Some of the Evil Statements and Deeds of the People of Messenger Noah

 

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah Ayah 21-28 

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah Ayah 21-28 

Some of the Evil Statements and Deeds of the People of Messenger Noah

71:21 Noah said, ‘O my Lord! They have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children have given him no increase but loss.’

71:22 And they have plotted a mighty plot. 

71:23 And they said, ‘Do not leave your gods, and do not leave Wadd nor Sawa’, nor Yaghus,  and Ya’uq and Nasr.’

71:24 And they already have misled many. And give the wrongdoers no increase but loss.’

71:25 Because of their sins, they were drowned, and then they were made to enter the Fire. Hence, they did not find helpers besides Allah. 

71:26 And Noah said, ‘O my Lord! Leave not on the earth of the disbelievers even one.

71:27 Surely, if You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves and will beget none but wicked disbelievers.

71:28 O my Lord! Forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house as a believer, and the believers, men and women, and give the wrongdoers no increase but loss.’

Relationship with the Previous Part

The previous part mentions some proofs demonstrating the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be He. Then, this part mentions that the people of Messenger Noah insisted on disobeying the commands of Allah and following the path of misguidance. It also mentions some of their evil statements and deeds, whose main subject is constant worship of false gods. In addition, it mentions their punishment in the life of this world and the Hereafter. Finally, surah Noah is concluded with the invocation of Messenger Noah, who asked Allah to forgive him, his parents, and the believers.

Tafsir

71:21 Noah said, ‘O my Lord! They have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children have given him no increase but loss.’

After doing his best to advise his people and inviting them to follow the path of guidance for nine hundred and fifty years, Messenger Noah despaired of their belief in the Oneness of Allah. 

Messenger Noah said, ‘O my Lord! My people have disobeyed my commands, disliked my companionship, and arrogantly insisted on following the path of misguidance. They have not only turned away from the truth, but they have also followed their leaders, who own great wealth and many children, which have given them no increase but loss and denial of the blessings that You have given them in the life of this world. In the Hereafter, their wealth and children will give them no increase but punishment and regret.’

71:22 And they have plotted a mighty plot. 

Messenger Noah mentions another evil deed of his people. He said, ‘O my Lord! The leaders among my people used the blessings that You have given them to spread evil. They have not only provoked their followers to disobey my commands, but they have also plotted a mighty plot against the believers and me.’

Some aspects of the evil plot of the disbelievers are determining to abuse Messenger Noah and the believers, and deceiving the foolish among their people by telling them that they follow the right path and that Messenger Noah and the believers follow the wrong path. 

71:23 And they said, ‘Do not leave your gods, and do not leave Wadd nor Sawa’, nor Yaghus,  and Ya’uq and Nasr.’

The leaders among the disbelievers said to their followers, ‘Do not leave worshipping your gods, which your fathers used to worship, especially, these gods: Wadd, Sawa’, Yaghus, Ya’uq, and Nasr.’

Imam Muhammad Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said, ‘These were names of righteous people, who had followers. When those righteous men died, their followers, who used to take them as role models, said, ‘If we make idols that look like them, it would motivate us to worship Allah whenever we remember them.’ Thus, they made idols that look like them. When those people died, and another generation came, Satan said to them, ‘Your ancestors used to worship these idols and have rain by invoking them.’ Thus, they worshipped them.’  

71:24 And they already have misled many. And give the wrongdoers no increase but loss.’

After losing hope that his people would follow the right path, Messenger Noah invoked his Lord and said,

 ‘O my Lord! My people disobeyed me and follow their arrogant leaders, who made a great plot against me. They said to their followers that they should keep on worshiping their false gods. By doing so, they have misled many people and made them follow the path of misguidance. O, my Lord! I ask You that You give the wrongdoers no increase but loss over their wrongdoing, as You have told me that no one would believe from my people except those who have already believed.’

It is clear that Messenger Noah made his invocation after he lost hope in his people and after Allah told him that no more people would believe.

71:25 Because of their sins, they were drowned, and then they were made to enter the Fire. Hence, they did not find helpers besides Allah. 

