The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 98

and Shu'aib. Pharaoh and his people, who behaved arrogantly towards Moses and oppressed the Israelites, have also been mentioned. Reference has also been made to the great Patriarch Abraham, but that only incidentally in the course of the story of Lot. This has been followed by a brief account of Moses in his relationship not with the Israelites but with Pharaoh, which resulted in the destruction of Pharaoh and his arrogant people. Then the believers are warned against associating with the people for whom Divine punishment has been decreed; for an association with such people would naturally involve them in the punishment meant for the latter. Thereafter, the Holy Prophet has been comforted and asked not to worry about the destruction of his people; for if his people were going to be destroyed, the people of many a Prophet before him were also destroyed. Lastly, the Holy Prophet has been cheered by the prophecy that great prosperity awaits his followers. So many instances of Divine punishment have been cited in this Sūrah and such emphasis has been laid on the great responsibilities of the Holy Prophet that he is reported to have said: "The chapter Hūd has prematurely aged me" (Manthūr), meaning that the contents of the Surah had weighed so heavily on his mind that he had begun to feel early signs of physical weakness. 1306