Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 17

(Ayah 17) ➊ The meaning of {اَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّهٖ … : ’’ يَتْلُوْهُ ‘‘ ’’ تَلاَ يَتْلُوْ ‘‘} is to come after, by which is meant to support. The commentators have given several explanations of this verse, of which two seem most correct. The clearest and most correct explanation is that: Is the one who is upon a {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} (clear proof) from his Lord—by this is meant the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the believing followers with him. By {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} is meant the signs and evidences of prophethood, and in {’’ يَتْلُوْهُ شَاهِدٌ مِّنْهُ ‘‘} (a witness from Him follows it), {’’ شَاهِدٌ ‘‘} refers to the Noble Qur’an, which is a witness to your truthfulness, and before it, the Book of Musa (peace be upon him) refers to the Torah, which bears witness to your prophethood. The meaning is: Can this Messenger and his followers, who are upon a proof from their Lord, be like those who have neither any proof from their Lord, nor any witness, nor any previous heavenly book to support them? This meaning is said to be the most correct because in this very Surah Hud, almost every prophet said that I am upon a {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} from my Lord. See, Nuh (peace be upon him) said: «{ يٰقَوْمِ اَرَءَيْتُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّيْ وَ اٰتٰىنِيْ رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِنْدِهٖ فَعُمِّيَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ اَنُلْزِمُكُمُوْهَا وَ اَنْتُمْ لَهَا كٰرِهُوْنَ }» [ ھود : ۲۸ ] “O my people! Have you considered: if I am upon a (bayyinah) clear proof from my Lord, and He has granted me mercy from Himself, but it has been made obscure to you, shall we force it upon you while you are averse to it?” Salih (peace be upon him) said: «{ يٰقَوْمِ اَرَءَيْتُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّيْ }» [ ھود : ۶۳ ] Shu’ayb (peace be upon him) said: «{ يٰقَوْمِ اَرَءَيْتُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّيْ }» [ ھود : ۸۸ ] In short, every prophet kept saying that I am upon a {’’بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} from my Lord, because Allah Almighty would send every prophet with a clear sign of his prophethood, and the miracle of the Noble Qur’an, the like of which no one could produce even a single surah, is a witness from Allah for you. Likewise, the Torah is also a witness to your truth.
The second explanation is that by {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} is meant sound intellect and the pure nature upon which man has been created, and that is the covenant of {’’اَلَسْتُ‘‘} upon which every person has been made a witness over himself, and that is the oneness of Allah and recognition of his Lord, as He said: «{ اَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ }» [الأعراف : ۱۷۲ ] “Am I not your Lord?” And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كُلُّ مَوْلُوْدٍ يُوْلَدُ عَلَی الْفِطْرَةِ فَأَبَوَاهُ يُهَوِّدَانِهِ أَوْ يُنَصِّرَانِهِ أَوْ يُمَجِّسَانِهِ ] [ بخاری، الجنائز، باب ما قیل فی أولاد المشرکین : ۱۳۸۵ ] “Every child is born upon the fitrah (Islam), then his parents make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian.” That is, are those who are established upon pure nature, use sound intellect, and along with that, a witness from Allah has come to them, i.e., the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) or the Qur’an, and before it the Torah also bears witness, which was both a guide and a mercy—are these people like those who have neither any {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} from their Lord, nor any witness from Him, nor any testimony from a previous heavenly book? Never! A believer and a disbeliever can never be the same.
➋ { اُولٰٓىِٕكَ يُؤْمِنُوْنَ بِهٖ :} That is, these people established upon the {’’ بَيِّنَةٍ ‘‘} believe in this Messenger.
➌ { وَ مَنْ يَّكْفُرْ بِهٖ مِنَ الْاَحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ مَوْعِدُهٗ:} And whoever disbelieves in it, whether he belongs to any group—Christian, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.—his abode is the Fire, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ وَالَّذِيْ نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهٖ ! لاَ يَسْمَعُ بِيْ أَحَدٌ مِّنْ هٰذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ يَهُوْدِيٌّ وَلاَ نَصْرَانِيٌّ ثُمَّ يَمُوْتُ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِالَّذِيْ اُرْسِلْتُ بِهٖ إِلاَّ كَانَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ ] [ مسلم، الإیمان، باب وجوب الإیمان برسالۃ نبینا محمد صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم … : ۱۵۳ ، عن أبی ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “By Him in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)! There is none from this ummah (of invitation), whether Jew or Christian, who hears about me and then dies without believing in what I was sent with, except that he will be among the people of the Fire.” The polytheists and nominal Muslims, who do not accept your messengership in their hearts, are also included among them. See also Surah al-Baqarah (62) and al-Nisa’ (150–152).
➍ { فَلَا تَكُ فِيْ مِرْيَةٍ مِّنْهُ:} Apparently, the address is to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but the intent is every person of reason.
➎ { وَ لٰكِنَّ اَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ :} The state of the majority has been mentioned many times in the Qur’an, for example, see Surah Yusuf (103), al-An’am (116), and Saba’ (20). Those who equate the religion of democracy with the religion of Islam should reflect.