This ayah mentions the reason for punishing the people of Messenger Noah severely. 

Because of the grave sins that the people of Messenger Noah committed, they were drowned by the flood in the life of this world, and they would enter the Fire of Hell on the Day of Judgment wherein they would suffer severe punishment. They will find no helpers besides Allah to save them from the lasting terrible punishment of Hell. The gods that they used to worship besides Allah in the life of this world cannot protect them from the torment of Hell.

It is as if the ayah draws the attention of the disbelievers, who claim that their false gods will intercede for them with Allah on the Day of Judgment, and tells them that these false gods cannot benefit nor harm them and can never protect them against the punishment of Allah. Hence, they may wake up and amend their wrong way before it is too late. If they die as disbelievers nothing can protect them from the punishment of Allah. 

In two short ayat, the story of the insolent, disobedient ones ends, and remembering them is folded away from life before mentioning the innovation of Messenger Noah to destroy them. The context of the surah does not give details about the story of their drowning nor the story of the flood that swept them away. That is because the shadow that is intended to remain in this situation is the shadow of a swift assault that traverses the distance between the drowning and destruction by using very few words, which agrees with the style of the Quran that uses wonderful, rhythmic expressions and images. 

71:26 And Noah said, ‘O my Lord! Leave not on the earth of the disbelievers even one.

71:27 Surely, if You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves and will beget none but wicked disbelievers.

71:28 O my Lord! Forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house as a believer, and the believers, men and women, and give the wrongdoers no increase but loss.’

Surah Noah continues narrating the story of Messenger Noah and his people and mentions his invocation to his Lord.

 Messenger Noah said, ‘O my Lord! Do not leave on the earth anyone of the disbelievers. Destroy them all with Your irresistible mighty, so that no one, who moves on earth, remains. If You leave them on earth, they will mislead Your slaves and incite them to worship other gods besides You and disobey Your commands. O, my Lord! If you leave any one of the disbelievers alive on earth, they will beget none but wicked disbelievers, who hate the truth and follow the path of misguidance. O, my Lord! Forgive my sins and forgive the sins of my parents, whoever enters my house as a believer, and the believers, men and women. O, my Lord! Give the wrongdoers no increase but loss and destruction.’

Qatada, may Allah be pleased with him, said, ‘   71:26 And Noah said, ‘O my Lord! Leave not on the earth of the disbelievers even one. By Allah, Messenger Noah only invoked Allah to destroy the disbelievers after receiving a revelation from Allah that no more people from his people would believe. Thus, he invoked Allah to destroy them and leave no one moving earth among them. Then, he invoked Allah and said, ‘71:28 O my Lord! Forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house as a believer, and the believers, men and women, and give the wrongdoers no increase but loss.’ 

Sayyid Qutb wrote, ‘Then, Messenger Noah continued his final innovation and his prayer to his Lord at the end of his journey. Noah’s heart was inspired that the earth needed cleansing that would purify its surface from the absolute, overwhelming evil that spread among his people. Sometimes, no remedy is beneficial, but cleaning the surface of the earth from all the wrongdoers because their existence would freeze the invitation to the worship of Allah for good and prevent it from reaching the hearts of people. This is the fact that Messenger Noah expressed when he invoked Allah to destroy the wrongdoers that no one of them would remain on earth. If they remained alive on the surface of the earth, they would mislead the slaves of Allah by forcing them to renounce their belief in the Oneness of Allah by the overpowering force or deceiving their hearts when they saw the great power of the wrongdoers without suffering any punishment from Allah. Moreover, the wrongdoers would create an environment wherein the disbelievers would bear and motivate the young generation to follow the path of misguidance by being negatively affected by the unfavorable environment created by the wrongdoers. Thus, there would be no chance for the young generation to see the light of faith since the misguided environment created by the wrongdoers would overwhelm them with its evil effect.  Messenger Noah referred to this fact when mentioned that the disbelievers would beget none but wicked disbelievers, who would spread falsehood among the community and create customs, situations, systems, and traditions in which the young generation would be brought up as disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah. Therefore, Messenger Noah invoked Allah to destroy the disbelievers to clean the surface of the earth from such evil and eradicate all obstacles that only the strong and able Will of Allah could remove.’  

