Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
نوح
Nuh
Noah · Meccan · 28 ayahs
71:1–4Page 570
إِنَّآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوۡمِهِۦٓ أَنۡ أَنذِرۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٞ ١
Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment."
قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ إِنِّي لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٞ مُّبِينٌ ٢
He said, "O my people, indeed I am to you a clear warner -
أَنِ ٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱتَّقُوهُ وَأَطِيعُونِ ٣
To worship Allāh, fear Him and obey me.
يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ وَيُؤَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٖ مُّسَمًّىۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ ٱللَّهِ إِذَا جَآءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُۚ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ ٤
He [i.e., Allāh] will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] Allāh, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew."
Noah is perhaps the first prophet after Adam. The message that he gave to the corrupted people of those days has been put here in three words—worship (‘ibadah), fear of God (taqwa) and obedience to the Prophet (ita‘ah), i.e. the worshipping of God and renouncing the worship of anything other than God, leading one’s life in the world with the fear of God in one’s heart and considering the prophet of God an example to be followed in all matters. This has been the real message of all prophets in every age and this is the true message of the Quran itself.
71:5Page 570
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلٗا وَنَهَارٗا ٥
He said, "My Lord, indeed I invited my people [to truth] night and day.
It is evident from the utterances of Noah that his way of delivering the divine message is identical with that adopted in the Quran for inviting people to the Truth. Noah based his reasoning on the events of the universe while urging others to reform. He addressed the people collectively and also had individual discussions. He spared no effort to bring people on to the right path. But his people were not ready to accept him.
71:6–13Page 570
فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَآءِيٓ إِلَّا فِرَارٗا ٦
But my invitation increased them not except in flight [i.e., aversion].
وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوٓاْ أَصَٰبِعَهُمۡ فِيٓ ءَاذَانِهِمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡشَوۡاْ ثِيَابَهُمۡ وَأَصَرُّواْ وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ ٱسۡتِكۡبَارٗا ٧
And indeed, every time I invited them that You may forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, covered themselves with their garments,1 persisted, and were arrogant with [great] arrogance.
ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارٗا ٨
Then I invited them publicly.
ثُمَّ إِنِّيٓ أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارٗا ٩
Then I announced to them and [also] confided to them secretly
فَقُلۡتُ ٱسۡتَغۡفِرُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ غَفَّارٗا ١٠
And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver.
يُرۡسِلِ ٱلسَّمَآءَ عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارٗا ١١
He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers
وَيُمۡدِدۡكُم بِأَمۡوَٰلٖ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ جَنَّٰتٖ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ أَنۡهَٰرٗا ١٢
And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.
مَّا لَكُمۡ لَا تَرۡجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارٗا ١٣
What is [the matter] with you that you do not attribute to Allāh [due] grandeur
Literally ‘Why do you deny the greatness of God?’ This has been explained by ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas thus, ‘You do not accept the Majesty of God as it should be accepted.’ This shows that Noah’s people did accept God, but the consciousness of the Majesty of God had not become ingrained as it should have done. The fact is that this acceptance of God’s greatness is the real standard of God-worship. One who is living in the knowledge of the Majesty of God is a real God-worshipper, while one whose heart is not immersed in God’s greatness is not a true believer.
71:14–21Page 571
وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا ١٤
While He has created you in stages?1
أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡاْ كَيۡفَ خَلَقَ ٱللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَٰوَٰتٖ طِبَاقٗا ١٥
Do you not consider how Allāh has created seven heavens in layers1
وَجَعَلَ ٱلۡقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورٗا وَجَعَلَ ٱلشَّمۡسَ سِرَاجٗا ١٦
And made the moon therein a [reflected] light and made the sun a burning lamp?
وَٱللَّهُ أَنۢبَتَكُم مِّنَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ نَبَاتٗا ١٧
And Allāh has caused you to grow from the earth a [progressive] growth.
ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمۡ فِيهَا وَيُخۡرِجُكُمۡ إِخۡرَاجٗا ١٨
Then He will return you into it and extract you [another] extraction.
وَٱللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ بِسَاطٗا ١٩
And Allāh has made for you the earth an expanse
لِّتَسۡلُكُواْ مِنۡهَا سُبُلٗا فِجَاجٗا ٢٠
That you may follow therein roads of passage.'"
قَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ إِنَّهُمۡ عَصَوۡنِي وَٱتَّبَعُواْ مَن لَّمۡ يَزِدۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَوَلَدُهُۥٓ إِلَّا خَسَارٗا ٢١
Noah said, "My Lord, indeed they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children will not increase him except in loss.
Why did people deny Noah’s pleas for reform? The reason for this was that they thought that, compared to the words of Noah, the utterances of those who had attained a higher status from the worldly point of view were more worth considering. The great ones of the time arrogantly rejected the call for Truth, while lesser mortals rejected it because the great ones had done so.
71:22–23Page 571
وَمَكَرُواْ مَكۡرٗا كُبَّارٗا ٢٢
And they conspired an immense conspiracy
وَقَالُواْ لَا تَذَرُنَّ ءَالِهَتَكُمۡ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدّٗا وَلَا سُوَاعٗا وَلَا يَغُوثَ وَيَعُوقَ وَنَسۡرٗا ٢٣
And said, 'Never leave your gods and never leave Wadd or Suwāʿ or Yaghūth and Yaʿūq and Nasr.'1
The opponents of Noah devised many great schemes against him. One of these was to spread it about that Noah was against their great ones of old, viz., Wadd, Suwa‘, Yauq, Yaghuth and Nasr. All of them had been of great piety in ancient times. Gradually they became sanctified and ultimately people started worshipping them. It was easy to turn the people against Noah in the name of these men. So, they made Noah’s mission look dubious to the people by saying that he was treading a new path, straying from the path of their revered forebears.
71:24–26Page 571
وَقَدۡ أَضَلُّواْ كَثِيرٗاۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا ضَلَٰلٗا ٢٤
And already they have misled many. And, [my Lord], do not increase the wrongdoers except in error."
مِّمَّا خَطِيٓـَٰٔتِهِمۡ أُغۡرِقُواْ فَأُدۡخِلُواْ نَارٗا فَلَمۡ يَجِدُواْ لَهُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَنصَارٗا ٢٥
Because of their sins they were drowned and put into the Fire, and they found not for themselves besides Allāh [any] helpers.
وَقَالَ نُوحٞ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرۡ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ دَيَّارًا ٢٦
And Noah said, "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.
It appears from Noah’s prayer that, in his own times, evil had reached its final limit. Misguided beliefs and thoughts had become so prevalent in society that any child born and brought up in this society would have gone astray. When this stage had been reached, Noah’s people were destined to face nothing less than destruction by Noah’s flood.
71:27–28Page 571
إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرۡهُمۡ يُضِلُّواْ عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوٓاْ إِلَّا فَاجِرٗا كَفَّارٗا ٢٧
Indeed, if You leave them, they will mislead Your servants and not beget except [every] wicked one and [confirmed] disbeliever.
رَّبِّ ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيۡتِيَ مُؤۡمِنٗا وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَٱلۡمُؤۡمِنَٰتِۖ وَلَا تَزِدِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا تَبَارَۢا ٢٨
My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house a believer and the believing men and believing women. And do not increase the wrongdoers except in destruction."
In this world, in addition to human beings and angels, there is another set of creatures known as jinn. Human beings cannot see them but, in the Quran, they have been mentioned at several places. These verses show that among the jinn also there are guided and misguided types. Just as there are foolish leaders who misguide the common people, similarly there are foolish leaders among the jinn, who go on misguiding them with deceitful utterances. So far as the angels are concerned, they are not being put to the test, and thus do not have free will. They simply follow the commands given by God.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences