Tafsir of Hud 11:61-68

{He brought you into being from the earth} He alone brought you into being from it, and no one else has settled you upon it. Bringing them into being from it refers to the creation of Adam from dust.

{And settled you in it} He commanded you to cultivate it. Cultivation is categorized into the obligatory, the recommended, the permissible, and the disliked. The kings of Persia used to dig many rivers and plant many trees, and they lived long lives, despite the oppression they inflicted upon their subjects. A prophet from their time asked his Lord about the reason for their longevity, and it was revealed to him: "They cultivated My lands, so My servants lived in them." It is reported that Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan began to revive land toward the end of his life. When asked about it, he said: "Nothing compelled me to do it except the words of the poet: *A youth is not a youth if he provides no light,* *And leaves no traces upon the earth."*

{Near} Approachable in mercy, easy to petition.

{Responsive} To whoever calls upon Him and asks Him.

{Among us} In our midst.

{An object of hope} "Signs of goodness and marks of maturity used to shine in you, so we hoped for you to benefit us, and for you to be consulted in matters and guided in strategies. But when you spoke this statement, our hope in you was severed, and we knew there was no good in you." Ibn Abbas said: "A man of excellence and virtue, whom we would prefer over all of us." It is also said: "We hoped you would enter our religion and agree with us on what we are upon."

{Our fathers used to worship} A narration of a past state.

{Doubt} From *araba*, meaning to cast one into *rayb* (doubt), which is the agitation of the soul and the absence of tranquility through certainty. Or, it is from "the man was *araba*" (he was a person of doubt), using metaphorical attribution.

{If I am upon clear evidence from my Lord} He used the particle of doubt (*in*) while he was certain that he was upon clear evidence, because his address was to those who deny. It is as if he said: "Assume that I am upon clear evidence from my Lord, and that I am a prophet in truth; then look: if I follow you and disobey my Lord in His commands, who will protect me from the punishment of God?"

{You would not increase me} In that case.

{Except in loss} Meaning: You cause my deeds to be lost and nullified. Or: You do not increase me by what you say and what you compel me to do, except that I cause you to lose—meaning I attribute loss to you and tell you that you are losers.

{A sign} In the accusative case as a state (*hal*), governed by the meaning of the verb implied by the demonstrative pronoun. If you ask: "To what does *lakum* (for you) relate?" I say: It relates to *aya* (a sign) as a state preceding it; for if it were to follow it, it would be an adjective. Since it precedes it, it is in the accusative as a state.

{A near punishment} Imminent, not delayed from touching you with evil except for a little while—that being three days, then it befalls you.

{Enjoy yourselves} Enjoy life.

{In your homes} In your land. Lands are called *diyar* (homes) because one moves about (*yudar*) in them. It is said "Diyar Bakr" for their lands. The Arabs around Mecca say: "We are from the Arabs of the *dar*," meaning the Arabs of the land. It is said: "In the abode of the world." It is said: They hamstrung the she-camel on Wednesday and perished on Saturday.

{Not to be belied} Meaning: Not to be belied in it. The preposition is omitted from the adverbial phrase, and it is treated like a direct object, like saying "a witnessed day" (*yawm mashhud*), from the saying: "And a day we witnessed..." Or it is metaphorical, as if it were said to the promise: "We fulfill it," and when it is fulfilled, it is truthful and not belied. Or a promise that is not a lie, where *makdhub* is a verbal noun like *majlud* (flogged) and *ma'qul* (reasoned), and like *masduqa* in the sense of truth.

{And from the disgrace of that day} It is read with a fatha on the *mim* because it is genitive to *idh* (when/that day), which is indeclinable, like his saying: "At the time (*hina*) I reproached gray hair for youth." If you ask: "To what is it conjoined?" I say: To "We saved," because its meaning is "And We saved them from the disgrace of that day," just as He said: {And We saved them from a severe punishment} (Hud: 58). The salvation was from the disgrace of that day, meaning its humiliation, shame, and scandal. There is no disgrace greater than the disgrace of one whose destruction brings the wrath and vengeance of God. It is permissible that he intends by "that day" the Day of Resurrection, just as the "severe punishment" was interpreted as the punishment of the Hereafter.