no actual request there, but that making them need it, empowering them for it, and inspiring them with how to cultivate it was in the position of a request.

Al-Dahhak said: The meaning is "He made you live long therein and preserved you." One of them would live a long life, such that some would live a thousand years. The well-known view is that the verb is from ‘umr (life span), which is the duration of life (with a shaddah), whereas ‘imarah (cultivation) is the opposite of ruin (with a fathah). Therefore, deriving it from ‘umr is figurative.

It is reported from Mujahid that ista‘mara is from al-‘umra (the gift), with a damma followed by a sukun, which is shortened. It is—as al-Raghib said regarding gifts—that you grant someone something for the duration of your life or their life. The meaning: He gave you that to settle therein and nurtured you, i.e., He granted you that as long as you remained alive, and then He—Exalted be He—is the inheritor of it from you. Or, the meaning is: He made you inhabitants of your dwellings therein, for when a man inherits a house after another, it is as if he had granted him its habitation, because he inhabits it for his life and then leaves it to someone else.

"So ask forgiveness of Him, then repent to Him" is a deduction from what preceded, for what was mentioned of the varieties of His beneficence—Exalted be He—is an inducement to seek forgiveness and repent.

His saying "Indeed, my Lord is near" means near in mercy, due to His saying—Exalted be He—"Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good," and the Quran interprets itself.

"Responsive" to those who call upon Him and ask Him; this is an addition in clarifying what necessitates that. The former (Near) is a motivating cause, and this (Responsive) is a final cause. How subtle is the ordering of the words! Some have stated that "Near" corresponds to "repent," and "Responsive" to "ask forgiveness," as if it were said: Return to Allah, for He—Exalted be He—is near to you, closer than the jugular vein, and ask Him for forgiveness, for He—Majestic and Exalted is He—is responsive to those who ask. This is not devoid of beauty.