Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)

11. Hūd 1

In the Name of Allah,
the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

1 Alif, Lām Rā.
[This is] a Book,
whose signs have been made definitive 2
and then elaborated,3
from One [who is] all-wise, all-aware,
2 declaring: ‘Worship no one but Allah.
I am indeed a warner from Him to you
and a bearer of good news.
3 Plead with your Lord for forgiveness,
then turn to Him penitently.
He will provide you with a good provision
for a specified term
and grant His grace to every meritorious person.
But if you turn your backs [on Him],
indeed I fear for you
the punishment of a terrible day.
To Allah will be your return,
and He has power over all things.’
5 Look! They fold up their breasts 4
to hide [their secret feelings] from Him.

1 The sūrah is named after Hūd (‘a), the prophet whose account is given in verses 50-60.

2 Cf. 3:7.

3 Or ‘articulated.’

4 ‘To fold up one’s breast’ is an idiomatic phrase, meaning to conceal one’s spite within one’s heart.

Cite this page

Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation, Islamic College for Advance Studies Press (ICAS), London (Distributed by The Centre for Translation of the Holy Qur’ān, Qom, Iran), Consulted online at “Quran Archive - Texts and Studies on the Quran” on 26 Apr. 2024: http://quran-archive.org/explorer/ali-quli-qarai/2005?page=332