11. Hud (50 – 76)

⁵⁰To the ‘Ad, We sent their brother, Hud. He said, ‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him; you are only making up lies. ⁵¹I ask no reward from you, my people; my reward comes only from Him who created me. Why do you not use your reason? ⁵²My people, ask forgiveness from your Lord, and return to Him. He will send down for you rain in abundance from the sky, and give you extra strength. Do not turn away and be lost in your sins.’ ⁵³They replied, ‘Hud, you have not brought us any clear evidence. We will not forsake our gods on the strength of your word alone, nor will we believe in you. ⁵⁴All we can say is that one of our gods may have inflicted some harm on you.’ He said, ‘I call God to witness, and you too are my witnesses, that I disown those you set up as partners with God. ⁵⁵So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. ⁵⁶I put my trust in God, my Lord and your Lord. There is no moving creature which He does not control.^a Literally ‘grasp by its forelock’. My Lord's way is straight. ⁵⁷But if you turn away, then I have conveyed the message with which I was sent to you, and my Lord will bring along another people in your place. You cannot do Him any harm: it is my Lord who protects everything.’ ⁵⁸And so, when Our judgement came to pass, by Our grace We saved Hud and his fellow believers. We saved them from a severe punishment. ⁵⁹These were the ‘Ad: they rejected their Lord's signs, disobeyed His messengers, and followed the command of every obstinate tyrant. ⁶⁰They were rejected in this life and so they shall be on the Day of Judgement. Yes, the ‘Ad denied their Lord—so away with the ‘Ad, the people of Hud!

⁶¹To the Thamud, We sent their brother, Salih. He said, ‘My people, worship God. You have no god other than Him. It was He who brought you into being from the earth and made you inhabit it, so ask forgiveness from Him, and turn back to Him: my Lord is near, and ready to answer.’ ⁶²They said, ‘Salih, We used to have such great hope in you. Will you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? We are in grave doubt about what you are asking us to do.’ ⁶³He said, ‘My people, just think: if I did have clear proof from my Lord, and if He had given me mercy of His own, who could protect me from God if I disobeyed Him? You would only make my loss greater. ⁶⁴My people, this camel belongs to God, a sign for you, so leave it to pasture on God's earth and do not harm it, or you will soon be punished.’ ⁶⁵But they hamstrung it, so he said, ‘Enjoy life^a Literally ‘continue to live in your homes’. for another three days: ⁶⁶this warning will not prove false.’ And so, when Our command was fulfilled, by Our mercy We saved Salih and his fellow believers from the disgrace of that day. [Prophet], it is your Lord who is the Strong, the Mighty One. ⁶⁷The blast struck the evildoers and they lay dead in their homes, ⁶⁸as though they had never lived and flourished there. Yes, the Thamud denied their Lord—so away with the Thamud!

⁶⁹To Abraham Our messengers brought good news. They said, ‘Peace.’ He answered, ‘Peace,’ and without delay he brought in a roasted calf. ⁷⁰When he saw that their hands did not reach towards the meal, he found this strange and became afraid of them. But they said, ‘Do not be afraid. We have been sent against the people of Lot.’ ⁷¹His wife was standing [nearby] and laughed. We gave her good news of Isaac and, after him, of Jacob. ⁷²She said, ‘Alas for me! How am I to bear a child when I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would be a strange thing!’ ⁷³They said, ‘Are you astonished at what God ordains? The grace of God and His blessings be upon you, people of this house! For He is worthy of all praise and glory.’ ⁷⁴Then, when the fear left Abraham and the good news came to him, he pleaded with Us for Lot's people, ⁷⁵for Abraham was forbearing, tender-hearted, and devout. ⁷⁶’Abraham, cease your pleading: what your Lord has ordained has come about; punishment is coming to them, which cannot be turned back.’