Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
Ash-Shu'ara 26:105–122
26:105–115Page 371
كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٍ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ ١٠٥
The people of Noah denied the messengers1
إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ١٠٦
When their brother Noah said to them, "Will you not fear Allāh?
إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٞ ١٠٧
Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger.
فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ١٠٨
So fear Allāh and obey me.
وَمَآ أَسۡـَٔلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍۖ إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ١٠٩
And I do not ask you for it any payment. My payment is only from the Lord of the worlds.
فَٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ ١١٠
So fear Allāh and obey me."
۞ قَالُوٓاْ أَنُؤۡمِنُ لَكَ وَٱتَّبَعَكَ ٱلۡأَرۡذَلُونَ ١١١
They said, "Should we believe you while you are followed by the lowest [class of people]?"
قَالَ وَمَا عِلۡمِي بِمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ ١١٢
He said, "And what is my knowledge of what they used to do?
إِنۡ حِسَابُهُمۡ إِلَّا عَلَىٰ رَبِّيۖ لَوۡ تَشۡعُرُونَ ١١٣
Their account is only upon my Lord, if you [could] perceive.
وَمَآ أَنَا۠ بِطَارِدِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ١١٤
And I am not one to drive away the believers.
إِنۡ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٞ ١١٥
I am only a clear warner."
Noah’s community rejected him, though his call was fully borne out by the strength of arguments. Besides, his character bore testimony to his truthfulness. The people of his community knew that Noah was a righteous and honest man. They knew that there was no vested self-interest attached to his call for the Truth. Indeed, his personal qualities were enough to prove his seriousness. And a person who is serious about God’s creatures cannot be other than serious about their Creator. Noah’s community rejected his call for the Truth, though they could offer nothing but irrelevant matters to justify this rejection. To say that the companions of a preacher are ordinary people in order to justify rejection of his call, is not a contradiction of the call but amounts rather to self-contradiction. It means that nothing can be found by way of arguments to warrant saying anything against the call of Truth. Such a stance did no credit to Noah’s community.
26:116–122Page 372
قَالُواْ لَئِن لَّمۡ تَنتَهِ يَٰنُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡمَرۡجُومِينَ ١١٦
They said, "If you do not desist, O Noah, you will surely be of those who are stoned."
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوۡمِي كَذَّبُونِ ١١٧
He said, "My Lord, indeed my people have denied me.
فَٱفۡتَحۡ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا وَنَجِّنِي وَمَن مَّعِيَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ١١٨
Then judge between me and them with decisive judgement and save me and those with me of the believers."
فَأَنجَيۡنَٰهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡفُلۡكِ ٱلۡمَشۡحُونِ ١١٩
So We saved him and those with him in the laden ship.
ثُمَّ أَغۡرَقۡنَا بَعۡدُ ٱلۡبَاقِينَ ١٢٠
Then We drowned thereafter the remaining ones.
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ ١٢١
Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ١٢٢
And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
Noah strove for centuries so that his community could realize the truth, but they refused to accept it. The moral debasement of his people had reached its acme and the disbelievers now threatened Noah either to stop preaching or be stoned to death. Noah then prayed to God to judge decisively between him and the disbelievers. His prayer was answered. At God’s behest, Noah constructed a large boat, in which all his companions and the male and female counterparts of each animal species were accommodated. Thereafter, God sent a severe storm; water gushed out of the earth, and there was a heavy downpour of rain from the skies. All the living creatures, except those on the boat, were destroyed. This historical example is an embodiment of the fact that while true believers would remain protected, all others would face destruction.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences