S71.SURAH NOOH
NAME: This Sura h describes the call(Message)of Prophet Nooh (Peace Be On Him) in detail and hence its name is Surah Nooh.
TIME OF REVELATION : It is Makkan and was revealed at a time when the polytheists of Makkah had become very tough in opposing the call of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
CENTRAL THEME : The story of Prophet Nooh is presented in such a manner that can startle the opponents so that they may see their own face in the mirror of events.
ORDER OF VERSES : Ayah 1 to 4 mention
the message Nooh presented to his people when he was sent to them as a Messenger of Allah.
Ayah 5 to 20, describe Nooh’s exhortation to his people during his missionary effort.
Ayah 21 to 24 is the prayer of Nooh to Allah when all his efforts to guide his people had failed and which (prayer) was offered in view of their adamancy.
Ayah 25 describes the Divine wrath which descended on the people of Nooh.
Ayah 26 to 28 are comprised of the prayer of Nooh which he had made at the time of the falling of the Divine calamity on his people.
71.SURAH NOOH Ayah: 28
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. WE sent forth Nooh to his people 1 (saying) Warn your people before there come to them a painful chastisement. 2
2. He said: O my people! I am a plain warner to you.3
3. Worship Allah, fear HIM and obey me. 4
4. HE will forgive your sins5 and will give respite to you for an appointed time 6 Verily when the time appointed by Allah arrives it will not be deferred 7 would that you know!
5. Nooh submitted: O MY LORD! I called my people night and day. 8
6. But my calling only enhanced their flight. 9
7. And whenever I called them, that YOU may forgive them,10 they thrust their fingers in their ears, covered themselves in cloth,11 remained adamant and became very proud.
8. Then I invited them loudly. 12
1. The story of Nooh has already been described in detail in Surah Hood and also in some other Surahs, partly. This Surah presents particularly the missionary aspects there from.
It should be remembered that Nooh was the first prophet (Messenger) (after Adam) to be sent to the progeny of Adam living at that time in North Iraq. Due to the lapse of a long time (between two messengers) their people’s belief and action was corrupted. So Nooh was sent for reforming them.
2. It is thus clear that the foremost responsibility of a Messenger is to caution the people about Allah’s wrath and His punishment. This has always been the mode of the prophetic mission which is called “INZAR” in Quranic terminology. Herein is the guidance for those reformers who work for Allah’s cause of Truth. They should frighten people of Divine torture in unambiguous words so that they may turn toward God.
3. Nooh clearly presented himself (introduced himself) as a plain warner.
4. The call of Nooh clearly was that worship Allah and none but Allah alone. It meant give up polytheism and idol-worship and make ONLY ONE GOD your deity. Secondly, fear HIM and restrain from his disobedience. In other words live a responsible life constantly fearing ALLAH.
Thirdly, obey the Messenger as each and every order of the messenger is binding because God’s commandments are received only through HIS messengers. So Messenger’s obedience is God’s obedience.
These were the three points of Prophet Nooh’s missionary call which were, as it will be clear henceforth, supported with forceful arguments.
5. That is, if you respond to this call positively your sins will be pardoned off. After becoming believer (Muslim) all the past sins of the deniers (disbelievers) are forgiven as has been mentioned in Surah Anfal:
“Tell the disbelievers that if they desist, that which is past will be forgiven them.” (Anfal: 38)
6. In that case you will be saved from the Divine torment. Rather you will be given respite in the world for the period fixed by Allah.
7. The time fixed by Allah to act according to belief is never extended. So regard it as a boon and reform yourselves.
8.This is the summary of that missionary effort for which Prophet Nooh had spent his whole life. The appropriate time for presenting a call (invitation) is only when the addressees can listen to it attentively may it be day or night.
9. The people were not influenced even by the call of a prophet. On the contrary they became furious because they were very adamant and never wanted to come out of the abyss of ignorance.
10. To accept the invitation of Nooh was to make oneself worthy of Allah’s pardon and the one who is pardoned by Allah has definitely prospered. But the community of Nooh did not appreciate him.
11. This is how that adamant community responded negatively to the sincere call of Nooh (Peace Be Upon Him). They were hiding their faces as they did not want to listen him at all.
12. That is, addressed their gatherings loudly. One of the methods of calling people is public address through which the caller’s call reaches many persons at a time.
9. then I exhorted them publicly as well as in privacy. 13
10. I told them: beseech your LORD’s forgiveness, verily HE is the Most Forgiving.
11. HE will send abundant rain on you. 14
12. will grant you lot of wealth and children, will create gardens for you and will make rivers.
