11:116 Hud (Hud)

لما ذكر تعالى، إهلاك الأمم المكذبة للرسل، وأن أكثرهم منحرفون، حتى أهل الكتب الإلهية، وذلك كله يقضي على الأديان بالذهاب والاضمحلال، ذكر أنه لولا أنه جعل في القرون الماضية بقايا، من أهل الخير يدعون إلى الهدى، وينهون عن الفساد والردى، فحصل من نفعهم ما بقيت به الأديان، ولكنهم قليلون جدا. وغاية الأمر، أنهم نجوا، باتباعهم المرسلين، وقيامهم بما قاموا به من دينهم، وبكون حجة الله أجراها على أيديهم، ليهلك من هلك عن بيِّنة ويحيا من حيَّ عن بيِّنة { و ْ} لكن { اتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَا أُتْرِفُوا فِيهِ ْ} أي: اتبعوا ما هم فيه من النعيم والترف، ولم يبغوا به بدلا. { وَكَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ ْ} أي: ظالمين، باتباعهم ما أترفوا فيه، فلذلك حق عليهم العقاب، واستأصلهم العذاب. وفي هذا، حث لهذه الأمة، أن يكون فيهم بقايا مصلحون، لما أفسد الناس، قائمون بدين الله، يدعون من ضل إلى الهدى، ويصبرون منهم على الأذى، ويبصرونهم من العمى. وهذه الحالة أعلى حالة يرغب فيها الراغبون، وصاحبها يكون, إماما في الدين، إذا جعل عمله خالصا لرب العالمين.

يقول تعالى فهلا وجد من القرون الماضية بقايا من أهل الخير ينهون عما كان يقع بينهم من الشرور والمنكرات والفساد في الأرض وقوله "إلا قليلا" أي قد وجد منهم من هذا الضرب قليل لم يكونوا كثيرا وهم الذين أنجاهم الله عند حلول غضبه وفجأة نقمته ولهذا أمر الله تعالى هذه الأمة الشريفة أن يكون فيها من يأمر بالمعروف وينهى عن المنكر كما قال تعالى "ولتكن منكم أمة يدعون إلى الخير ويأمرون بالمعروف وينهون عن المنكر وأولئك هم المفلحون" وفي الحديث "إن الناس إذا رأوا المنكر فلم يغيروه أوشك أن يعمهم الله بعقاب" ولهذا قال تعالى "فلولا كان من القرون من قبلكم أولوا بقية ينهون عن الفساد في الأرض إلا قليلا ممن أنجينا منهم" وقوله "واتبع الذين ظلموا ما أترفوا فيه" أي استمروا على ما هم عليه من المعاصي والمنكرات ولم يلتفتوا إلى إنكار أو لئك حتى فجأهم العذاب "وكانوا مجرمين".

There must be a Group of People Who forbid Lewdness

Allah, the Exalted, says that there should have been a group of wise people present among the past generations who called to good and forbade the evil and corruption that took place among them in the land. His statement,

إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(except a few) This means that there were only a small number of people present among them who were of this caliber. They were those whom Allah saved at the sudden striking of His vengeance, when His anger was let lose. For this reason Allah commanded this noble Ummah (followers of Muhammad ) to always have among them those who command the good and forbid the evil. This is as Allah says,

وَلْتَكُن مِّنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

(Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. And it is they who are the successful.)3:104 It is related in a Hadith that the Prophet said,

«إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوُا الْمُنْكَرَ فَلَمْ يُغَيِّرُوهُ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ بِعِقَاب»

(Verily, whenever a group of people see an evil and they do not change it, it is likely that Allah will cover them with (His) punishment.) Thus, Allah says,

فَلَوْلاَ كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ أُوْلُواْ بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِى الاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّمَّنْ أَنجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ

(If only there had been among the generations before you persons having wisdom, There must be a Group of People Who forbid Lewdness Allah, the Exalted, says that there should have been a group of wise people present among the past generations who called to good and forbade the evil and corruption that took place among them in the land. His statement,

إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً

(except a few) This means that there were only a small number of people present among them who were of this caliber. They were those whom Allah saved at the sudden striking of His vengeance, when His anger was let lose. For this reason Allah commanded this noble Ummah (followers of Muhammad ) to always have among them those who command the good and forbid the evil. This is as Allah says,

وَلْتَكُن مِّنْكُمْ أُمَّةٌ يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْخَيْرِ وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَأُوْلَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

(Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining righteousness and forbidding evil. And it is they who are the successful.)3:104 It is related in a Hadith that the Prophet said,

«إِنَّ النَّاسَ إِذَا رَأَوُا الْمُنْكَرَ فَلَمْ يُغَيِّرُوهُ أَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَعُمَّهُمُ اللَّهُ بِعِقَاب»

(Verily, whenever a group of people see an evil and they do not change it, it is likely that Allah will cover them with (His) punishment.) Thus, Allah says,

فَلَوْلاَ كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ أُوْلُواْ بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِى الاٌّرْضِ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّمَّنْ أَنجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ

(If only there had been among the generations before you persons having wisdom, prohibiting (others) from the Fasad in the earth,- except a few of those whom We saved from among them!) Concerning the statement,

وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَآ أُتْرِفُواْ فِيهِ

(Those who did wrong pursued the enjoyment of good things of (this worldly) life,) This means that they continued in their ways of disobedience and evils and they did not heed the protesting of those righteous people, until the torment suddenly seized them.

وَكَانُواْ مُجْرِمِينَ

(and were criminals.) Then, Allah informs that he does not destroy any town, except that it has wronged itself. No correctional punishment or torment comes to any town, except that its people were wrongdoers. This is as Allah says, s

وَمَا ظَلَمْنَـهُمْ وَلَـكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ

(We wronged them not, but they wronged themselves.) 11:101 Allah also says,

وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّـمٍ لِّلْعَبِيدِ

(And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) servants.) 41:46

وَلَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ

If only there had been among the generations past communities before you men possessing a remnant of good sense men of religion and virtue forbidding corruption in the earth this statement is intended to be a negation in other words ‘there never were such men among them’ except but a few of those whom mimman min is explicative We delivered from among them did forbid corruption and were thus delivered. But those who did wrong through corruption and neglecting to forbid followed that by which they were made profligate and were sinners.

Given in the third and the fourth verse (116, 117) is the reason why Divine punishment came upon past peoples as well as the instruction as to how they could have stayed safe from it. It was said: How sad that among them there could have been at least some good and wise people who would have stopped their erring fellowmen from spreading disorder. The exception was that of a counted few who followed the noble prophets and they were the ones who stayed safe from the punishment. As for the rest of them, they went for the luxuries of the material world and turned into compulsive sinners.

In this verse, people of discernment, balance and foresight have been identified through the expression: أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ ` remnants [ of wisdom ].' The word: بَقِيَّةٍ (bagiyyah) means that which remains. It is human habit that one lets what is most dear to him remain with him under all conditions, preserved and retrievable. When some need would arise, he would give away everything but not that. Therefore, reason and in-sight are called 'baqiyyah' or remnants, because that is the dearest one has.