Tafsir of Hud 11:2-4

Surah Hud (11): Verses 2–4

[2] (This is) a Book whose verses have been firmly established, then detailed, from a source [Hakeem, Khabir (Wise, All-Aware)]

[3] That you should worship none but Allah. Indeed, I (the Prophet) am to you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings.

[4] And that you should seek forgiveness from your Lord and then repent to Him, [and] He will let you enjoy a good provision until a specified term. And He gives every benefactor His bounty. But if you turn away, then indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day.

Issue 1: Interpretations of the phrase {خبير ألا تعبدوا إلا الله} (All-Aware, that you should worship none but Allah)

1. As Maf'ul Li Ajlih (Object of Purpose): The meaning is: Kitab uhkimat ayātuhu (A Book whose verses have been firmly established) li ajli an la ta'budu illa Allah (for the purpose that you should worship none but Allah). This interpretation implies that the sole purpose of this noble Book is this single principle. Whoever dedicates their life to other pursuits has failed and lost.
2. As Mufassirah (Explanatory): The word an (that) is explanatory, as the detailing of the verses carries the meaning of speech/command. This is preferable because {وأن استغفروا ربكم} (And that you should seek forgiveness from your Lord) is coordinated with {ألا تعبدوا} (that you should worship none). If the first clause means li-alla (so that you do not worship), it prevents the coordination of a command (like seeking forgiveness) with it. Therefore, it must mean: "Worship none but Allah," allowing the command to be coordinated with the prohibition.
3. Implied Command: The meaning is: Kitab uhkimat ayātuhu... min ladun Hakeemin Khabir (A Book whose verses have been firmly established... from a Wise, All-Aware Source) li ya'mura an la ya'budu illa Allah (to command people not to worship any but Allah) and to say to them, Inni lakum minhu nadheerun wa baseer (Indeed, I am to you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings). (Allah knows best.)

Issue 2: The Obligations Contained in the Verse

This verse encompasses obligations in several ways:

1. Prohibition and Command: Allah commanded that none be worshipped except Allah. If we hold that exception from negation establishes affirmation, the meaning is a prohibition against worshipping other than Allah and a command to worship Allah. This is correct because we have established that everything besides Allah is contingent, created, and sustained by Allah’s creation and origination. Worship signifies the utmost expression of submission, humility, and subservience, which is fitting only for the Creator, Sustainer, Merciful, and Benefactor. Thus, worshipping others is reprehensible, and turning away from worshipping Allah is also reprehensible.

Furthermore, the worship of Allah is conditional upon attaining knowledge of Allah first, because one who does not know their object of worship gains no benefit from worshipping it. Therefore, the command to worship Allah implies a prior command to attain knowledge. This is analogous to the beginning of Surah Al-Baqarah: {O mankind, worship your Lord...} followed by proofs of the Creator’s existence: {Who created you and those before you...}. This structure is sound because the command for worship inherently includes the command for knowledge acquisition.

2. The Prophet's Role: Then He said: {Indeed, I (the Prophet) am to you from Him a warner and a bringer of good tidings}.
   • First Inquiry: The pronoun in {منه} (from Him) refers back to the Wise, All-Aware (Allah). The meaning is: I am a warner and a bringer of good tidings from Him.
   • Second Inquiry: The phrase {ألا تعبدوا إلا الله} (that you should worship none but Allah) includes both forbidding the worship of others and encouraging the worship of Allah. Therefore, the Prophet (PBUH) is a warner regarding the former (threatening severe punishment for non-compliance) and a bringer of good tidings regarding the latter (promising great reward for compliance). The Prophet (PBUH) was sent for these two matters: warning against what is improper and giving glad tidings for what is proper.

The Second Rank: Among the matters mentioned in this verse is {وأن استغفروا ربكم} (And that you should seek forgiveness from your Lord).

The Third Rank: {ثم توبوا إليه} (and then repent to Him).

There are differing views on the distinction between these two ranks:

• View 1 (Order of Request vs. Attainment): Seeking forgiveness means asking your Lord for pardon for your sins. Then, the means for achieving that is explained: repentance, {ثم توبوا إليه} (and then repent to Him). Repentance is the incentive and motivator for seeking forgiveness. This indicates that there is no path to seeking pardon from Allah except through manifesting repentance. This is the reality, as the sinner has turned away from the path of truth. Until this turning away is reversed, one cannot face the ultimate goal (Allah). Since turning toward the goal requires turning away from its opposite, seeking forgiveness is the primary goal, while repentance is necessary to complete the seeking of forgiveness. What is later in attainment is prioritized in the request, hence seeking forgiveness is mentioned before repentance.
• View 2 (Scope of Action): Seeking forgiveness is for past sins, and then repent to Him for future conduct.
• View 3 (Type of Sin): Seek forgiveness for polytheism and sins, then repent from vain deeds.
• View 4 (Divine vs. Human Action): Seeking forgiveness is asking Allah to remove what is undesirable, while repentance is the human effort to remove what is undesirable. Seeking forgiveness is mentioned first to show that one must ask only of the Master (Allah), as He alone can grant it. Repentance is mentioned afterward because it is an action performed by the person, used as a means to avert harm. Seeking divine aid is prioritized over relying on one's own effort.

After mentioning these three ranks, Allah mentions the beneficial results that follow: Benefits are limited to two types: worldly or otherworldly.

Worldly Benefits: These are intended by {يمتعكم متاعا حسنا إلى أجل مسمى} (He will let you enjoy a good provision until a specified term). This indicates that one devoted to Allah’s worship remains in this world with an orderly life and peace of mind.

Questions Regarding Worldly Enjoyment:

1. Contradiction with Hadith: Is this not contradicted by the Prophet's saying, "The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever," and "Tribulation is reserved for the Prophets, then the saints, then the best among people"? These texts suggest that the portion of the obedient in this world is hardship. How is this reconciled with the verse suggesting ease?
   • Answer 1: It means Allah will not destroy them with annihilation (like the destroyed villages of disbelievers).
   • Answer 2: Allah ensures their sustenance comes to them regardless of the means, as indicated in {And enjoin prayer upon your family, and be patient therein. We ask not of you provision; We provide for you} (20:132).
   • Answer 3 (Strongest): One engaged in the worship and love of Allah is engaged with something whose change, cessation, and annihilation are impossible. The deeper one delves into this path, the more complete their detachment from creation becomes. The greater this perfection, the greater the joy and delight, as they are secure from the change or loss of their beloved object. Conversely, one who loves other than Allah is perpetually in the pain of fearing the loss of their beloved, making their life troubled and their heart restless. This is why Allah describes those devoted to His service as {We will surely give him a good life} (16:97).

2. Two Lifespans? Does {إلى أجل مسمى} (until a specified term) imply that the servant has two lifespans, allowing for postponement or advancement?
   • Answer: No. The meaning is that if the servant engaged in worship, their term would be at time X, and if they turned away, it would be at time Y. However, Allah knows that regardless of their actions, their term is fixed at that specific time. Thus, every person has only one lifespan.

3. Why is Worldly Benefit called Muta'an (Provision/Enjoyment)?
   • Answer: To indicate its insignificance and transience, emphasized by {إلى أجل مسمى} (until a specified term). Thus, the verse shows that worldly benefits are base, contemptible, and temporary.

After explaining this, Allah says: {ويؤت كل ذي فضل فضله} (And He gives every benefactor His bounty). This refers to otherworldly happiness.

Subtleties and Benefits:

1. Benefit 1 (The Nature of Reward): {ويؤت كل ذي فضل فضله} means He gives every possessor of merit their due merit and its consequence. When a person is maximally detached from anything other than Allah and intensely desires the means to know Allah, their heart becomes a tablet for the inscription of the realm of majesty and a mirror reflecting the holiness of the Godhead. However, the dark, physical attachments cloud these spiritual lights. When these attachments vanish, the lights shine, and the causes of happiness multiply. This is the meaning of giving every possessor of merit their due.
2. Benefit 2 (Varying Degrees): This indicates that the ranks of happiness in the Hereafter differ. They are measured by the degrees attained in this world. Since turning away from falsehood and turning toward the servitude of Truth has infinite degrees, the ranks of otherworldly happiness are likewise infinite. Hence the phrase: {And He gives every benefactor His bounty}.
3. Benefit 3 (Source of All Good): Regarding worldly benefits, He said: {يمتعكم متاعا حسنا} (He lets you enjoy a good provision), but for otherworldly happiness, He said: {ويؤت كل ذي فضل فضله} (And He gives every benefactor His bounty). This shows that all good in this world and the next is only from Him, existing only through His creation, origination, giving, and existence.

The Imam, my father (may Allah have mercy on him), used to say: "If it were not for the means, no doubter would doubt." Most people have weak intellects, and their preoccupation with these fleeting intermediaries blinds them from witnessing that everything originates from Him. Those who delve into divine knowledge and swim in the seas of the lights of reality know that everything else is contingent in itself but existent through His origination. Thus, their gaze is cut off from all else, and they know that He, the Exalted, is the one who harms, benefits, gives, and prevents.

Then Allah states: {وإن تولوا فإني أخاف عليكم عذاب يوم كبير} (But if you turn away, then indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a great Day).

This is logical because whoever dedicates himself to worshipping other than Allah becomes blind in this world: {Whoever is blind in this world, will be blind in the Hereafter and further astray from the way} (17:72). This is explained by the fact that whoever pursues worldly desires, pleasures, and comforts strengthens their love for them, their nature inclines toward them, and their desire for them grows. When they die, this intense love and inclination remain, yet they are incapable of reaching their beloved. At that point, the affliction intensifies, and misery becomes complete. This is what is known to us regarding the punishment of that Day; the details remain hidden while we are in this worldly life.

Then He clarifies that return to Allah is inevitable: {إلى الله مرجعكم وهو على كل شيء قدير} (To Allah is your return, and He is over all things competent).

Subtlety in {إلى الله مرجعكم} (To Allah is your return): This phrasing implies restriction (exclusivity), meaning our return is only to Allah, not to anyone else. This indicates that there is no manager or disposer there except Him. This is also true in this worldly life, but some people become preoccupied with observing the means and fail to reach the Cause of causes, thus thinking they have power in this world. In the Hereafter, this corrupt state is removed, which is why this exclusivity is stated.

{وهو على كل شيء قدير} (And He is over all things competent): This is a great threat from one perspective and great good tidings from another.

• As a Threat: Returning to a Ruler described by this attribute, while one possesses numerous faults and great sins, is problematic.
• As Good Tidings: It indicates the overwhelming power and great majesty of this Ruler, and the complete weakness and utter inability of the servant. When a dominant, high, conquering King sees a helpless person on the verge of destruction, He saves him from ruin (as in the famous saying: "When you possess power, be lenient").

Author's Supplication: The author of this book says: I have spent my life in the service of knowledge and reading books, and I have no hope in anything except that I am in utmost humility, deficiency, and shortcoming. The Generous One forgives when He has power. I ask You, O Most Generous of the generous, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Concealer of the faults of the flawed, and O Answerer of the prayers of the distressed, to shower the torrents of Your mercy upon my son and the apple of my eye, and to deliver us through Your grace, pardon, generosity, and bounty.

[7] Beware! Indeed, they fold their breasts to hide themselves from Him. Beware! When they cover themselves with their garments, He knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Indeed, He is All-Knowing of the innermost thoughts.