Verses 23–54
After listing His magnificent blessings upon the people, God continues with these verses by reminding them of His call to monotheism through His messengers. He briefly recounts the missions of His messengers from Noah to Jesus son of Mary. He does not name them explicitly except for Noah, Moses and Jesus. Noah is the first one who rose with the call to monotheism, and Moses and Jesus were among the last ones in the list. The names of the other messengers are not mentioned, but it is explicitly said that the call was continuous, and the messengers came one after another. However, the people’s response was only to deny God’s communications and to display ingratitude toward His blessings.
Commentary
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٢٣
(23:23) And certainly We sent Noah to his people, and he said: O my people! Serve Allah, you have no god other than Him; will you not then guard [against evil]?
As we said in the verses about the story of Noah in Sūrah Hūd [], he was the first of the Resolute Messengers (ūlū al-ʿazm) who had books and laws, who were sent to all humankind, and who rose to establish monotheism and abolish polytheism publically. Thus, “his people” (qawm) in this verse means his nation (ummah), meaning all the people at his time.
…serve Allah, you have no god other than Him…: The idolaters used to worship other gods like the angels, the jinn and certain human saints, claiming that these are gods and should be worshiped instead of God. Noah urged them to serve God and abandon the worship of other gods besides Him.
Some exegetes have said:
“Serve God” means: “Serve Him alone,” as it is explicitly narrated from him in Sūrah Hūd: That you shall not serve any but Allah (). The qualification “alone” is not specified here to indicate that there is really no other form of ʿibādah (service, worship, obedience) other than serving God. In other words, serving God while associating other gods with Him is not regarded service at all.
This view neglects the fact that the idolaters did not use to worship God at all. They believed that worship is to direct one’s attention to the object of worship, while God is greater than being encompassed by the attention or knowledge of anyone. Thus, the solution is to seek nearness to some of His special creatures like the angels and others, so that they may intercede before Him and bring the worshipers nearer to Him. We should worship one who is in charge of our affairs, and God has entrusted the direction of our affairs to these beings. Hence, they are our gods, lords and objects of worship instead of Him.
Had they deemed it possible to worship God, they would have ruled that He alone should be worshiped because they had no doubt that He is the Lord of lords and the existentiator of all. Therefore, if it were correct to worship Him, then one should only worship Him, and it would not be permissible to worship other gods. The problem is that they did not deem it correct to worship God based on their presumption above.
Noah’s order to his people that “serve Allah” is equivalent to: “Worship God alone,” as mentioned in Sūrah Hūd: That you shall not serve any but Allah (). Then, “you have no god other than Him” is equivalent to: You have no object of worship besides Him, for there are no lords other than Him that direct your affairs—so that you may worship them in hope of their mercy or in fear of their wrath.
…will you not then (a-fa-lā) guard [against evil]?: The word “then” (the letter fāʾ) shows that this is a conclusion which he drew from his previous statement. That is, given that you have no other lords who direct your affairs, will you not then guard yourselves against God’s punishment for not worshipping Him and for not being grateful to Him?
فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ لَأَنْزَلَ مَلَائِكَةً مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَٰذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ
(23:24) And the chiefs (al-malaʾ) of those who disbelieved from among his people said: He is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who desires that he may have superiority over you, and if Allah had willed, He could certainly have sent down angels. We have not heard of this among our fathers of yore:
Malaʾ means “the chiefs and elites among a people.” “Of those who disbelieved” is a descriptive clause (tawḍīḥī), not a restrictive one (iḥtirāzī). In other words, no one among the chiefs of his people believed in him—based on what God has narrated from them elsewhere: And we do not see any have followed you but those who are the meanest of us at first thought ().
The context of the verse suggests that their audience in these two verses [] was the general public. They wanted to entice the people to dismiss Noah’s message, rise against him, cause trouble for him, and silence his call. The four or five points that God has narrated from them in these two verses are allegations that they concocted and sophistries that they presented as arguments in order to annul Noah’s call.
…He is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who desires that he may have superiority over you…: This is their first argument, which breaks into two arguments when we analyze it. The gist of it is: Noah is just a human being like you. If he were truthful in his claim of revelation and connection to the unseen, then you should have had a similar connection as his, because you are not missing anything of humanity and its properties. Since such connection is not found in you, it means that he is a liar. After all, if it is within the capacity of humankind to reach some level of perfection, how could it be that no one reaches it except for a single individual, who then makes a claim to it without any evidence? The only remaining explanation for this is that he wants to have superiority over you and become your leader, which is confirmed by his call to obey and follow him.
…and if Allah had willed, He could certainly have sent down angels…: This is their second argument. The gist of it is: If God wanted to make a call to us from the unseen, then He would have certainly chosen the angels for it, because they are the closest beings to Him and they are the intercessors that connect us to Him. It does not make sense to choose human beings for this because there is no connection between them and Him. Moreover, if angels descend and acknowledge that God should be worshiped alone, and that it is not permissible to worship them as gods and lords besides God, then that itself would be a clear sign showing the authenticity and truth of their call.
The verse uses the verb inzāl (to send down, to descend) instead of irsāl (to send, to dispatch) because the sending of angels occurs through their descent. Also, the use of “angels” in plural might refer to the many angels that they have assumed as gods.
…We have not heard of this among our fathers of yore: This is their third argument. The gist of it is: Had his message been a true call, then something similar to it should have happened in human history. Our fathers were better and more intelligent than us, but nothing like this occurred to them and at their time. Hence, this is only an innovation and a fabricated lie.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ فَتَرَبَّصُوا بِهِ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ ٢٥
(23:25) He is only a man in whom is madness (jinnah), so bear with him for a time.
This is their fourth argument. There are two possible meanings for jinnah: (1) it is a verbal noun, meaning junūn (madness); or (2) it is the singular form of al-jinn [assuming that al-jinn is plural], which would mean: one of the jinn has taken control of him and speaks through his tongue. The reason for this claim is that he is saying things that a sound mind cannot accept; he is saying things that only a demented person would say. Thus, wait and watch him for a while, until he either recovers from his insanity or dies; then we will be relieved from him.
These were different arguments that the chiefs of Noah’s people told the public. It could also be that each argument was provided by a certain group of them against him. They benefited from these arguments despite their unsound dialectical nature. These arguments were effective in turning the people away from Noah, enticing them against him, and keeping them on the path of error.
قَالَ رَبِّ انْصُرْنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ ٢٦
(23:26) He said: O my Lord! Help me against their calling me a liar (bimā kadhdhabūni).
This is Noah’s request for help. The letter bāʾ in bimā indicates substitution (badal). That is: “Replace their denial by Your help.” It could also indicate instrumentation (ālah). That is: “Help me by exactly the same part of my message that they deny,” which would be his warning of punishment. This second meaning is based on what is narrated from them elsewhere in the Qur’an: Bring to us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful ones (). It is also confirmed by Noah’s supplication: My Lord! Leave not upon the land any dweller from among the disbelievers (). This verse is not connected to the previous verse with a conjunction, indicating that it is an answer to an implied question.
فَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ أَنِ اصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ ۙ فَاسْلُكْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَلَا تُخَاطِبْنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۖ إِنَّهُمْ مُغْرَقُونَ ٢٧
(23:27) So We revealed to him, saying: Make the ark before Our eyes and [according to] Our revelation; and when Our command is given and the oven gushes water, take into it of every kind a pair, two, and your family, except those among them against whom the word has gone forth, and do not speak to Me in respect of those who are unjust; surely they shall be drowned.
The first word “so” (the letter fāʾ) shows that this was a response to Noah’s request for help. Making the ark “before God’s eyes” means building it “while He sees.” It is a way of saying “under God’s watch and protection.” Making it “according to His revelation” means that he was taught how to build the ark step by step by revelation from the unseen.
…and when Our command is given and the oven gushes water…: It has been said that “command” here refers to God’s rule to settle the dispute between Noah and his people; that is, His decree of punishing them by drowning. The context suggests that the overflow of the oven by water was a sign that their punishment was imminent. Since the oven is a place of fire, its overflow with water was itself a miracle.
…take into it (fa-usluk fīhā, from sulūk) of every (min kullin) kind a pair, two…: The common recitation of the verse is min kullin (with tanwīn), which disconnects kull (every) from zawjayn (pair). This indicates an omission which is implied: “of every kind of animal take a pair.” Usluk fīhā means “take them to the ship, make them enter it.” Apparently the particle min (of, from) marks the starting point of the verb usluk. The meaning is: Take into the ark of every kind of animal a pair of two, one male and one female.
…and your family (ahlaka), except those among them against whom the word has gone forth…: The conjunction “and” joins “your family” with “a pair” (zawjayn). Some exegetes have said: Such conjunction would ruin the meaning, because it implies: “Take of every kind your family.” Instead, the meaning is: “and take (usluk) your family,” which means that the verse involves another implied command of usluk (take) before “your family” which is omitted.
The above objection is not true because min kullin (of every) is in fact a qualification for zayjayn (pair), which means that it is really subsequent to it in terms of meaning, as we said above. Therefore if we take “your family” to be an addition to “pair,” then “of every” would not be repeated there again.
What is meant by ahl (family) in this verse is those who had a special connection with Noah, which apparently includes both members of his household and those who believed in him. The latter are mentioned separately in Sūrah Hūd [] in addition to ahl, but this verse only says ahl.
…Except those among them against whom the word has gone forth…: What Noah understood from this was that it refers to his wife, who was an unbeliever. In reality, however, it also included his son, who preferred to take refuge in a mountain instead of getting on the ark, and thus he drowned. The second part of the verse—“the word has gone forth”—refers to the final decree of drowning.
…and do not speak to Me in respect of those who are unjust; surely they shall be drowned: Forbidding Noah from saying anything to God about “those who are unjust” is meant to convey a severe prohibition against interceding for them. This prohibition is justified by: surely they shall be drowned. It is as if he is being told: I forbid you of even talking to Me about them, let alone interceding for them, for indeed My wrath is kindled against them in a way that nothing can avert it.
فَإِذَا اسْتَوَيْتَ أَنْتَ وَمَنْ مَعَكَ عَلَى الْفُلْكِ فَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ٢٨ وَقُلْ رَبِّ أَنْزِلْنِي مُنْزَلًا مُبَارَكًا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْمُنْزِلِينَ ٢٩
(23:28-29) And when you are firmly seated, you and those with you, in the ark, say: All praise is due to Allah who delivered us from the unjust people. And say: O my Lord! Harbor me in a blessed harbor, and Thou art the best of harborers (al-munzilīn).
Here God teaches Noah to praise Him once he has settled in the ark, for saving him from the unjust folk. This is further evidence confirming that the “unjust people” shall inevitably drown. It also teaches Noah to ask God to rescue him from the flood, and to bring him down in a “blessed land,” meaning a land that has abundant and persistent good. The justification for this prayer is that He is the best of descenders (munzilīn) [that is, He makes people to settle in the best possible manner].
The fact that God commands Noah to praise Him and describe His splendid qualities shows that Noah was one of His chosen and purified servants (al-mukhlaṣīn) because God is far above how others describe Him: Glory be to Allah [for freedom] from what they describe; but not so the servants of Allah, the purified ones ().
In this story, God only mentions His decree of their definite drowning but does not report its actual occurrence. This suggests that they were obliterated in such a way that no report or account was left after them. It is also serves to show His immense power, His dreadful wrath, and their insignificance. Therefore, remaining silent about their death in these verses is more expressive in several ways, more so than what He says in the next story: And We made them stories; so away with a people who do not believe! ().
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ وَإِنْ كُنَّا لَمُبْتَلِينَ ٣٠
(23:30) Most surely there are signs in this, and most surely We are ever trying (la-mubtalīn, from ibtilāʾ) [humankind].
This verse is addressed to the Prophet, saying that the abovementioned call [of Noah] and its following events were all a case of God’s ibtilāʾ, meaning test and trial (imtiḥān, ikhtibār).
ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَرْنًا آخَرِينَ ٣١ فَأَرْسَلْنَا فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُ ۖ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ ٣٢
(23:31-32) Then We raised up after them another generation (qarnan ākharīna). So We sent among them a messenger from among them, saying: Serve Allah, you have no god other than Him; will you not then guard [against evil]?
Qarn means people living in the same era.
… saying: Serve Allah…: This expression interprets and elaborates God’s sending of messenger, where an act is interpreted by its result, as seen in His words: The angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved ().
وَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِلِقَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ وَأَتْرَفْنَاهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا مَا هَٰذَا إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ يَأْكُلُ مِمَّا تَأْكُلُونَ مِنْهُ وَيَشْرَبُ مِمَّا تَشْرَبُونَ٣٣
(23:33) And the chiefs from among his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the hereafter, and whom We had given plenty to enjoy in this world’s life, said: This is nothing but a mortal like yourselves, eating of what you eat from and drinking of what you drink.
This verse is about the elite who were engrossed in the material world and attached to earthly life. They said this to arouse the public against their messenger.
God describes them with the following three qualities:
(1) They were disbelievers in God because they used to serve other gods.
(2) They denied the meeting of the hereafter, which means denial of afterlife, because it has been contrasted with “this world’s life.”
(3) Since they denied their origin and their end, they were cut from what is beyond this world. Thus they plunged into the material life.
Being endowed with abundance and luxury in life, they gravitated toward this world and indulged in its wealth, glamor and pleasures. As a result they followed their desires, irrespective of what is the truth and where is the reality. Hence they started speaking against the elements of religion—including monotheism, prophethood and resurrection—in different occasions. They argued against the message because they did not want to lose their material well-being and their freedom in pursuing their desires.
They pointed to their messenger with contempt and derision, and told the public: This is nothing but a mortal like yourselves, eating of what you eat from and drinking of what you drink (). By doing so, they meant to call the messenger a liar in his claim of prophethood based on the same argument that we discussed in Noah’s story above [under verse ].
Moreover, to prove that the messenger is only a human being who is no different than other people, they referred to his eating and drinking, which are common in all animals. This reveals their values and mentality: that we have no human perfection to pursue beyond our animal nature; that all that matters is eating and drinking; that happiness consists of having the means to indulge more freely and abundantly in carnal pleasures. Thus God says about them: They are as cattle (); And those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as the beasts eat (). The next verses present some other arguments that they used to tell their people against their messenger.
وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُمْ بَشَرًا مِثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ ٣٤
(23:34) And if you obey a mortal like yourselves, then most surely you will be losers:
This is equivalent to what they said in the previous story: who desires that he may have superiority over you (). What they meant was that this messenger is only a mortal like yourselves; he has no advantage over you. Therefore, if you obey and follow him, that would be a great loss for you and would cost you happiness in life, for the only life is the life of this world, and happiness only lies in freedom to indulge in the pleasures of this world. Obeying a person who has no advantage over you means consenting to be enslaved and ceasing to be free. That is a great loss.
أَيَعِدُكُمْ أَنَّكُمْ إِذَا مِتُّمْ وَكُنْتُمْ تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَنَّكُمْ مُخْرَجُونَ ٣٥
(23:35) What! Does he threaten you that when you are dead and become dust and bones that you shall then be brought forth?
Being “brought forth” (mukhrajūn) means being resurrected (mabʿūthūn) from the graves for reckoning and retribution.
هَيْهَاتَ هَيْهَاتَ لِمَا تُوعَدُونَ ٣٦
(23:36) Far, far (hayhāta hayhāta) is that which you are threatened with.
Hayhāt is an exclamation to show that something is unlikely. Its repetition emphasizes the improbability of being resurrected.
إِنْ هِيَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا الدُّنْيَا نَمُوتُ وَنَحْيَا وَمَا نَحْنُ بِمَبْعُوثِينَ ٣٧
(23:37) There is naught but our life in this world; we die and we live and we shall not be raised again.
