Verses 105–122
After finishing the accounts of Moses and Abraham—who were among the Resolute Prophets (ūlū al-ʿazm)—these verses mention the story of Noah who was the first of the Resolute Prophets and the chief of all prophets [after him]. The verses present a summary of what went on between him and his people: that most of them did not believe in him and thus God drowned them while He rescued Noah and the believers with him.
Commentary
كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ ١٠٥
(26:105) The people (qawm) of Noah rejected (kadhdhabat) the messengers.
Al-Mufradāt says:
The original meaning of qawm is a group of men, not women. That is seen in the verse: O you who believe! let not one qawm laugh at another qawm… (). A poet said, “Is the clan of Ḥiṣn qawm or women?” However, the term in the Qur’an generally includes both men and women.
It has been said that qawm is masculine but has taken a feminine verb (kadhdhabat) because qawm means jamāʿah [which is synonymous with qawm but is grammatically feminine]. Others have said that qawm is feminine. Al-Miṣbāḥ says that it is used as both masculine and feminine [that is, it can take both pronouns].
They rejected only one messenger—Noah—but the verse says that they rejected “the messengers” [in plural]. This is because the message of all messengers is one; they are all united on monotheism. Hence, a person who rejects one of them has rejected all of them. It is for the same reason that God has described belief (īmān) in only some of the messengers as unbelief (kufr) [that is, total rejection of all messengers]: Surely those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and (those who) desire to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and desire to take a course between (this and) that. These it is that are truly unbelievers ().
Some exegetes have said: The expression here is like when one says, “so-and-so rides horses” or “he wears silk clothes,” even though the person may ride only one horse or have only one silk shirt. The plural in this case represents a genus. However, the first explanation is more plausible. Both explanations also apply to other similar verses such as “ʿĀd rejected the messengers” () and “Thamūd rejected the messengers” ().
إِذْ قالَ لَهُمْ أَخُوهُمْ نُوحٌ أَ لا تَتَّقُونَ ١٠٦
(26:106) When their brother Noah said to them: Will you not guard (against evil)?
“Brother” here means “relative.” It is like saying “the brother of Tamīm” and “the brother of Kulayb.” The question form here implies admonition.
إِنِّي لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ ١٠٧
(26:107) Surely I am a trustworthy messenger to you;
That is: “I am a messenger sent from God and I can be trusted regarding the message that I have been given to bring. I do not convey anything other than what my Lord has instructed me to.” Based on these points he made the following conclusion:
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَ أَطِيعُونِ ١٠٨
(26:108) Therefore guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me.
He ordered them to obey him because obeying him is obeying God.
وَ ما أَسْئَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَجْرٍ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلاَّ عَلى رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ ١٠٩
(26:109) And I do not ask you any reward for it; my reward is only with the Lord of the worlds.
“Not asking any reward” means that “I have no worldly interest or objective in my call.” This shows that that he sincerely wants what is good for them, and he is not betraying or deceiving them in his call. Given this trait of his, they must obey him in what he orders them. That is why he said once again: So guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me ().
Here he refers to God as “Lord of the worlds” instead of God. This is an explicit expression of monotheism, because they believed that He was the God of the realm of gods, but the other realms each had its separate god besides Him, and they used to worship those gods. Hence, stating that He is the Lord of all worlds is an explicit expression of His unity in worship and a negation of all gods besides Him in all realms.
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَ أَطِيعُونِ ١١٠
(26:110) So guard against (the punishment of) Allah and obey me.
We already mentioned the reason for this repetition: it shows that each of the two qualities mentioned above—that is, trustworthiness and not asking any reward—suffices as a reason for why they must obey him.
قالُوا أَ نُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَ اتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَ ١١١
(26:111) They said: Shall we believe in you while the lowest (of the people) (al-ardhalūn) follow you?
Ardhalūn is the plural of ardhal, which is a comparative noun derived from radhālah, meaning “abasement and lowliness.” What they meant by his followers being “the lowest of people” was that they had base jobs and abject occupations. That is why he replied to this objection by saying: And what knowledge have I of what they used to do? ().
This shows that they considered honor and nobility to be a matter of having abundant wealth and copious children and servants. This is inferred from Noah’s supplication: My Lord! surely they have disobeyed me and followed him whose wealth and children have added to him nothing but loss (). Hence, what they meant by “the lowest of the people” are those whom the rich and the elite saw as inferior and avoided associating with them. These would include the slaves, the poor, and those who held menial jobs.
قالَ وَ ما عِلْمِي بِما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ١١٢
(26:112) He said: And what (mā) knowledge have I of what they used to do?
“He” refers to Noah. The particle mā is indicative of a [rhetorical] question (istifhāmiyyah). Some have said that it is a negative particle (nāfiyah; that is, it negates what follows it), in which case its predicate has been omitted because it can be inferred from the context. Either way, it means that he does not know about their deeds before they believed, which is inferred from “used to do” (kānū yaʿmalūna).
إِنْ حِسابُهُمْ إِلاَّ عَلى رَبِّي لَوْ تَشْعُرُونَ ١١٣
(26:113) Their account is only with my Lord, if only you could perceive.
By saying “my Lord” he means “the Lord of the worlds,” for He was the One Who appointed Noah among all of his people as a messenger. “If only you could perceive” is an independent clause. It means: “If you had perception.” Some exegetes have interpreted it as: “If you could perceive anything then you would have known that.” However, this is not a plausible interpretation.
Based on the exclusive structure of the first part of the verse, the implied meaning is: I have no knowledge about their past actions, and it is not my place to investigate and inquire about their actions. Rather, their account is only with my Lord, and if only you could perceive, you would have seen that He will reward them based on their actions.
وَ ما أَنَا بِطارِدِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ١١٤ إِنْ أَنَا إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ ١١٥
(26:114-115) And I am not going to drive away the believers; I am naught but a plain warner.
The second verse explains the first, and the two verses together complement what was said before. The implied meaning is: My role is only to call and warn. That is why I am not going to drive away those who turn to me and believe in me. Nor will I investigate their previous acts in order to take account of them, because their reckoning is not up to me but it is only up to my Lord, Who is the Lord of the worlds.
قالُوا لَئِنْ لَمْ تَنْتَهِ يا نُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمَرْجُومِينَ ١١٦
(26:116) They said: If you desist not (lam yantahi, from intihāʾ), O Noah, you shall most certainly be of those stoned to death (al-marjūmīn, from rajm).
Here intihāʾ means “stopping his call” (daʿwah). Rajm is “to stone someone.” Some have said that it means “swearing at someone,” but that is an unlikely meaning here because they said this later on in his messengership, when they severely threatened him, which is inferred from the use of emphasis in the verse.
قالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوْمِي كَذَّبُونِ ١١٧
(26:117) He said: My Lord! Surely my people deny me!
Here he asks God for resolution. He first sets the grounds by saying: My Lord! Surely my people deny me! That is: They have settled on denying me absolutely, which leaves no more hope that they will accept me. This is also inferred from his supplication against them where he says: My Lord! Leave not upon the land any dweller from among the unbelievers, for surely if Thou leave them, they will lead Thy servants astray, and will not beget any but immoral, ungrateful (children) ().
فَافْتَحْ بَيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهُمْ فَتْحاً وَ نَجِّنِي وَ مَنْ مَعِيَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ١١٨
(26:118) Therefore judge (fa-iftaḥ) Thou between me and them with a (just) judgment (fatḥan) and deliver me and those who are with me of the believers.
The verse literally says, “Make an opening between me and them,” where “opening” figuratively implies “judgment” between the two sides. This idea is seen in the verse: And every nation had a messenger; so when their messenger came, the matter was decided between them with justice, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly ().
This expression is originally based on an indirect metaphor. It is as if he, his followers, and the unbelievers among his people were all mixed together without any distinction between them. So he asks his Lord to “open up a gap” between them such that the two groups would be separated from one another. This is a way of asking for a punishment that would befall them—which would only exterminate the evil-doers—because he says next: And deliver me and those who are with me of the believers.
Some have said that fatḥ means “to judge and decree,” derived from fatāḥah meaning “judgment.”
فَأَنْجَيْناهُ وَ مَنْ مَعَهُ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ ١١٩
(26:119) So We delivered him and those with him in the laden (al-mashḥūn) ark.
“Laden ark” refers to an ark that was filled by them and by two—that is, a pair—of every species, as mentioned in Sūrah Hūd.
ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنا بَعْدُ الْباقِينَ ١٢٠
(26:120) Then We drowned the rest afterwards.
That is: We drowned those of his people who remained after saving them [Noah and his followers].
إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَآيَةً وَ ما كانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ ١٢١ وَ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ ١٢٢
(26:121) Most surely there is a sign in this, but most of them were not believers. And most surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful.
We discussed these verses above.
Examining Narrations
- Imam al-Bāqir said: Noah remained amongst his people for 950 years. He was the only prophet sent to them at his time, but his people had rejected the prophets who were before him and after Adam. That is why He says: the people of Noah rejected the messengers …And most surely your Lord is the Mighty, the Merciful (, 122)—where “the messengers” are the ones who were between Adam and him.
The Imam also said in the same hadith: There were ten fathers linking him [Noah] to Adam, all of whom were prophets.
Concerning “the meanest follow you” () Tafsīr al-Qummī says: It means the poor.
Concerning “the laden ark” () Imam al-Bāqir said: That was a fully equipped ark that he had finished building and only had to be released on water.
The verse subsequently says: Nor let women (laugh) at other women (). It shows that qawm does not include women since they are mentioned separately. (Trans.) ↩︎
Tamīm and Kulayb refer to the two Arab tribes of Banū Tamīm and Banū Kulayb. The “brother” of a tribe designates one who has some kinship with them. (Trans.) ↩︎
That is, “if only” (the Arabic particle law) does not introduce a condition for some consequence, but it stands alone as an independent clause, and implies a sense of yearning or regret. (Trans.) ↩︎
The meaning would be the same, except that here “judgment” would be the lexical—not the metaphorical—meaning of fatḥ. (Trans.) ↩︎
See verses and . (Trans.) ↩︎
Kamāl al-dīn and Rawḍat al-kāfī, with its chain of narration, on the authority of Abū Ḥamzah. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī, on the authority of Abū al-Jārūd. ↩︎