Learned Lessons from Surah Noah Ayah 21-28 

• It is permissible to complain to Allah, Exalted be He. Therefore, Messenger Noah complained to Allah and told Him that his people disobeyed him and rejected believing in the Oneness of Allah after inviting them for nine hundred and fifty-nine years, which indicates their stubbornness and insistence on following the path of misguidance.

• People usually imitate their leaders and elites. The people of Messenger Noah followed their leaders and elites, who were arrogant disbelievers. Their wealth and children gave them no increase but loss and destruction. Those leaders and elites did their best to turn people away from following the right path.

• The people of Messenger Noah insisted on disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah, stubbornness, rebellion, and worshipping false gods besides Allah. They urged one another to keep on worshipping their false gods, which were idols in the image of some righteous men, who died and generation after generation worshipped these idols besides Allah.

• Messenger Noah complained to Allah and told Him that the leaders and elites among his people made his people follow the path of misguidance. Therefore, he invoked Allah to destroy them after receiving a revelation from Allah that no more people would believe among his people.

• The people of Messenger Noah were punished severely because of their sins. They were drowned by the flood in the life of this world. They will enter Hell on the Day of Judgment and suffer its great torment.

• No one can help from the punishment of Allah. The false gods will never protect the disbelievers from the punishment of Allah.

• Messenger Noah invoked Allah to forgive him, his parents, the believers who entered his house, and the believers. He also invoked Allah to give the disbelievers no increase but loss and destruction. 

The Noble Quran English Translation of Surah Noah

English Translation of Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Noah

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Qalam Ayah 44-52

The Noble Quran Surah an-Nahl English Translation and Tafsir

Messenger Noah Complained to Allah

 

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah Ayah 5-20  

71:5 He said, ‘O my Lord, I have called my people night and day,

71:6 but my calling increased them nothing but flight.

71:7 And verily whenever I called them that you might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persisted, and grew extremely arrogant.

71:8 And verily I called them openly. 

71:9 Then, verily I spoke to them publicly and I spoke to them secretly.’ 

71:10 And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is ever All-Forgiving.

71:11 He will send rain to you in abundance. 

71:12 And He will give you more wealth and children and make for you gardens and rivers.

71:13 What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Greatness of Allah,

71:14 seeing that He has created you in stages?

71:15 Have you not considered how Allah has created seven heavens one upon another,

71:16 and He has made the moon therein a light and made the sun a lamp?

71:17 And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth in amazing growth.

71:18 Then He will return you into it and bring you forth for certain bringing forth. 

71:19 And Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you, 

71:20 that you may go across wide paths therein.’

Relationship with the Previous Part

The previous part mentions that Allah sent Messenger Noah to his people to invite them to worship Him alone and obey His commands. Then, this part mentions that Messenger Noah complained to Allah, his Lord, and told Him that his people rejected his invitation though he did his best to persuade his people to follow the path of guidance. It also refers to some proofs confirming that Allah is the Creator of this universe and all that is in it.

Tafsir 

71:5 He said, ‘O my Lord, I have called my people night and day,

71:6 but my calling increased them nothing but flight.

The ayah mentions the methods that Messenger Noah followed to invite his people to worship Allah alone and obey His commands. By giving a detailed description of the methods he followed, Prophet Noah demonstrated that he did his best to guide his people to the right path, but they turned deaf ears to his invitation. 

Complaining to Allah, Messenger Noah said, ‘O my Lord! You know that I have exerted every effort to invite my people to worship You alone and obey Your commands. I have called them night and day without any slackness nor negligence. However, my invitation to follow the right path that pleases You has increased my people nothing but flight. They have turned away from the path of guidance and insisted on following the path of misguidance. 

Mentioning that Prophet Noah invited his people night and day indicates that he exerted every effort and used every possible method to guide his people to the path of guidance. Moreover, mentioning that the invitation of Messenger Noah increased his people in flight indicates that they insisted on following the path of misguidance. 

71:7 And verily whenever I called them that you might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persisted, and grew extremely arrogant.

The ayah mentions another aspect that shows how vehemently the people of Prophet Noah rejected his invitation and hated even listening to his preaching. 

Messenger Noah said, ‘O my Lord! Whenever I called my people to worship You alone and follow the path that pleases You, that You might forgive them their sins, they put their fingers in their ears lest they should hear my speech. They would also cover themselves with their garments so that they will not see me. They have persisted in following the path of misguidance and have grown extremely arrogant to accept the truth and follow the right path.’

The ayah eloquently portrays the great stubbornness of the people of Messenger Noah and their extreme denial of the truth. They preferred to act like the blind by preventing their eyes from seeing the caller to the truth and act like the deaf by preventing their ears from hearing the truth. Thus, they closed the doors of knowledge and insisted on blindly following the path of misguidance. The ayah also shows that they showed their Prophet, who invited them to follow the path of salvation, great hatred instead of appreciating his efforts and patience. 

In sum, the people of Prophet Noah disobeyed their Prophet and Messenger Noah and insisted on following the path of misguidance. 

71:8 And verily I called them openly. 

71:9 Then, verily I spoke to them publicly and I spoke to them secretly.’ 

Though Messenger Noah [peace be upon him] faced strong opposition from his people, he kept on inviting them to worship Allah alone and follow the path of guidance using a variety of methods. He used every possible means that might help him to achieve his goal of guiding his people to the path that pleases Allah, Exalted be He.

Prophet Noah said, ‘O my Lord! I called my people to worship You alone openly. Then, I spoke to them publicly and I spoke to them secretly that they might accept to follow the right path.’

It is noticed that Messenger Noah went through three stages in his invitation to his people to worship Allah alone. First, he invited them secretly day and night, but they fled from him. Second, he invited them openly, but it was fruitless. Third, he combined the two methods, namely, invitation in secret and public, but this method also failed.

Messenger Muhammad [peace be upon him] followed a similar method to that of Messenger Noah when he invited the people of Makkah to worship Allah alone. The reaction of his people was similar to the reaction of the people of Messenger Noah [peace be upon him].

Sayyid Qutb wrote, ‘Messenger Noah [peace be upon him] continued carrying out his noble, sincere efforts to guide his people to the right path without seeking any personal interest nor benefit. He endured much rejection, arrogance, and ridicule for a thousand years minus fifty for the sake of this noble goal. However, the number of those who positively accepted his invitation hardly increased, and the degree of rejection and insistence on following the path of misguidance kept on increasing dramatically. At the end, Messenger Noah presented his account to his Lord, Who charged him with this noble obligation and that arduous task. He gave an account of his effort and the reaction he received though his Lord fully knew what happened, and he knew that his Lord fully knew what happened. However, it was simply a complaint of a weary heart at the end of the journey to the only One Who all Prophets, Messengers, and true believers ever complain… to Allah. Messenger Noah said, ‘71:5 He said, ‘O my Lord, I have called my people night and day, 71:6 but my calling increased them nothing but flight. 71:7 And verily whenever I called them that you might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persisted, and grew extremely arrogant. 71:8 And verily I called them openly. 71:9 Then, verily I spoke to them publicly and I spoke to them secretly.’ 71:10 And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is ever All-Forgiving. 71:11 He will send rain to you in abundance. 71:12 And He will give you more wealth and children and make for you gardens and rivers. 71:13 What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Greatness of Allah, 71:14 seeing that He has created you in stages? 71:15 Have you not considered how Allah has created seven heavens one upon another, 71:16 and He has made the moon therein a light and made the sun a lamp? 71:17 And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth in amazing growth. 71:18 Then He will return you into it and bring you forth for certain bringing forth. 71:19 And Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you, 71:20 that you may go across wide paths therein.’ This was what Messenger Noah did and this was what he said. He represented to his Lord his final account at the end of the long journey. He portrayed his persistent effort. He said, ‘‘O my Lord, I have called my people night and day.’ He never bored, nor slackened, nor despaired before the rejection and insistence on refusal from his people. He said, ‘But my calling increased them nothing but flight.’ His people ran away from the caller to Allah, the Source of existence and life, the Source of blessings and bounties, and the Source of guidance and help. Messenger Noah did not ask for a wage for listening to his invitation nor tax for following the path of guidance. The running away was from the person who called them to Allah that He might forgive their sins and save them from the evil consequences of sinning, disobedience, and deviation. As the people of Messenger Muhammad could not physically run away from him when he boldly confronted his people, and there was a chance that his invitation would reach their ears, they hated hearing his voice and looking at him. They insisted on following the path of misguidance and were arrogant to respond positively to the sound of the truth and guidance. 71:7 And verily whenever I called them that you might forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments and persisted, and grew extremely arrogant. This portrays the insistence of the caller to the truth and doing his best to seize every opportunity to convey his message. Similarly, it portrays the insistence of the disbelievers to follow the path of misguidance, which highlights the stubborn and childish features of human beings. This clearly appears in putting the fingers in the ears and covering the heads and faces with garments. This description portrays the image of this complete childish stubbornness with words. Messenger Noah said, ‘They put their fingers in their ears.’ Their fingers could not enter their ears completely, but they put the tips of their fingers forcefully as if they wanted to make their whole fingers enter their ears to ensure that no sound would infiltrate into therein. Verily, it is a coarse image of insistence and stubbornness representing a primitive image of children in the form of adult human beings.’ 

71:10 And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is ever All-Forgiving.

Advising his people, Messenger Noah said to them, ‘O my people! Ask Allah to forgive your sins. Indeed, Allah is ever All-Forgiving to those who repent of their sins and seek His forgiveness.’

71:11 He will send rain to you in abundance. 

71:12 And He will give you more wealth and children and make for you gardens and rivers.

Messenger Noah promised his people a great reward if they repented of worshipping other gods besides Allah and asked Allah to forgive their sins. He said, ‘O my people! If you repent of the great sin of worshipping other gods besides Allah and ask Him to forgive your sins, Allah will reward you immensely. Allah will cause rain to come down in abundance whereby you will benefit greatly. Your land will be fertile and produce many crops and products, which will lead to the spread of prosperity and happiness among you. Allah, the Generous, will also give you more wealth and a great number of children, which will provide you with strength and support. Moreover, Allah will make greeny and blooming gardens for you, which will produce delicious and tasty fruits and vegetables for you. Allah will make fresh rivers run in your land, which you will use for drinking and irrigating your crops.’

This indicates that seeking forgiveness from Allah and repenting of sins is one of the great causes of attaining sustenance and providing of rain. In addition, they lead to achieving success in the life of this world and the Hereafter by the bounty and generosity of Allah.

It was narrated that Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, set out for invoking Allah to make rain come down. He only asked Allah for forgiveness and then he returned to Al-Madinah. He was asked, O the commander of the believers! We have not seen you invoking Allah for rain. He said, ‘I have invoked Allah to make rain come down by using the stars of rain, which are resorted to when rain is sought. Then, he recited, [71:10 And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is ever All-Forgiving. 71:11 He will send rain to you in abundance. 71:12 And He will give you more wealth and children and make for you gardens and rivers.] 

Imam Fakar ad-Din ar-Razi said, ‘When the people of Prophet Noah rejected believing in his message for a long time, Allah prevented rain from coming down to their land and made their women barren. Thus, they went to Messenger Noah and spoke with him. He said to them, ‘Ask Allah to forgive your sin of worshipping other gods besides Him to make His blessings come to you. You should know that occupying oneself with performing righteous deeds leads to the opening of doors of blessings, which is understood from some points. First, disbelief in the Oneness of Allah causes destruction on earth, and belief in the Oneness of Allah leads to prosperity on earth. Second, many ayat in the Quran confirm this concept, among which the following ayah:  7:96 Had the people of the towns believed and been God-fearing, We would have opened for them blessings from heaven and earth. But they rejected the truth, so We seized them for what they used to earn. Third, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, invoked Allah for rain only by asking Allah for forgiveness. When it was said to him that he did not invoke Allah for rain, he said, ‘I invoked Allah for rain by using the stars of rain, which are resorted to when rain is sought. A man complained to Al-Hasan Al-Basri about poverty, another man complained to him about drought, and a third man complained to him about the lack of offspring. Then, he commanded them all to seek forgiveness from Allah. It was said to him, ‘Some men came to you complaining about different needs, but you commanded them all to seek forgiveness from Allah. Then, Al-Hasan Al-Basri recited 71:10 And I said, ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord. Indeed, He is ever All-Forgiving. 71:11 He will send rain to you in abundance….’ 

71:13 What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Greatness of Allah,

71:14 seeing that He has created you in stages?

Messenger Noah invited his people to worship Allah alone and obey His commands by using motivation and encouragement. He also warned them of the evil consequences of disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah and disobeying His commands. First, he told them that seeking forgiveness from Allah and obeying His commands would make them enjoy a prosperous life. In addition, he strongly reproached them for rejecting his invitation to follow the right path.

Messenger Noah said, ‘O my people! What the matter with you that you do not fear the Greatness of Allah? You know that Allah, Exalted be He, created you in stages. Your creation passed through different stages, namely, nutfah (gametes of male and female), alaqah (zygote and its subsequent development), and mudghah (the third stage of human prenatal development). Why do you not fear the Greatness of Allah as He can punish you severely?’

71:15 Have you not considered how Allah has created seven heavens one upon another,

71:16 and He has made the moon therein a light and made the sun a lamp?

71:17 And Allah has caused you to grow from the earth in amazing growth.

71:18 Then He will return you into it and bring you forth for certain bringing forth. 

After motivating and warning his people, Messenger Noah [peace be upon him] drew his people's attention to reflecting on the miraculous universe around them. He highlighted some wonders of the universe that they could see around them. 

Messenger Noah said, ‘O my people! Have you considered how Allah has created seven heavens one upon another? Allah has made the moon in heaven to give light to earth and He made the sun in heaven to brighten earth with its light. Have you considered how Allah has caused you to grow from the earth in amazing growth when created your father Adam from the dust? Your creation from the dust looks like a plant that grows gradually until it produces beneficial fruits. Allah will also cause you to return to earth after your death when you are buried in your graves. Then, He will bring you forth from your graves for reckoning on the Day of Judgment, which will certainly take place.’

71:19 And Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you, 

71:20 that you may go across wide paths therein.’

Messenger Noah concluded his exhortation to his people with drawing their attention to the blessing of the creation of the earth where they live.

 Messenger Noah said, ‘O my people! Allah has created the earth for you and He had made it a wide expanse that you may live and travel on it comfortably and easily. Allah has made the earth wide that you may move across its wide paths to satisfy your needs.’

In sum, Messenger Noah used different methods to persuade his people of the truthfulness of his message of worshipping Allah alone. He invited them day and night, and secretly and publically. He told them that obeying the commands of Allah will make them have abundant wealth, children, gardens, and rivers. He rebuked them for not fearing the punishment of Allah and reminded them of the stages of their creation. Moreover, he drew their attention to the marvelous creation of the heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon. He also reminded them of their origin, namely, creating their father Prophet Adam from the dust, and told them that they would return to earth after their death as they would be buried in their graves. Then, they would be brought out of their graves for reckoning on the Day of Judgment. Finally, Messenger Noah reminded his people of the blessing of creating the earth with its wide path so that they could comfortably on it. However, his people reached the greatest level of stupidity, ignorance, stubbornness, and haughtiness.  They arrogantly rejected believing in the message of worshipping Allah alone and insisted on worshipping false gods besides Allah. 

Learned Lessons from Surah Noah Ayah 5-20

• Messenger Noah continued inviting his people to believe in the Oneness of Allah for nine hundred and fifty years without any boredom or weariness. He invited his people day and night, secretly, and openly. However, they rejected believing in his message and insisted on following the path of misguidance.

• The people of Messenger Noah closed their ears with their fingers and closed their eyes with their garments lest they should hear or listen to the invitation of Messenger Noah to worship Allah alone. Their conduct indicates great arrogance, haughtiness, and ignorance.

• Messenger Noah followed three methods when inviting his people to worship Allah alone. First, he advised them secretly. Second, he invited them openly. Third, he invited them secretly and openly. He used all possible means to achieve his goal.

• Occupying oneself with obeying Allah leads to the increase and growth of the blessing and bounty. It causes rain to come down, increase of crops, fruits, children, growing of gardens and having rivers.

• Asking Allah for forgiveness is a means for removing affliction and hardship.

• Messenger Noah warned his people of the evil consequence of not fearing the punishment of Allah and the severe torment awaiting them if they insisted on following the path of misguidance. 

• Messenger Noah established proofs of the existence and Oneness of Allah by drawing his people's attention to reflect on their creation from the dust and the vast universe with its wonderful creation.

The Noble Quran English Translation of Surah Noah

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Noah

The Noble Quran, Tafsir of Surah al-Mutaffifin Ayah 29-36 The End of Mockery

The Noble Quran Surah Hud English Translation and Tafsir 

Allah Sent Messenger Noah to his People

 

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah Ayah 1-4 

71:1 Verily, We sent Noah to his people, saying, ‘Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment.’

71:2 He said, ‘O my people, indeed, I am a plain warner to you,

71:3 that you should worship Allah and fear Him, and obey me.’

71:4 He will forgive you some of your sins and give you respite for an appointed term. Verily, the term of Allah, when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you know.’

Tafsir

The story of Prophet Noah and his people is mentioned in many surahs in the Quran, such as surah Al-A’raf, Jonah, and Hud. 

The people of Prophet Noah used to worship idols besides Allah. Then, Allah sent them His Prophet and Messenger Noah to invite them to worship Allah alone and follow the path of guidance. Messenger Noah invited his people to worship Allah alone for nine hundred and fifty years, but the disbelievers among his people insisted on following the path of misguidance. Thus, Allah punished them by drowning them in the flood and saving Prophet Noah and the believers.

71:1 Verily, We sent Noah to his people, saying, ‘Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment.’

Allah sent His Prophet Noah to his people. He commanded them to warn them of the painful torment of Allah if they insisted on disbelieving in His Oneness and worshipping the idols. 

71:2 He said, ‘O my people, indeed, I am a plain warner to you,

71:3 that you should worship Allah and fear Him, and obey me.’

Prophet Noah said to his people, ‘O my people, indeed, I am a plain warner to you. Allah has sent me to guide you to the right path and warn you of His severe punishment. Allah has commanded me to invite you to worship Him alone, obey His commands, avoid His prohibitions, and fear His punishment. Allah has also commanded you to obey me as I am your messenger from Him.’

Prophet Noah begins his address to his people by calling them ‘my people’ to soften their hearts, tell them that he is one of them, and wish them salvation in the life of this world and the Hereafter. He also mentions that he is a plain warner to them to indicate that his invitation to worship Allah alone is clear, which is the truth about which there is no doubt.

Furthermore, Prophet Noah commands his people to obey him after obeying Allah since obeying him is obedience to Allah, Who sent him as His Prophet and Messenger. Thus, obeying him and obedience to Allah, Exalted be He.

71:4 He will forgive you some of your sins and give you respite for an appointed term. Verily, the term of Allah, when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you know.’

If the people of Prophet Noah obey him by worshipping Allah alone and following the path of guidance, they will be successful. Allah will forgive some of their sins, which they committed before being believers, and sins related to the rights of Allah, and give them respite by prolonging their life until a certain term, which Allah has ordained.

Allah will make their lifespan blessed, long, and full of righteous deeds. Verily, the term of Allah, when it comes, cannot be delayed if they know. When the time of their death comes, none can delay it. Thus, if they know and understand the advice of their Prophet Noah, they should obey him to be successful and be saved from the punishment of the life of this world and the Hereafter.

Learned Lessons from Surah Noah Ayah 1-4

• Prophet Noah [peace be upon him] invited his people to worship Allah alone and obey his commands, and warned them of following the path of misguidance.

• The people of Prophet Noah rejected believing in the Oneness of Allah and insisted on following the path of misguidance, except a few who obeyed Prophet Noah and believed in the Oneness of Allah.

• Worshipping Allah alone and obeying His commands lead to forgiveness of sins and success in the life of this world and the Hereafter.

• Those who are endowed with sound understanding take the initiative by obeying the commands of Allah and avoiding His prohibitions to attain success in the life of this world and the Hereafter.

• When the time of death comes, none can delay it. Thus, one should always be ready for death as much as he can. 

The Noble Quran English Translation of Surah Noah

The Noble Quran English Translation of Tafsir Ibn Kathir Surah Noah

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Haqqah Ayah 25-37 The End of the Disbeliever

The Noble Quran Surah Yusuf English Translation and Tafsir 

Noah's Ark

 

Introduction to English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah

This article gives a brief introduction to English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah.

Name of the Surah

This surah is named after the Prophet of Allah, Noah, as it narrates his story and his people. It relates the story from the beginning of his invitation to his people to worship Allah alone until the coming of the flood, which drowned all the disbelievers. Surah Noah was revealed in Makkah. It contains twenty-eight ayah.

Relationship between Surah Noah and Surah Al-Ma’rij  

Surah Noah comes after surah Al-Ma’rij according to the written copy of the noble Quran, al-Mushaf. Both surahs refer to the punishment that the disbelievers are warned of if they insist on disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah. 

At the end of surah Al-Ma’rij, Allah, Exalted be He, warns the disbelievers that He will replace them with others who are better than them.

70:40 Nay! I swear by the Lord of the Easts and the Wests, surely We are able

70:41 to replace them with others better than them. And We are not to be outrun.

Then, surah Noah mentions that Allah drowned the disbelievers among the people of Prophet Noah and replaced them with people who were better than them in terms of believing in the Oneness of Allah. 

71:25 Because of their sins, they were drowned, and then they were made to enter the Fire. Hence, they did not find helpers besides Allah. 

Most Important Topics Discussed in Surah Noah

Like all surah revealed in Makkah, the main theme of surah Noah is instilling the principles of the creed of the Oneness of Allah, and shedding light on the components of faith, namely, worshipping Allah alone, obeying His commands, denouncing worship of false gods, and establishing proofs confirming the existence of Allah, His Oneness, and ability.

Surah Noah begins by mentioning that Allah, Exalted be He, sent His Prophet Noah to his people and that he invited them to worship Allah alone and warned them of the severe punishment of Allah if they insisted on disbelieving in the Oneness of Allah. It also mentions that Prophet Noah exhorted his people to refrain from sinning so that Allah would forgive them their sins, give them abundant wealth and children, and would make gardens and rivers for them. However, they rejected believing in the Oneness of Allah and insisted on following the path of misguidance and disobeying Allah.

71:1 Verily, We sent Noah to his people, saying, ‘Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment.’

71:2 He said, ‘O my people, indeed, I am a plain warner to you,

71:3 that you should worship Allah and fear Him, and obey me.’

71:12 And He will give you more wealth and children and make for you gardens and rivers.

71:13 What is the matter with you that you do not fear the Greatness of Allah,

71:14 seeing that He has created you in stages?

Then, Allah, Exalted be He, commands the disbelievers to infer His existence, Oneness, and ability by reflecting on the creation of heaven and the earth, the creation of man, and the blessings that He has given people. Allah has made the earth subservient for the benefit of people by placing treasures and minerals therein and enabling them to travel through its wide paths. 

71:15 Have you not considered how Allah has created seven heavens one upon another,

71:19 And Allah has made the earth a wide expanse for you, 

71:20 that you may go across wide paths therein.’

Surah Noah is concluded with referring to the insistence of the disbelievers among the people of Prophet Noah on worshipping other gods besides Allah and following the path of misguidance. It refers to their punishment in the life of this world and the Hereafter. 

71:21 Noah said, ‘O my Lord! They have disobeyed me and followed one whose wealth and children have given him no increase but loss.’

71:25 Because of their sins, they were drowned, and then they were made to enter the Fire. Hence, they did not find helpers besides Allah. 

The Noble Quran English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Noah

English Translation of Tafsir Ibn Kathir Surah Noah

The Noble English Translation and Tafsir of Surah Al-Ma’rij

The Noble Quran Surah Yusuf English Translation and Tafsir