“We die and we live” means that some of us—human beings—die in this world and some others come to life and take their place, and so on this cycle continues. This sentence may also be interpreted as tanāsukh (transmigration, reincarnation), which is when the soul leaves the body upon death and settles in another body, either human or non-human. Transmigration was a common belief among the polytheists and sometimes they referred to it as birth after birth [that is, rebirth]. However, this interpretation does not comply much with the context of these verses.
… and we shall not be raised again: That is, we shall not be raised back to life in another abode after this world.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا رَجُلٌ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا وَمَا نَحْنُ لَهُ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ٣٨
(23:38) He is naught but a man who has forged a lie against Allah, and we are not going to believe in him.
Having denied monotheism and the hereafter in the previous verses, here they deny prophethood, which consists of two things: (1) the messenger’s claim of being a messenger; and (2) the content of his message.
There are two possibilities for the pronoun “we” in this verse: (1) It includes the chiefs and the general public. They included themselves with the public so that the people would not accuse them for stepping aside and only command the masses to reject the messenger. (2) It refers only to themselves [the chiefs], where they declare their stand so that the people would follow them.
The allegations and denials mentioned in these verses were all the result of a collection of qualities in them that God outlined at the beginning of this set of verses: denial of monotheism, prophethood and hereafter, as well as indulging in luxury and abundance in the worldly life.
Note that there is a subtle difference in the order of words between this story and the previous story [of Noah]. In this story, “from among his people” is mentioned before “who disbelieved”: And the chiefs from among his people who disbelieved and denied the meeting of the hereafter, and whom We had given plenty to enjoy in this world’s life, said… () but in the previous story it was mentioned after “who disbelieved”: And the chiefs of those who disbelieved from among his people said… (). The reason is that if it were to be mentioned after “who disbelieved” in this verse again, then that would disrupt the sequence of “who disbelieved,” “who denied” and “whom We had given plenty to enjoy.” And if it were to be mentioned after all of these descriptions, then there would be a long gap [between “who” and “from among his people”].
قَالَ رَبِّ انْصُرْنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ ٣٩
(23:39) He said: O my Lord! Help me against their calling me a liar.
The exposition of this verse was discussed in the previous story [under verse ].
قَالَ عَمَّا قَلِيلٍ لَيُصْبِحُنَّ نَادِمِينَ ٤٠
(23:40) He said: In a little while (ʿammā qalīl) they will most certainly be (la-yuṣbiḥunna) regretful.
This statement shows that the messenger’s request was accepted and granted. Saying that they will be “regretful” alludes to the exterminating punishment that shall befall them. The particle ʿammā in fact consists of two particles ʿan-mā, where ʿan means “after,” and mā emphasizes the shortness of the period. The plural pronoun “they” refers to the people (qawm) [mentioned in verse ]. The verb la-yuṣbiḥunna is stressed in two ways: (1) the letter lām at the beginning, which indicates a vow or swear; and (2) the stressed letter nūn at the end which is used for emphasis. The meaning is: I swear that after a short while regret shall overtake them as punishment will befall them.
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالْحَقِّ فَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ غُثَاءً ۚ فَبُعْدًا لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ٤١
(23:41) So the Cry seized them in justice (bil-ḥaqq), and We made them as rubbish (ghuthāʾan); so away with the unjust people.
The letter bāʾ in bi-al-ḥaqq (by truth, in justice) shows accompaniment (muṣāḥabah) and pertains to “seized them.” That is: “The Cry seized them, such seizure that came with justice.” The letter bāʾ could also show causality (sababiyyah), in which case al-ḥaqq (truth, justice) would be an adjective for an omitted noun. The implied meaning would be: “The Cry seized them because of a just cause or decree.” This would be similar to the verse: But when the command of Allah came, judgment was given with truth ().
Ghuthāʾ—sometimes recorded as ghuththāʾ—means “light materials that flow on a flood,” like dry plants, leaves and brushwood.
