(Total of 123 verses; revealed in later part of prophet’s life in Makkah)
This surah takes its name from the narrative of Prophet Hud, among many other prophets, and was revealed around the same time as the previous surah. This is the second of a series of six surahs, starting with Alif Lam Ra and beginning with specific attributes and purposes of the scriptures that came from God and contain narratives of prophets and their communities to provide lessons to the current and future generations of believers. Over the course of revelations of these surahs, which occurred during the latter part of the Prophet’s life in Makkah, the lives of the believers and the life of the Prophet himself were made very difficult, as they were physically harmed, exiled, and ostracized from the community. The veracity of his teachings and the authenticity of the Qur’an was questioned by his opponents, who were powerful, wealthy, and bent on denying him a fair hearing and preventing the newly faithful to exercise their freedom of choice in sharing and practicing their faith and establishing social justice, so much so that the Prophet was reported to have said that “Hud [this surah] and her sisters [other related surahs] have turned my hair gray.”
This surah brings out in the form of narratives of previous prophets, who included Moses and Abraham, among others; the failings of human beings; the preponderance of evil and social injustice; the practicing of polytheism; and the realities of consequences of our actions that eventually will lead to life in heaven and hell. This surah also mentions God’s commitment to aid those who do good and practice faith and even a commitment to protect a community that ensures justice for its people, while failing to accept faith.
Following are key concepts in this surah, which are listed here and further explained at the end of the surah:
1. God provides for everyone and everything (11:6, 3).
2. All creation is from water to expose God’s attributes (11:7).
3. Nature of human beings—ungratefulness and impatience (11:9–11).
4. Prophet warned of giving in to his deniers’ demands (12–14, 17–19).
5. Material well-being is more broadly given (11:15).
6. Bearers of truth and deniers of truth are not the same (11:23–24).
7. Story of Noah (11:25–49).
8. Caution against social injustice (11:84–85).
9. Heaven and hell visualized (11:103–108).
10. Humans repeated failure to uphold the truth (11:110–116, 118).
11. God protects just people (even if they lack faith) (11:117–118).
12. Purpose of historical narrative (11:120–123).