Surah Hud (Hud) 11 : 74

Overview (Verses 74 - 76)

Familiar or Miraculous?

Nothing that God does should be considered strange. When it is the norm for something to happen in a particular fashion, this does not mean that that fashion is unchangeable. The norm can be broken when God so chooses, for a particular purpose of His own. The purpose here is to bestow His mercy and promised blessings to the believers in that household. Yet, when the norm is broken, whatever takes place as a result occurs in accordance with the overall divine laws of nature which we do not know in full. We cannot judge God’s laws according to what happens during a short, limited period of time.

Those who try to restrict God’s will to the laws of nature familiar to them are ignorant of the reality of Godhead as stated by God in His book. Whatever God states is true. Our human minds have no say in all this. Even those who restrict God’s will to what He Himself has stated to be His law are again unaware of the true nature of Godhead. God’s will is free and not restricted by His laws.

It is true that God conducts the affairs of this universe according to the laws He has set for it. This is, however, different from restricting God’s will to these natural laws after they have been set in operation. The laws of nature work by God’s will all the time. They are not automatic. At any time, God may choose to cause His natural laws to operate in a different way. Whenever this happens natural laws will change to the new fashion God has determined. The overall law of nature which governs the operation of all other laws is that which states that God’s will is free and absolute. Every time any particular law operates, it does so according to God’s free and absolute will.

At this point, Abraham was reassured. He was delighted by the good news given him by God’s messengers. This, however, did not make him overlook Lot and his people. Lot was his nephew who had emigrated with him from their birthplace and who lived in the neighbouring area. He realized that the messengers, or the angels were sent to destroy Lot’s people. Compassionate and tender-hearted as Abraham was, he could not bear that the whole community should be so destroyed. He began to plead for them. “When his fear had left Abraham, and he received the happy news, he began to plead with Us for Lot’s people. Abraham was indeed most clement, tender-hearted, and devout.” (Verses 74-75)

Abraham is described in the text as clement, tender-hearted and devout. He did not lose his temper easily, he prayed to God with sincerity, and he always turned to his Lord in repentance. All these qualities prompted Abraham to plead for Lot’s people. We do not know how this pleading was conducted, because the Qur’ān does not elaborate. He was told, however, that God’s judgement had been passed and there was no point in his pleading: “Abraham! Leave off all this [pleading]. Your Lord’s judgement must come to pass. They shall be afflicted by an irrevocable torment.” (Verse 76). Abraham complied and the curtains dropped in order to be raised again on a scene full of activity at Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s country.