…so away with the unjust people: This sentence means that they are cursed and far [from God’s mercy]. It could also be a prayer against them.
The meaning is: Thus We fulfilled Our promise to Our messenger about their punishment: the heavenly Cry—that is, punishment—overtook them and made them like rubbish that floats on a flood. So may the wrongdoers be far away [from Our mercy].
The verses here do not name this tribe or their prophet. They came after Noah’s tribe and they were then exterminated. It is likely that they were the tribe of Thamūd whose prophet was Ṣāliḥ. God says elsewhere in His Book that they came after Noah’s tribe and were killed by a cry (ṣayḥah).
ثُمَّ أَنْشَأْنَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قُرُونًا آخَرِينَ ٤٢ مَا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ٤٣
(23:42-43) Then We raised after them other generations. No people can hasten on their doom nor can they postpone (it).
We have already discussed the message of these two verses repeatedly.
ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتْرَىٰ ۖ كُلَّ مَا جَاءَ أُمَّةً رَسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ ۚ فَأَتْبَعْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ بَعْضًا وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ أَحَادِيثَ ۚ فَبُعْدًا لِقَوْمٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ٤٤
(23:44) Then (thumma) We sent Our messengers one after another (tatrā); whenever there came to a people their messenger, they denied him, so We made some of them follow others and We made them stories; so away with a people who do not believe!
The word tatrā is used when individuals come one after another, following each other. The word tawātur is from the same root and it means “a continuous sequence, with one member after another.” It is narrated from al-Aṣmaʿī: “Wātartu al-khabar means: I reported the news piece by piece, with some pause between each two reports.”
This verse complements a previous verse: Then We raised after them other generations (). Here, the word “then” (thumma) marks the next part of the story that is recounted, but it does not indicate a temporal distance and separation between the two parts. The verse concisely refers to the stories of all the messengers and nations who came after the people of Noah and their subsequent people [mentioned above] until the time of Moses [mentioned below].
Here God is saying: After the abovementioned people who came after Noah’s tribe and were exterminated by the Cry, We raised other nations and generations, and We dispatched Our messengers to them successively, one following another. However, whenever Our messenger came to any of these nations, they denied him.
… so We made some of them follow others…: That is, We made one nation follow the previous nation by exterminating them.
… and We made them stories…: That is, We transformed them from having real existence and life to existing only in stories and historical reports. This is the most eloquent expression to describe God’s wrath which completely covers the enemies of the truth and the deniers of His call. It is such wrath that destroys their external existence, erases their vestige, and does not leave anything of them except a story.
… so away with a people who do not believe: That is, may the unbelieving folk be far [from Our mercy].
These verses show that it was God’s sunnah (custom, tradition, conduct) to raise one generation after another, and send them His messengers one after another. This is God’s custom of test and trial. The custom of the generations in return was to deny one messenger after another. Then God’s second custom [in response to their custom of denial] was to requite and punish the community of deniers one after another.
ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَأَخَاهُ هَارُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ ٤٥
(23:45) Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron, with Our signs and a clear authority.
In this verse, Our “signs” (āyāt) refer to the staff, the white hand and the other miracles that Moses showed Pharaoh and his people. “Clear authority” means evident proof and argument. Some exegetes have incorrectly interpreted “authority” as the staff.
إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا عَالِينَ ٤٦
(23:46) To Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they behaved haughtily and they were a domineering folk.
According to some exegetes, the verse only names the chiefs of Pharaoh—but not the rest of his people—because the masses were followers of their chiefs and leaders.
… and they were a domineering folk (ʿālīn, from ʿuluww): That is, their custom and practice was to seek supremacy and ascendancy over others and to enslave them, just as they did with the Children of Israel. ʿUluww (ascendancy, elevation) on earth is a metaphorical expression for oppressing the people and forcing them into obedience.
فَقَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَابِدُونَ ٤٧ فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُوا مِنَ الْمُهْلَكِينَ ٤٨
(23:47-48) And they said: What! Shall we believe in two mortals like ourselves while their people serve us? So they rejected them and became of those who were destroyed.
