Surah Hud ayat 88 Tafsir Quran 11:88

﴿قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّي وَرَزَقَنِي مِنْهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ۚ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَىٰ مَا أَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ ۚ إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلَّا الْإِصْلَاحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ۚ وَمَا تَوْفِيقِي إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ ۚ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ﴾
[ هود: 88]

11:88 He said, "O my people, have you considered: if I am upon clear evidence from my Lord and He has provided me with a good provision from Him...? And I do not intend to differ from you in that which I have forbidden you; I only intend reform as much as I am able. And my success is not but through Allah. Upon him I have relied, and to Him I return.

He said ‘O my people have you considered that I might be acting upon a clear proof from my Lord and that He has provided me with fair wholesome sustenance from Him? should I then blemish it with what is unlawful in the way of fraud or stinting? And I do not desire to be inconsistent and then partake in what I forbid you thus committing the same. I desire only to set things right in your case by way of enjoining justice so far as I am able. My success my ability to do this successfully and to enjoin other acts of obedience is only with God. In Him I trust and to Him I turn I return repentant.

There did Shuaib say to them: My people, pause here and think but this: what if Allah has enlightened my thoughts and my innermost being and imparted to me knowledge, wisdom and spiritual light and made His grace abound in me! I want you to realize, he added, that I do not move you to this divine course of action to advantage myself behind your backs of your dishonest system of trading and its ill-gotten gains. My aim is only reform I wish to brew the best I can until the pious principle governs your thoughts and you abandon wrong - doing. My successful attainment of the desired end rests in the hands of Allah; in Him I trust and to Him I lift my inward sight

Shu`ayb's Refutation of His People He said to them: Do you see O my people, that if I عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى ( have a clear evidence from my Lord ) meaning, upon clear guidance in that which I am calling to. وَرَزَقَنِى مِنْهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ( and He has given me a good sustenance from Himself. ) It has been said that he meant the prophethood.
It has also been said that he meant the lawful provisions.
It seems that the verse carries both meanings.
Ath-Thawri said, وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَى مَآ أَنْهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ ( I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. ) meaning, `do not forbid you from something and at the same time I contradict my prohibitions in secret behind your backs, doing what I have forbidden.' This is similar to what Qatadah said concerning Allah's statement, وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَى مَآ أَنْهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ ( I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. ) "He is saying, `I do not forbid you all from something while I do it myself."' إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الإِصْلَـحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ( I only desire reform to the best of my power. ) This means, "In that which I command and forbid you, I only want to correct your affair as much as I am able." وَمَا تَوْفِيقِى ( And my guidance cannot come ) This means, "In whatever I intend that agrees with the truth." إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ( except from Allah, in Him I put my trust ) This means in all of my affairs. وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ( and unto Him I repent. ) meaning; "I return." This has been said by Mujahid and others.

(11:88) Shu'ayb said: 'My people! What do you think? If I stand on clear evidence from my Lord, and He has also provided me a handsome provision from Himself *98 -(should I be ungrateful to Him and share your error and iniquity?) Nor do I desire to act contrary to what I admonish you. *99 I desire nothing but to set things right as far as I can. My succour is only with Allah. In Him have I put my trust, and to Him do I always turn.

He said, "O my people, have you meaning

*98).
'Provision' in this context has two connotations.
It might signify, in the first place, the provision of knowledge of the truth communicated by God to someone.
Secondly, it might also signify, as it commonly does, the provision of the means bestowed by God on His creatures in order that they may be able to live.

Were we to understand this word in the first sense, the verse substantially repeats the same point that has been expressed earlier in this surah through the Prophets Muhammad, Noah and Salih ( peace be on them ).
Common to their statements is their affirmation that they found the signs of the truth in their own beings and in the universe around them.
Those signs were corroborated by direct knowledge of the truth intimated to them by God.
( See verses 17,28 and 63 above - Ed. ) Hence it was not possible for them to join their people in their errors of belief and in their acts of wickedness.