13. what ails you that you fear not HIS Majesty?15
14. when HE has created you causing you to pass through various stages. 16
15. Do you not see how Allah created seven (skies) one above another. 17
16. And therein 18 made the moon a light and the sun a lamp. 19
17. And Allah caused you to grow from the earth in a unique way. 20
18. Then HE will revert you in it 21 and make you get up there from. 22
19. And Allah made the earth a plain carpet for you. 23
20. That you may walk over its open pathways. 24
13. He explained to them the Truth both in their assemblies and also through private personal contact.
It means he adopted various ways of addressing people. He advised openly before all and also individually, so that they may be ready to understand the Truth.
14. It seems people had become restless for want of rain and it was a test from Allah so that they may realise the fault of their attitude and they may rush toward God. Nooh asked them to do ‘Istighfar’ (to beg pardon of Allah) and told them that in that case Allah will send heavy rain on them.
We come to understand from this guidance of Nooh that ISTIGHFAAR is the prayer which Allah accepts if those suffering due to famine recite it. It means they should pray for Allah’s pardon and mend their ways.
15.The original meaning of ‘Raja’ is to hope. But when this word is accompanied by the negative word ‘La’ it also means ‘fear’. It has been clarified in ‘Lisanul Arab’ that:
‘Raja’ carries the meaning of ‘fear’ only when it is accompanied by a negative Word.”
16. That is, just think what you were and what you have been made. After making a little insignificant drop of lowly water to pass through various stages you were given the form of a perfect human being. Is it not seen from this how great is the Might of your Creator? Why then you do not fear HIM?!
17. The meaning of seven skies one upon another is the existence of seven worlds everyone of which has a separate sky. This blue sky of ours is the sky of this earth. The knowledge of seven skies has been given to mankind through prophet’s guidance since ancient times. Therefore, it is one of the established facts. Prophet Nooh invited people to ponder over the creation of heavens (skies) so that they may get an idea of the tremendous might of Almighty Allah and they may see the signs of Nooh’s truthfulness in the heavens also.
18. The sun and the moon are in this sky of our earth and hence they have been referred to as skies.
19. For explanation please see Surah Naba, note: 11.
20. Just as a plant springs up from earth and then grows, similarly, Allah created man from earth and nourished it. His procedure of birth begins with a worthless drop of water and thereafter God nourishes him in such a way that he becomes an efficient fellow.
21. Means you will be mixed with earth (dust) after your death.
22. On the Day of Resurrection he will make you alive again and fetch you out of the earth.
23. HE made it so leveled that it became easy for man to live and walk on it.
24. Passes are formed in mountains only for this reason that people can go from one region to another by passing through them.
21. Nooh submitted: O MY LORD! 25 They have disobeyed me and have followed those whose wealth and children added only to their loss. 26
22. And they devised a big plot. 27
23. And said : never fore sake you deities, and do not discard Vadd, nor Suwa and Yaghoos and Yaooq and Nasr. 28
24. They have led many astray, so YOU increase these wrong doers in error. 29
25. Finally they were drowned due people to their sins 30 then they were made to enter a Fire. 31 So they found no helper in confrontation with Allah.32
26. And Nooh prayed: O MY LORD! Do not leave a single inhabitant on the earth from among the unbelievers.33
27. If YOU will leave them, they will mislead YOUR slaves and they will beget only immoral infidels. 34
28. O MY LORD! Forgive me and my parents35 and those who enter my house believing 36 and all believing men and believing women 37 and to the wrongdoers increase in perdition.
25. When Nooh completed his arguments by calling them, for centuries in several ways, and when his people remained only adamant, he submitted his appeal to Almighty Allah as described in the following ayah.
26. Means those leaders of the people who were wealthy and who had many children too. These things had made them proud and arrogant against Allah. People were influenced by their outward pomp and were being misguided.
27. The disbelievers had planned a very serious conspiracy against Prophet Nooh. Though details of that plot have not been given, it appears from the following ayah that they wanted to arouse their prejudice of ignorance and told to the people that Nooh was asking them to discard their deities, so that they may fall upon Nooh with anger and anguish.
28. These are the names of the deities of the community of Nooh. Allama Sayed Sulaiman Nadavi’s Research about their names is that:-
“About ‘Vadd’ it has become known that it is from the word ‘Vudd’ which means ‘love.’