Here, Pharaoh and his chiefs are implying two points: (1) Moses and Aaron have no advantage over us because they are mortals like ourselves. (2) We have advantage over them just as we have advantage over their people, because “their people serve us.” Given that we are the superior ones over you, it is incumbent upon you to serve us, just as your people are serving us, not that we should subscribe to you!
This is seen elsewhere in the Qur’an, where Pharaoh says to Moses: If you will take a god besides me, I will most certainly make you one of the imprisoned (). God then finishes their story at this point by mentioning their destruction: So they rejected them and became of those who were destroyed ().
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ٤٩
(23:49) And certainly We gave Moses the Book that they may follow a right direction.
The pronoun “they” refers to the Children of Israel, not Pharaoh and his chiefs, because they had already drowned when the Torah was revealed.
وَجَعَلْنَا ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَأُمَّهُ آيَةً وَآوَيْنَاهُمَا إِلَىٰ رَبْوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَمَعِينٍ ٥٠
(23:50) And We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and We gave them a shelter (āwaynāhumā, from īwāʾ) on a highland (rabwah) that was secure and watered by a stream (maʿīn).
The “sign” was the extraordinary birth Jesus’, as we have already discussed. Since he and his mother were parts of the same miracle, the verse refers to them as a sign (āyah) in singular form.
Īwāʾ is derived from awā, which originally means “to return,” but is used specifically when a person returns to his home and residence. Āwāhu ilā is used when someone is made to settle somewhere as a place of residence [as used in this verse]. Rabwah means “an elevated ground that is vast and flat,” and maʿīn means “running water.”
The meaning is: We made Jesus son of Mary, together with his mother Mary, a sign that shows Our lordship. And We settled them in a vast, elevated and level place where they could rest and where they had running water.
يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا ۖ إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ٥١
(23:51) O messengers! Eat of the good things and do good; surely I know what you do.
This verse is a general address to all messengers to eat of good things. What is meant by “eating” here is “to use and benefit from” in general, whether in the form of ingestion or in other ways. This is a common usage of the term.
The context of the verse shows that “eat of the good things” is meant as an expression of God’s favor and grace upon the messengers. That is why they are then ordered to “do good,” which means: Give thanks for My blessings by doing good.
… surely I know what you do: This ending justifies the previous command, warns them against disobeying His order, and arouses them to have taqwā (self-restraint, Godwariness, piety).
وَإِنَّ هَٰذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ ٥٢
(23:52) And surely this your religion is one religion and I am your Lord, therefore be careful [of your duty] to Me.
The exposition of this verse was discussed under a similar verse in Sūrah al-Anbiyāʾ.
فَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ زُبُرًا ۖ كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ ٥٣
(23:53) But they fragmented (fa-taqaṭṭaʿū) their religion among themselves into sects (zuburan), each party rejoicing in that which is with them.
According to Majmaʿ al-bayān, taqaṭṭuʿ and taqṭīʿ mean the same (to cut off, to sever, to disconnect). Zubur is the plural of zabūr, which means “book.” The letter fāʾ (then, so, therefore) at the beginning of the verse shows that what is mentioned is consequential to the previous discussion. The meaning is: God sent His messengers to the people, one after another, while they were all a single community having the same Lord. He instructed them to be wary and watchful of Him, but they did not comply with His command. Instead, they fragmented the matter of their religion between themselves into pieces and divided it into several books, where each party took up one, and each party was jubilant with what it had.
Ibn ʿĀmir’s recitation reads zubarān (with fatḥah inflection on the letter bāʾ). Zubar is the plural of zubrah, meaning firqah (division, sect, group). The meaning would be: “They divided their affair into sects and parties, where each sect was jubilant with what it had.” This meaning is preferable to the first.
فَذَرْهُمْ فِي غَمْرَتِهِمْ حَتَّىٰ حِينٍ ٥٤
(23:54) Therefore leave them in their overwhelming ignorance (ghamratihim) till a time (ḥīn).
