Hud - Hud
Arabic Name: هُوْد
Urdu Name: حود
Type: Makki
Serial Number: 11
Revelation Order: 52
Total Verses: 123
Parah: 12,11
Rukus: 10
Sajda: None
Share Verse Art
Arabic
Arabic + English
Arabic (Wide)
Arabic + Urdu
Free for personal & educational use with attribution
Quick Facts about this Verse
Surah
Hud
Revealed
Makki
Position
Juz 12,11
Explore this Verse
Verse Meaning
A comprehensive review of classical tafsirs for Quran 11:82 reveals a multi-faceted divine punishment that was precisely suited to the transgression of Lot's people. According to Ibn Kathir, the destruction occurred at sunrise, with the city of Sodom being physically inverted. Al-Tabari and Al-Qurtubi provide extensive linguistic analysis, showing a scholarly consensus that the term 'sijjil' is an Arabized Persian word ('sang-e-gil') meaning stones of baked clay. The synthesis of these scholarly views—Ibn Kathir's historical account, Al-Tabari's linguistic depth, and Al-Qurtubi's juridical insights—presents a unified picture of a two-fold punishment: a cataclysmic earthquake or inversion that destroyed the city's infrastructure ('we made its highest its lowest'), followed by a divine barrage of hardened clay stones ('we rained upon them stones of sijjil, layered'). This dual chastisement, as Al-Wasit notes, was a mirror of their crime; they inverted the natural order, and thus their city was inverted and buried. This comprehensive view, combining historical narrative with deep linguistic analysis, showcases the profound precision and justice of the divine decree.
Questions for Reflection
Textual Contemplation
Classical scholars like Al-Tabari extensively discuss 'sijjil' as 'stone and clay'. Contemplate the divine wisdom in choosing this material. How does the transformation of soft clay into hard, destructive stone mirror the hardening of hearts against divine guidance and its ultimate consequence?
Personal Transformation
The verse states, 'We made its highest its lowest'. This is a physical description of the city's ruin. As Al-Qurtubi implies, this is a reflection of their moral inversion. Reflect on your own life: are there any areas where you are placing lower priorities (dunya, ego) above higher ones (faith, family, hereafter)?
Relational Wisdom
Ibn Kathir describes a collective punishment that befell an entire community for a sin that became normalized. Contemplate your responsibility towards the moral and ethical well-being of your community. How can one balance personal piety with the duty to gently guide others and prevent the normalization of wrongdoing?
Practical Applications
Cultivate humility by reflecting on the 'overturning' of a proud civilization to recognize the fragility of human power.
Apply when feeling overly confident in personal success, career achievements, or technological advancements, reminding oneself of ultimate accountability to Allah.
Uphold natural and divine laws within your community as a safeguard against societal decay.
Engage in promoting family values, ethical conduct in business, and speaking out against injustice and corruption within your sphere of influence.
Recognize the precision of divine justice by contemplating the 'layered stones' (manḍūd) as a sign that every act is accounted for.
Use this as a moral compass in daily life, understanding that actions have specific and cumulative consequences in the sight of Allah.
Hidden Gem
The synthesis of tafsirs reveals a subtle point: the punishment was twofold - an earthly upheaval ('overturning') and a heavenly assault ('rain of stones'). This combination signifies that when humanity corrupts the order on Earth, the consequence comes from both the ground beneath them and the sky above, indicating a total and inescapable divine judgment where no refuge can be found.
Scroll to see more verses or use the dropdown in the breadcrumb to jump to any verse
Common Questions
1 more question available in the full page