However, if the word is taken in the latter sense, it amounts to a response to the sarcastic remark hurled at Shu'ayb: 'Do you fancy that you, and only you, are forbearing and right-directed?' ( See verse 87 above. ) It is noteworthy that the answer to this most bitter and caustic query is couched in exceedingly moderate and dispassionate words.
The answer amounts to telling his opponents that if his Lord had granted Shu'ayb knowledge of reality and also a livelihood that is pure and lawful, how could their sarcastic remarks change the fact that Shu'ayb had received God's favours? Also, in view of the favours which God had lavished upon Shu'ayb, how could it be appropriate for him to act ungratefully towards God by legitimizing their erroneous beliefs and acts of corruption?
*99).
Shu'ayb pointed out to his detractors that they could measure his integrity by only one thing: whether he practised what he preached.
Had he forbidden others from visiting false deities, and then had become the custodian of some such shrine, people would have been justified in reproaching him for inconsistency and self-contradiction.
They could have rightly criticized him for preaching something and practising its opposite.
Had he asked them to abstain from unlawful earnings and had himself resorted to dishonest practices they would have been perfectly justified in accusing him of talking of honesty merely to build up a good image of himself and then exploiting it for his personal ends.

It was clear, however, that Shu'ayb could be accused of nothing like that.
It was crystal clear that he had stayed well away from all those vices which he asked others to abstain from.
He had no stains on him of which he wanted others to remain free.
Shu'ayb also practised all those acts of goodness to which he invited others.
All this was sufficient to establish that Shu'ayb was fully sincere about his mission.

 

Shu`ayb's Refutation of His People He said to them: Do you see O my people, that if I عَلَى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّى ( have a clear evidence from my Lord ) meaning, upon clear guidance in that which I am calling to. وَرَزَقَنِى مِنْهُ رِزْقًا حَسَنًا ( and He has given me a good sustenance from Himself. ) It has been said that he meant the prophethood.
It has also been said that he meant the lawful provisions.
It seems that the verse carries both meanings.
Ath-Thawri said, وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَى مَآ أَنْهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ ( I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. ) meaning, `do not forbid you from something and at the same time I contradict my prohibitions in secret behind your backs, doing what I have forbidden.' This is similar to what Qatadah said concerning Allah's statement, وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَكُمْ إِلَى مَآ أَنْهَـكُمْ عَنْهُ ( I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. ) "He is saying, `I do not forbid you all from something while I do it myself."' إِنْ أُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الإِصْلَـحَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ( I only desire reform to the best of my power. ) This means, "In that which I command and forbid you, I only want to correct your affair as much as I am able." وَمَا تَوْفِيقِى ( And my guidance cannot come ) This means, "In whatever I intend that agrees with the truth." إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ( except from Allah, in Him I put my trust ) This means in all of my affairs. وَإِلَيْهِ أُنِيبُ ( and unto Him I repent. ) meaning; "I return." This has been said by Mujahid and others.

( He said: O my people! Bethink you: if I am ) He says: I am ( (acting ) on a clear proof from my Lord) on a clear exposition that has come down to me from my Lord ( and He sustaineth me with fair sustenance from Him ) and He has favoured me with prophethood and Islam and further gave me a lawful property ( (how can I concede aught to you )? I desire not to do behind your backs that which I ask you not to do) he says: I do not want to engage in that which I am warning you against: cheating in measure and weighing. ( I desire naught save ) I only desire ( reform ) justice in measure and weighing ( so far as I am able. My welfare ) in upholding right measurement and weighing ( is only in Allah ) is only from Allah. ( In Him I trust ) I entrust my matter to Him ( and unto Him I turn ) in complete devotion.

He said: "O my people! Tell me, if I have a clear evidence from my Lord, and He has given me a good sustenance from Himself (shall I corrupt it by mixing it with the unlawfully earned money). I wish not, in contradiction to you, to do that which I forbid you. I only desire reform so far as I am able, to the best of my power. And my guidance cannot come except from Allah, in Him I trust and unto Him I repent.

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