Tafsir of Hud 11:117-119

Surah Hud (11): Verses 117–119

And your Lord would not have destroyed the towns unjustly while their people were righteous. (11:117)

It is explained that Allah did not destroy the inhabitants of the towns except due to wrongdoing (ẓulm). There are several interpretations regarding this:

First Interpretation: The intended meaning of ẓulm here is polytheism (Shirk), as the Almighty says: {Indeed, association [with Allah] is a great injustice} (Luqman: 13). The meaning is that Allah does not destroy the inhabitants of towns merely because they are polytheists if they are righteous in their mutual dealings. The punishment of complete annihilation is not sent down solely because of their belief in polytheism and disbelief; rather, it descends when they commit evil in their dealings and strive to oppress and wrong others. This is why the jurists state that the rights of Allah are founded on leniency and ease, whereas the rights of the servants are founded on strictness and stinginess. It is also narrated in tradition: "The kingdom endures with disbelief but does not endure with injustice." Thus, the meaning of the verse is: "Your Lord would not have destroyed the towns unjustly," meaning He would not destroy them merely for their polytheism if they were upright in their dealings with one another based on righteousness and correctness. This is the interpretation of the People of the Sunnah. They argue that the evidence for this is that the punishment of annihilation descended upon the people of Noah, Hud, Salih, Lot, and Shu'ayb only after Allah recounted their harming of people and injustice toward creation.

Second Interpretation (Preferred by the Mu'tazila): If Allah were to destroy them while they were righteous, He would not be exalted above injustice. Therefore, He would not do such a thing; rather, He only destroys them due to their evil deeds.

And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community.

The Mu'tazila interpret this verse as referring to the Will of compulsion and coercion, which has already been discussed.

But they will not cease to differ, Except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy.

This refers to the divergence of people in religions, morals, and actions.

It should be noted that it is not possible to exhaustively list all the doctrines of the world in this place. Whoever desires that should consult our book titled Al-Riyad al-Munāqah. However, we will mention here a comprehensive classification of doctrines.

People are divided into two groups:

1. Those who affirm sensory knowledge (like our knowledge that fire is hot and the sun is luminous) and self-evident knowledge (like our knowledge that negation and affirmation cannot coexist).
2. Those who deny both. These are the Sophists (al-Sufasṭā’iyyah).

The affirmers constitute the vast majority of the world's people, and they are two groups:

1. Those who concede that it is possible to combine this self-evident knowledge to deduce theoretical, inferential scientific conclusions.
2. Those who deny this. These are the few who also deny reliance on theoretical knowledge.

The first group (those who affirm the possibility of deduction) constitutes the greatest majority of the world's people, and they are two groups:

1. *Those who do not affirm any originating principle (mabda’) for this physical world at all.* These are the fewest.
2. Those who affirm an originating principle for it. These are two groups:
   • Those who say that principle is necessarily causative by its very nature (mūjib bi-l-dhāt). This is the view of the majority of philosophers in this era.
   • Those who say it is an active, choosing agent (fā’il mukhtār). This is the view of most people of the world.

These latter group are further divided into two:

• Those who say He did not send any Messenger to the servants. These are the Brahmins.
• Those who say He sent Messengers.

The second main category are the adherents of revealed laws and religions: Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians. Within each of these sects, there are countless differences. Intellects are perplexed, objectives are obscure, and the disputes of illusion and imagination are ceaseless. Just as Hippocrates found it appropriate to say concerning the art of medicine: "Life is short, the art long, judgment difficult, experience perilous," it is even more appropriate to mention this regarding these lofty subjects and obscure debates.

Objection: You interpreted the Almighty’s saying, {But they will not cease to differ} as referring to differences in religions. What is the evidence for this, and why can it not refer to differences in colors, languages, provisions, or actions?

Answer: The evidence is that what precedes this verse is: {And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community}. Therefore, this difference must be interpreted as something that prevents them from being one community. What follows this verse is: {Except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy}. Therefore, this difference must be interpreted in a sense from which the exception, {Except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy}, can validly be made, and that is only what we have stated (i.e., religious/doctrinal differences).

Except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy.

Our scholars use this verse as evidence that guidance and faith are not attained except through the creation (takhlīq) of Allah. This is because the verse indicates that the cessation of religious difference occurs only for those whom Allah has singled out with His mercy. This mercy is not merely the granting of capacity (qudrah) and intellect, sending Messengers, revealing Books, or removing excuses, because all of these things are present even for the disbelievers. Thus, nothing remains except to say that this mercy is that He, the Exalted, created within them that guidance and knowledge.

The Judge’s interpretation: It means, "Except those whom your Lord has shown mercy to by making them people of Paradise and reward." This is weak.

Another possibility: It means, "Except those upon whom the mercy of Allah has descended through His subtle favors (alṭāf), so they became believers through His favors and facilitation." These two answers are extremely weak.

Regarding the first weak answer (mercy = reward): The verse structure {They will not cease to differ except those upon whom your Lord has bestowed His mercy} implies that the cessation of difference occurs because of this mercy. Therefore, this mercy must be a cause preceding the removal of this difference. Reward is something subsequent to the removal of this difference, making the difference the cause/effect, and linking the mercy to the reward is far-fetched.

Regarding the second weak answer (mercy = subtle favors): We say that all the subtle favors Allah performs for the believer are also performed for the disbeliever. This mercy is something specific to the believer. Therefore, it must be something additional to those favors. Furthermore, do these favors necessitate the preference for the existence of faith over its absence, or not?

• If they do not necessitate preference, then the existence or non-existence of these favors is equal concerning achieving this goal, so it is not a favor in that regard.
• If they do necessitate preference, we have already demonstrated in the Intellectual Books that once preference is established, the outcome becomes obligatory. In that case, the attainment of faith is from Allah.

What also indicates that the attainment of faith is not by the creation of the servant is that until faith is distinguished from disbelief, and knowledge from ignorance, intending to actualize faith and knowledge is impossible. This distinction only occurs when one knows that one belief conforms to reality while the other does not. This knowledge can only be sound if one knows what that belief itself is like. This implies that a servant cannot intend to actualize knowledge of something until after he is already knowledgeable, which requires the actualization of what is already actualized—an impossibility. Therefore, it is established that the removal of difference in religion and the attainment of knowledge and guidance occur only through the creation of Allah—which is the objective.

And for that He created them. (11:119)

There are three sayings concerning this:

First Saying (Chosen by the majority of the Mu'tazila, attributed to Ibn Abbas): He created them for mercy. They argue that it is not permissible to say He created them for difference, based on three points:

1. The pronoun should refer to the nearest mentioned noun, which is Mercy; Difference is further away.
2. If He created them for difference and intended faith from them through that difference, it would not be permissible for Him to punish them for it, as they would be obedient to Him through that difference.
3. If we interpret the verse this way, it aligns with the Almighty’s saying: {And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me} (Adh-Dhariyat: 56).

Objection: If the meaning was "for mercy," He would have said, "And for that (feminine) He created them," not "And for that (masculine) He created them."

Answer: The femininity of rahmah (mercy) is not true femininity, so the masculine pronoun (dhālika) is used, referring to the concept of grace and forgiveness, as in His saying: {This is a mercy from my Lord} (Al-Kahf: 98) and {And do not cause corruption in the land after it has been set right} (Al-A'raf: 56).

Second Saying: The meaning is that He created them for difference.

Third Saying (The preferred view): He created the people of mercy for mercy, and the people of difference for difference. Abu Salih narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: "Allah created the people of mercy so they would not differ, and the people of punishment so they would differ. He created Paradise and created people for it, and He created the Fire and created people for it."

The evidence supporting the correctness of this interpretation includes:

1. The decisive proofs indicating that knowledge and ignorance cannot occur in a servant except through the creation of Allah.
2. It can be argued that since Allah has decreed that some are to be differing and others are people of mercy, and He knew this, a reversal of that decree is impossible, as it would imply the reversal of knowledge into ignorance, which is impossible.
3. After this verse, He says: {And thus the Word of your Lord has been fulfilled: 'I will surely fill Hell with the jinn and mankind all together'}. This explicitly states that Allah created some people for guidance and Paradise, and others for misguidance and the Fire, which strengthens this interpretation.

And each [story] We relate to you of the messages of the messengers is that by which We strengthen your heart, and in these has come to you the truth and an admonition and a reminder for the believers. (11:117–119)