Surah Hud
Surah 11 · Hud · 123 verses · meccan
Hud — the prophet sent to the people of 'Ad, whose story sits at the surah's centre.
The story
Nuh عليه السلام built a huge boat on dry land, and people laughed at him for years. Then the flood came, and everyone who believed was safe inside. His own son refused to get on, and was not saved — because what matters is what you do, not who your family is.
How it unfolds
AYAH 1-24
A book made precise
Verses perfected and explained, and the challenge to produce ten surahs like it.
AYAH 25-49
Nuh and the ark
Centuries of patience, the ship built among mockery, and the son who would not board.
AYAH 50-95
'Ad, Thamud, Lut, Shu'ayb
Four peoples, four messengers, four endings — and Shu'ayb's line: "My success is only through Allah."
AYAH 112-123
Stay straight
The command that greyed the Prophet's ﷺ hair, and the promise that good deeds wipe out bad.
Verses to carry
- 11:88"My success is only through Allah. Upon Him I rely, and to Him I turn." Shu'ayb's answer to a hostile town.
- 11:114"Indeed, good deeds erase bad deeds." Revealed about a man who confessed a sin and was told to pray.
- 11:112"So remain on a straight course as you have been commanded" — the verse the Prophet ﷺ named as the one that aged him.
- 11:6"There is no creature on earth but that its provision is upon Allah."
Remember this
Doing a good thing can wipe away a bad thing. So when you slip, do something good straight after.
Talk about it
Nuh عليه السلام kept going even though almost nobody listened. What helps you keep trying when something is hard?