Suvaa’: The root of this word is not found in the language of Arabs. May be it is from ‘Soo’ which means ‘time.’ ‘Yaooq’: It is from ‘Auq’ which means ‘to stop’ that is to say Yaooq stopped calamities.
‘Yaghoos’: This too, like above is a grammatical form made from ‘alam , (proper noun). Its root is ‘Ghaus’ (to respond to pleading).
The literal meaning of ‘Nasr’ is a vulture (eagle). A group of stars in the sky is called ‘Nasr’ as its shape is like a vulture (eagle). ‘Nasr’ is being worshipped a deity in Semite people since ancient ages.” (Arzul Quran, Vol:2, pp. 235-6)
Among these names ‘Yaghoos’ is purely an Arabic word and it is from’ Ghaus ‘ meaning ‘responding to complaints’. It was the name of an Idol worshipped by the community of Nooh. But a group of Muslims also has given this name to some of their reverend persons and they call (request) them considering that they are present everywhere, they know everything and they hear and respond to their cries or complaints and still think that it is no Shirk (poly theism) and their Tawheed (belief in the unity of God) is not at stake. This is open Shirk which is an unpardonable sin. But those Muslims who are drowned in Bidat (innovations) are not aware of this. The community of Nooh had indulged in idol worship and these people are indulging in Saint-worship. The one who responds to the cries or complaints (Ghaus) is none save Allah. Therefore to invoke HIM alone is correct. Would that they knew the difference between Tawheed and Shirk.
The idols of the community of Nooh had drowned together with them in the flood and therefore their existence is no more. The disbelievers drowned themselves as well as their deities.
Idol-worship was first started by the community of Nooh. How did it all start has been described by Ibn-e- Abbas the summary where of is that originally these names of their deities were the names of their righteous ancestors. When they died Shaitan put the idea in the hearts and minds of the people that their statues should be made. They did not worship those statues. But when they also died their posterity began to worship them later. (Bukhari, Kitabut Tafseer).
In other words, these statues which were constructed in memory of their noble persons became the means of idol-worship. Therefore Islam has prohibited statue-making.
29. These words came out from the mouth of Nooh when his people remained stuck to ignorance of deviation.
30. There was such a terrific flood of water that all the disbelievers were drowned. They got this punishment in this world as a result of their sins.
31. Though their bodies drowned in the water their souls entered the fire. They are being punished thus in the world of Barzakh (the period between death and Resurrection) and in the Hereafter they will enter Hell with their bodies. This ayah provides a proof of the torment of Barzakh (grave). At this juncture note:71 of Surah Muminoon should also be kept before eyes.
32. None of those whom they had made their deities came to their help. Thus Allah’s torment established the falsehood of those man-made gods.
33. Nooh prayed like this only when all of his Dawatul Quran 819 S. 71 arguments were exhausted and yet his people remained disbelievers and no sign of hope of their accepting the Truth was visible.
So he prayed like this. Allah Almighty says in Surah Hood:
‘And it was revealed to that no one of your folk will believe save those who have believed already.” (Hood: 36)
34. Though every child is born on the original nature (with belief in oneness of God), as has been said in one of the traditions, his parents turn (mould) him or her into a Jew, a Christian, a Fireworshipper or an idolater polytheist. That is, man usually is influenced by his environment. If he lives in a polytheistic atmosphere he mostly becomes a Mushrik. It seldom so happens that he may continue to remain on his natural faith. Even in today’s modern age man sticks to the religion of his parents and forefathers and communal prejudice does not allow him to think otherwise with an open mind. Therefore, Nooh prayed: a Lord! make the earth clean of deniers of Truth, otherwise, these disbelievers will procreate only kafirs and the progeny of these sinners will also be sinner.
35. Nooh, on this occasion, prayed Allah for his pardoning as well as for pardoning his parents. It shows that his parents were Faithful and it is a virtue in favour of one’s parents to pray for their salvation after their death. This is the teaching of Islam and Nooh also had left behind him this example.
36. It seems who ever accepted Faith had to take refuge in the house of Nooh. That is why Nooh specifically prayed for the salvation of all those who went to his house for shelter.
37. Simultaneously, he also prayed in favour of all believing men and believing women. Nooh Surah has made this prayer (Ayah 26 -28) before the devastating floods wherein his community was drowned but it has been mentioned at the end so that it may be clearly understood that it was quite appropriate and timely. Accordingly at a time when the deniers met with Divine Wrath the believers got Divine Pardon.