Al-Mufradāt says:
Ghamrah means abundant water which covers its bed. It is used symbolically for ignorance that covers the person.
This verse involves a threat of punishment. As we said earlier, it is God’s custom to punish those who reject and deny His messengers. The word ḥīn is in the indefinite form (nakirah) which indicates that the promised punishment will come suddenly and unexpectedly.
Examining Narrations
- Imam ʿAlī said: O people, surely God has assured you that He will not wrong you, but He has not guaranteed you that He will not test you. Rather, He says: Most surely there are signs in this, and most surely We are ever trying [humankind] ().
- Concerning “and We made them as rubbish (ghuthāʾan)” () Imam al-Bāqir said: Ghuthāʾ means the dry and withered plants of earth.
- Concerning “on a highland (rabwah) that was secure and watered by a stream (dhāti qarār wa maʿīn)” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Rabwah is Ḥīrah [a city near Kūfah], and “the place that was secure and watered by a stream” is Kūfah.
- It is also narrated about the same verse [] that Imams al-Bāqir and al-Ṣādiq interpreted the word rabwah as Ḥīrah and the suburbs of Kūfah; qarār as the Mosque of Kūfah; and maʿīn as Euphrates.
- The Prophet said: “Rabwah is Damascus in Syria.” In another narration he said: “It [rabwah] is Ramallah.”
Author’s comment: All of these narrations are weak.
- Concerning “O messengers! Eat of the good things” () the Prophet said: Surely God is good and He does not accept except what is good. He has ordered the believers to what He has ordered the messengers, for He says: O messengers! Eat of the good things (), and He also says: O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided you with ().
Author’s comment: This hadith is also narrated in al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Aḥmad, Muslim, al-Tirmidhī and others, on the authority of Abū Hurayrah.
- Concerning “one ummah” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: It means that you all belong to the same religion.
- Concerning “each party rejoicing in that which is with them” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: Anyone who chooses a religion for himself rejoices with it.
Given the author’s explanation, their first argument breaks into two sequential arguments: (1) He is lying in his claim to being connected to the unseen because “He is nothing but a mortal like yourselves.” (2) He has forged this lie so “that he may have superiority over you.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Given the previous allegations of the chiefs of his tribe against him, the implied question that one would naturally ask is, “What was Noah’s reaction?” Then the current verse responds to that. (Trans.) ↩︎
That is: “Start filling the ark with a pair of every kind of animal.” (Trans.) ↩︎
In other words, the qualification “of every kind” would also apply to “your family,” which does not make sense. (Trans.) ↩︎
The author’s point is that in terms of wording, “of every [kind]” is mentioned before “a pair,” as the verse says: “Take of every [kind] a pair.” However, in terms of meaning, what is meant is: “Take a pair of every [kind].” Thus, when “your family” is added to “pair” by the conjunction “and,” it does not mean “and take of every kind your family,” but it simply means “and take your family.” (Trans.) ↩︎
See verses and . (Trans.) ↩︎
For verse , see verses and . For verse , see verses , , and . (Trans.) ↩︎
Otherwise, Moses and Aaron were sent not only to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but also to the masses. (Trans.) ↩︎
See verse , volume 28, pp. 111-112 of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
The call to taqwā is mentioned in the next verse: Therefore be careful (of your duty) to Me (). (Trans.) ↩︎
See verse , volume 28, pp. 118-120 of the English translation. (Trans.) ↩︎
The translation is based on this preferred meaning, which is found in most English translations. Also, the word ummah in verse originally means “nation” or “community” but it is better translated as “religion” as per the context. That is why amr (lit. “affair, matter”) in verse means “religious affair” and corresponds to “religion” in the previous verse. An alternative translation, based on the author’s first interpretation, would be: But they cut off their affair into books… (Trans.) ↩︎
Nahj al-balāghah. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of Abū al-Jārūd. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAsākir, on the authority of Abū Umāmah. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-manthūr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAsākir and others, on the authority of Murrat al-Bahzī. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-bayān. ↩︎