17. 1 The mention here is of the people of nature and the people of faith in contrast to the deniers and disbelievers. By 'proof from your Lord' is meant that nature upon which Allah has created human beings, and that is the acknowledgment of the One Allah and worship of Him alone, just as the Prophet's ﷺ statement is: "Every child is born upon the nature, then his parents make him a Jew, Christian, or Magian" (Sahih Bukhari). The meaning of یتلوہ is 'following it', that is, along with it there is also a witness from Allah. The witness refers to the Quran, or Muhammad ﷺ, who invite towards and point out this sound nature. And before this, the book of Musa (Moses) عليه السلام, the Torah, which is also a leader and a cause of mercy, that is, the book of Musa عليه السلام also guides towards believing in the Quran. The meaning is that there is one person who is a denier and disbeliever, and in contrast, there is another person who is established upon the proof from Allah, upon whom there is a witness (the Quran or the Prophet of Islam), and likewise, in the previously revealed book, the Torah, leadership has also been arranged for him. And he brings faith. Can these two persons be equal? Because one is a believer and the other is a disbeliever. One is equipped with all kinds of proofs and the other is completely empty.

17. 2 That is, those in whom the aforementioned qualities are found, they will believe in the Noble Quran and the Prophet.

17. 3 By all sects is meant the religions found on the face of the earth: Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Magians, and polytheists and disbelievers, etc. Whoever does not believe in Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his abode is Hell. This is the same subject that is stated in the hadith: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul, any Jew or Christian of this Ummah who hears about my Prophethood and then does not believe in me, he will enter Hell" (Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter: The Obligation of Belief in the Prophethood of Our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ for All People). This subject has already passed in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 62 (خٰلِدِيْنَ فِيْهَا ۚ لَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَا ھُمْ يُنْظَرُوْنَ 162۔) and Surah An-Nisa, verses 150, 152 (اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَكْفُرُوْنَ باللّٰهِ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَيُرِيْدُوْنَ اَنْ يُّفَرِّقُوْا بَيْنَ اللّٰهِ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَيَقُوْلُوْنَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَّنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ ۙ وَّيُرِيْدُوْنَ اَنْ يَّتَّخِذُوْا بَيْنَ ذٰلِكَ سَبِيْلًا 150؀ۙ اُولٰۗىِٕكَ هُمُ الْكٰفِرُوْنَ حَقًّا ۚ وَاَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكٰفِرِيْنَ عَذَابًا مُّهِيْنًا 151؁ وَالَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا باللّٰهِ وَرُسُلِهٖ وَلَمْ يُفَرِّقُوْا بَيْنَ اَحَدٍ مِّنْهُمْ اُولٰۗىِٕكَ سَوْفَ يُؤْتِيْهِمْ اُجُوْرَهُمْ ۭوَكَان اللّٰهُ غَفُوْرًا رَّحِيْمًا 152؀) (4:150-152).

17. 4 This is the same subject that has been mentioned at various places in the Noble Quran (وَمَآ اَکْثَرُالنَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصَتْ بِمُؤ مِنِیْنَ) (Surah Yusuf, 13) (وَمَآ اَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ وَلَوْ حَرَصْتَ بِمُؤْمِنِيْنَ 13۔) (12:13): "Despite your desire, most people will not believe." Iblis made his assumption come true; except for a group of believers, all became his followers.

17. Can the one who stands upon a clear proof from his Lord, and then a witness from Him recites it, and before it was the Book of Moses (the Torah) as a guide and mercy (be like the one who rejects)? Such people believe in it, but whoever among the groups denies it, the Fire is promised for him. So do not be in doubt [21] about it. Surely, it is the truth from your Lord, but most people do not believe.

[20]
Those Who Do Not Believe Even After Both Testimonies:

Here, the clear proof refers to the innate urge or the Covenant of Alast, which exists in the subconscious of every human being. (For details, see verses 172 and 173 of Al-A'raf) Now, if in this verse the "person" is taken to mean the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, then the "witness" refers to Jibreel ؑ, and if the "person" is taken to mean a common man, then the "witness" refers to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. That is, this innate urge already exists in the subconscious of every human being that the Creator and Master of this universe and of ourselves is Allah Almighty, besides whom there can be no true deity. Then, in support of this urge, two strong external witnesses are also found: one is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Quran, and the other is the Torah, which was revealed long before him ﷺ. So, is there anything that can prevent such a person from believing? He should immediately respond to this innate urge and bring faith, and whoever still does not believe, what remedy can there be for him except Hell, regardless of which religion or sect that person belongs to?

[21] This address to the Prophet ﷺ is only for further emphasis; in reality, its addressees are the general people, as its details have already been mentioned earlier.