Ibn Kathir (abridged) · Tafsir · in English
Al-Mu'minun 23:26–41
23:26–30Page 343
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرۡنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ ٢٦
[Noah] said, "My Lord, support me because they have denied me."
فَأَوۡحَيۡنَآ إِلَيۡهِ أَنِ ٱصۡنَعِ ٱلۡفُلۡكَ بِأَعۡيُنِنَا وَوَحۡيِنَا فَإِذَا جَآءَ أَمۡرُنَا وَفَارَ ٱلتَّنُّورُ فَٱسۡلُكۡ فِيهَا مِن كُلّٖ زَوۡجَيۡنِ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ وَأَهۡلَكَ إِلَّا مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡقَوۡلُ مِنۡهُمۡۖ وَلَا تُخَٰطِبۡنِي فِي ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوٓاْ إِنَّهُم مُّغۡرَقُونَ ٢٧
So We inspired to him, "Construct the ship under Our observation and Our inspiration, and when Our command comes and the oven overflows,1 put into it [i.e., the ship] from each [creature] two mates and your family, except him for whom the decree [of destruction] has proceeded. And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned.
فَإِذَا ٱسۡتَوَيۡتَ أَنتَ وَمَن مَّعَكَ عَلَى ٱلۡفُلۡكِ فَقُلِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِي نَجَّىٰنَا مِنَ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٢٨
And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, 'Praise to Allāh who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.'
وَقُل رَّبِّ أَنزِلۡنِي مُنزَلٗا مُّبَارَكٗا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡمُنزِلِينَ ٢٩
And say, 'My Lord, let me land at a blessed landing place, and You are the best to accommodate [us].'"
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَٰتٖ وَإِن كُنَّا لَمُبۡتَلِينَ ٣٠
Indeed in that are signs, and indeed, We are ever testing [Our servants].
Allah tells us that Nuh, peace be upon him, invoked his Lord to help him against his people,
as Allah mentions in another Ayah:
(Then he invoked his Lord (saying): "I have been overcome, so help (me)!") 54:10. Here he says:
(O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.) At that point, Allah commanded him to build a boat and to make it strong and firm, and to carry therein of every kind two, i.e., a male and a female of every species of animals, plants and fruits etc. He was also to carry his family,
(except those thereof against whom the Word has already gone forth.) meaning, those whom Allah had already decreed were to be destroyed. These were the members of his family who did not believe in him, such as his son and his wife. And Allah knows best.
(And address Me not in favor of those who have done wrong. Verily, they are to be drowned.) means, `when you witness the heavy rain falling, do not let yourself be overcome with compassion and pity for your people, or hope for more time for them so that they may believe, for I have decreed that they will be drowned and will die in their state of disbelief and wrongdoing.' The story has already been told in detail in Surah Hud, and there is no need to repeat it here.
(And when you have embarked on the ship, you and whoever is with you, then say: `All the praise be to Allah, Who has saved us from the people who are wrongdoers.') This is like the Ayah:
(and has appointed for you ships and cattle on which you ride: In order that you may mount on their backs, and then may remember the favor of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: "Glory to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts). And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return!") 43:12-14 So, certainly, Nuh adhered to what he was commanded, as Allah says elsewhere:
(And he said: "Embark therein: in the Name of Allah will be its (moving) course and its (resting) anchorage...")11:41 So Nuh mentioned Allah at the beginning of his journey and at the end, and Allah said:
(And say: `My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, for You are the Best of those who bring to land.")
(Verily in this, there are indeed Ayat,) means in this event, which is the saving of the believers and the destruction of the disbelievers there are signs, i.e., clear evidence and proof that the Prophets speak the truth in the Message they bring from Allah, may He be exalted, and that Allah does what He wills, and He is able to do all things and knows all things.
(for sure We are ever putting (men) to the test.) means, `We try Our servants by means of sending the Messengers.'
23:31–41Page 344
ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قَرۡنًا ءَاخَرِينَ ٣١
Then We produced after them a generation of others.
فَأَرۡسَلۡنَا فِيهِمۡ رَسُولٗا مِّنۡهُمۡ أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَٰهٍ غَيۡرُهُۥٓۚ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٣٢
And We sent among them a messenger1 from themselves, [saying], "Worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him; then will you not fear Him?"
وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِن قَوۡمِهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَكَذَّبُواْ بِلِقَآءِ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ وَأَتۡرَفۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا بَشَرٞ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يَأۡكُلُ مِمَّا تَأۡكُلُونَ مِنۡهُ وَيَشۡرَبُ مِمَّا تَشۡرَبُونَ ٣٣
And the eminent among his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the Hereafter while We had given them luxury in the worldly life said, "This is not but a man like yourselves. He eats of that from which you eat and drinks of what you drink.
وَلَئِنۡ أَطَعۡتُم بَشَرٗا مِّثۡلَكُمۡ إِنَّكُمۡ إِذٗا لَّخَٰسِرُونَ ٣٤
And if you should obey a man like yourselves, indeed, you would then be losers.
أَيَعِدُكُمۡ أَنَّكُمۡ إِذَا مِتُّمۡ وَكُنتُمۡ تُرَابٗا وَعِظَٰمًا أَنَّكُم مُّخۡرَجُونَ ٣٥
Does he promise you that when you have died and become dust and bones that you will be brought forth [once more]?
۞ هَيۡهَاتَ هَيۡهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ ٣٦
How far, how far, is that which you are promised.1
إِنۡ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوثِينَ ٣٧
It [i.e., life] is not but our worldly life - we die and live, but we will not be resurrected.
إِنۡ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبٗا وَمَا نَحۡنُ لَهُۥ بِمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣٨
He is not but a man who has invented a lie about Allāh, and we will not believe him."
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱنصُرۡنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ ٣٩
He said, "My Lord, support me because they have denied me."
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٖ لَّيُصۡبِحُنَّ نَٰدِمِينَ ٤٠
[Allāh] said, "After a little, they will surely become regretful."
فَأَخَذَتۡهُمُ ٱلصَّيۡحَةُ بِٱلۡحَقِّ فَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ غُثَآءٗۚ فَبُعۡدٗا لِّلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٤١
So the shriek1 seized them in truth,2 and We made them as [plant] stubble. Then away with the wrongdoing people.
The Story of `Ad or Thamud
Allah tells us that after the people of Nuh, He created another nation. It was said that this was `Ad, because they were the successors of the people of Nuh. Or it was said that they were Thamud, because Allah says:
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, the Sayhah overtook them in truth.) Allah sent to them a Messenger from among themselves, and he called them to worship Allah Alone with no partner or associate, but they belied him, opposed him and refused to follow him because he was a human being like them, and they refused to follow a human Messenger. They did not believe in the meeting with Allah on the Day of Resurrection and they denied the idea of physical resurrection. They said:
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتٌّمْ وَكُنتُمْ تُرَاباً وَعِظماً أَنَّكُمْ مُّخْرَجُونَ - هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ
(Does he promise you that when you have died and have become dust and bones, you shall come out alive (resurrected) Far, very far is that which you are promised!) meaning, very unlikely.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ افتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِباً
(He is only a man who has invented a lie against Allah,) meaning, `in the Message he has brought to you, and his warnings and promise of resurrection.'
وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَقَالَ رَبِّ انصُرْنِى بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ
(and we are not going to believe in him. He said: "O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.") meaning, the Messenger ﷺ prayed against his people and asked his Lord to help him against them. His Lord answered his prayer:
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَّيُصْبِحُنَّ نَدِمِينَ
((Allah) said: "In a little while, they are sure to be regretful.") meaning, `for their opposition towards you and their stubborn rejection of the Message you brought to them.'
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ
(So, The Sayhah overtook them in truth,) meaning, they deserved that from Allah because of their disbelief and wrongdoing. The apparent meaning is that the Sayhah was combined with the furious cold wind,
تُدَمِّرُ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ بِأَمْرِ رَبِّهَا فَأْصْبَحُواْ لاَ يُرَى إِلاَّ مَسَكِنُهُمْ
(Destroying everything by the command of its Lord! So they became such that nothing could be seen except their dwellings!) 46:25
فَجَعَلْنَهُمْ غُثَآءً
(and We made them as rubbish of dead plants.) means, they are dead and destroyed, like the scum and rubbish left by a flood, i.e., something insignificant and useless that is of no benefit to anyone.
فَبُعْداً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّلِمِينَ
(So, away with the people who are wrongdoers.) As Allah's statement:
وَمَا ظَلَمْنَهُمْ وَلَكِن كَانُواْ هُمُ الظَّلِمِينَ
(We wronged them not, but they were the wrongdoers.) 43:76 means, who are wrongdoers because of their disbelief and stubborn opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so let those who hear this beware of disbelieving in their Messengers.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences