Qur’an Cover-to-Cover: Day 19 (“Hud”)

As you may have noticed, as the chapters of the Qur’an have got longer, I’ve pretty much resorted to only doing only one a day. Yesterday, I went back and recaculated when I’m going to finish the Qur’an. I’ve concluded that, if I stay at a rate of about one hundred verses a day, I should be finishing the Qur’an at the end of January.

Here are today’s verses:

Surah 11 – “Hud” (Hud)
The first few pages of this chapter are filled with very standard stuff:

• Worship Allah alone
• Seek forgiveness, there will be punishment for the disbeliever on the Day of Judgement
• Allah is all-knowing
• Allah created the heavens and the earth
• Those who disbelieve in the Messengers claim magic is at work
• Mankind is ungrateful for the mercies of Allah
• The disbelievers ask why Muhammad doesn’t come with some heavenly treasure or an angel
• Muhammad is told to challenge those who say he invented the Qur’an, by demanding that they “bring ten surahs like it”
• Those who believed in the former revelations (e.g. the Torah) believe in the Qur’an.

We now have the retelling of prophet stories…

Prophet Noah
Once again, we have this idea that Noah had followers among the simple folk and, for this reason, the elite rejected him. It is emkphasized once again that Noah didn’t ask his hearers for money. Words are put into Noah’s mouth which speak to Muhmammad’s critics, particularly in reference to Noah not bringing treasure and an angel. Noah’s critics challenge him to prove his truthfulness by bring the judgement he’s foretelling, but Noah responds by saying this is the decision of Allah.

Allah then tells Noah that everyone who will be believe has already believed. He should now forget the rest and start building the ship. The waters come and Noah is told to load his family and his followers into the ship. We have heard Noah’s story told many times before, but we finally get a mention of animals on the Ark, “each [creature] two mates”, but there is no distinction given to the clean and unclean animals.

Noah’s son, however, refuses to get on the boat. Noah prays to Allah, but Allah tells him that he is no longer his son and the boy drowns. I’ve watched a video where the apologist Zakir Naik uses this story to justify disowning a child who renounces Islam.

When the water subsides (there is no mention of Noah sending out birds), the Ark comes to rest on the mountain of “Judiyy”. Noah praises Allah for following through on his threat and for not showing preferential treatment to his disbelieving son. Allah responds by saying that he wasn’t Noah’s son, being as he was a worker of unrighteousness.

Prophet Hud
The Prophet Hud to the people of Aad, calling them to worship Allah alone. Again it’s emphasized that he doesn’t ask for reward from the people.  The people themselves respond by saying that their deities have possed Hud with insanity. For rejecting Hud’s message, “[the people] were followed in this world with a curse and [as well] on the Day of Resurrection”.

Prophet Salih
The Prophet Salih goes to the people of Thamud and calls them to worship Allah. As a sign, Allah sends them a she-camel and the people are told not to touch her, but they rebel and hamstring her. Salih tells the people to enjoy themselves in their homes for three days because Allah’s promise of judgement is true. There is a blast from the sky and all the unbelievers die.

Prophet Abraham
When angels visited Abraham he greets them, saying “Peace”. The angels bring him a roasted calf, but when they did not join him in eating it, he is filled with apprehension. This is because when guests refused to eat, it signified that they intended to do you harm. The angels respond by saying that they will be visiting judgement upon the people of Lot. This pleases Moses’ wife no end, and then the angels tell her about her future offspring “Isaac and after Isaac, Jacob”. Again, it’s not obvious from this whether the author of the Qur’an knows that Jacob was the son of Isaac, rather than his brother.

When the shock of all this wears off, Abraham begins to plead for the people of Lot. The angels are unmoved, declaring that the decree has come from Allah.

Prophet Lot
We then have a retelling of the Biblical account of Sodom. The angels come to Lot. The people come seeking the angels and instead Lot offers them his daughters, although the footnote explains that these daughters are “the women of his community who were avaialble for marriage”, rather than Lot’s literal, biological daughters.

The angels tell Lot to set out before dawn and to not look back. Previous chapters of the Qur’an have indicated that Lot’s wife is left in Sodom, rather than the Biblical account of her looking back and being turned to salt. This chapter seems to strike an ambiguous middle ground, saying “…and let not any among you look back – except your wife; indeed, she will be struct by that which strikes them”.

Prophet Shu’ayb (Jethro)
Sua’ayb is sent to the people of Midian, calling them to worship no one but Allah and also condemns them for unjust trading practices. Shu’ayb is told by the people that “if not for your family, we would have stoned you”.  I think is meant to parallel with Muhammad’s situation, who was protected in Mecca by his Uncle Abu Talib. Eventually punishment comes upon the people of Midian, in a manner much like the people of Thamud.

Prophet Moses
Almost nothing of the Moses story is told here, except the stubbornness and disbelief of Pharaoh. Although the surah which we covered yesterday (“Jonah”), describes Pharaoh converting to Islam with his dying breath, today’s chapter makes it clear that “[Pharaoh] will precede his people on the Day of Resurrection and lead them into the Fire”.

Having come to the end of the extended section about previous prophets, there is then a prolonged section about the Day of Judgement.

Although it’s unclear, we are then treated to our first indication in the Qur’an that some is not right within Judaism. We are told that “We had certainly given Moses the Scripture but it came under disagreement”. The detail of this “disagreement” is not explained. However, we are told that, concerning the Qur’an, they (I’m assuming the Jews) are “in disquieting doubt”.

In a verse close to the end, we have confirmation that some jinn will be joining mankind in Hell.

Q1. In ayah 31, does “I do not tell you…that I know the unseen” mean that Noah brought no supernatural knowledge of future events?

Q2. My Qur’an attributes ayah 35 to be about Muhammad, but his name is in square brackets and the context gives no indication that we have moved away from Noah. Why is it supposed to be about Muhammad?

Q3. Is there ever a distinction between “clean” and “unclean” animals in the story of Noah?

Q4. What is “the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]” in ayah 49? IS it the information in ayah 48, that Allah will grant other nations enjoyment and then touch them with punishment?

Q5. If there were so many Messengers sent, why do we keep hearing about the same ones again and again?

Q6. What is it about the she-camel which makes it a “sign”?

Q7. Would you agree with my footnote that the “daughters” described in ayah 78 are simply the women of the city and not Lot’s literal daughters?

Q8. Is Lot’s wife left in Sodom, or does ayah 81 just foretell her looking back?

Q9. Does Shu’ayb denounce his people for dishonest trading in ayah 84-85?

Q10. What does my footnote on ayah 88 mean? Does it suggest that text is missing?

Q11. What is the “disagreement” described in ayah 110?

Q12. What are “the two ends of the day” described in ayah 114? The end of work and end of the day?

That’s all for today. Oh, in other news, I called the local mosque to talk to an Imam about my various questions. I got their voicemail. Could it be that the mosque is closed for Christmas?!

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