Surah Nuh
Qur’anic Exegesis
Introduction
Surah Nuhforms a pair with Surah Jinnthe succeeding surahwith regard to the subject discussed in them. Surah Nuhportrays the indharof the Qur’anand its consequences by narrating the account of the people of the Prophet Nuh(sws), while Surah Jinnpresents the testimony of the Jinn folk on this portrayal and then urges the Quraysh to seriously review their attitude of making fun of these consequences and of asking to hasten their arrival.
Viewed thus, this surahis actually an explanation of the testimony of the seen (matubsirun) and the next surahan explanation of the testimony of the unseen (malatubsirun) mentioned in Surah H~aqqah.
The surahis directed at the Quraysh and it is evident from the topic discussed in it that like the previous surahsof this group it was revealed in Makkah in the phase of indharof the Prophet's mission.
Central Theme
The central theme of this surahis to explain to the Quraysh, in indirect terms, the da‘wah (preaching) of the Prophets of Allah and its various phases and to warn them of the consequences of denying this da‘wah according to the law of the Almighty.
Explanation
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِیْمِِ
إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحاً إِلَی قَوْمِہِ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَکَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن یَأْتِیَہُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِیْمٌ (1) قَالَ یَا قَوْمِ إِنِّیْ لَکُمْ نَذِیْرٌ مُّبِیْنٌ (2) أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّہَ وَاتَّقُوہُ وَأَطِیْعُونِ (3) یَغْفِرْ لَکُم مِّن ذُنُوبِکُمْ وَیُؤَخِّرْکُمْ إِلَی أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّی إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّہِ إِذَا جَاء لَا یُؤَخَّرُ لَوْ کُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (4) قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّیْ دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِیْ لَیْْلاً وَنَہَاراً (5) فَلَمْ یَزِدْہُمْ دُعَاءِیْ إِلَّا فِرَاراً (6) وَإِنِّیْ کُلَّمَا دَعَوْتُہُمْ لِتَغْفِرَ لَہُمْ جَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَہُمْ فِیْ آذَانِہِمْ وَاسْتَغْشَوْا ثِیَابَہُمْ وَأَصَرُّوا وَاسْتَکْبَرُوا اسْتِکْبَاراً (7) ثُمَّ إِنِّیْ دَعَوْتُہُمْ جِہَاراً (8) ثُمَّ إِنِّیْ أَعْلَنتُ لَہُمْ وَأَسْرَرْتُ لَہُمْ إِسْرَاراً (9) فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّکُمْ إِنَّہُ کَانَ غَفَّاراً (10) یُرْسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَیْْکُم مِّدْرَاراً (11) وَیُمْدِدْکُمْ بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِیْنَ وَیَجْعَل لَّکُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَیَجْعَل لَّکُمْ أَنْہَاراً (12) مَّا لَکُمْ لَا تَرْجُونَ لِلَّہِ وَقَاراً (13) وَقَدْ خَلَقَکُمْ أَطْوَاراً (14) أَلَمْ تَرَوْا کَیْْفَ خَلَقَ اللَّہُ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقاً (15) وَجَعَلَ الْقَمَرَ فِیْہِنَّ نُوراً وَجَعَلَ الشَّمْسَ سِرَاجاً (16) وَاللَّہُ أَنبَتَکُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِ نَبَاتاً (17) ثُمَّ یُعِیْدُکُمْ فِیْہَا وَیُخْرِجُکُمْ إِخْرَاجاً (18) وَاللَّہُ جَعَلَ لَکُمُ الْأَرْضَ بِسَاطاً (19) لِتَسْلُکُوا مِنْہَا سُبُلاً فِجَاجاً (20) قَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ إِنَّہُمْ عَصَوْنِیْ وَاتَّبَعُوا مَن لَّمْ یَزِدْہُ مَالُہُ وَوَلَدُہُ إِلَّا خَسَاراً (21) وَمَکَرُوا مَکْراً کُبَّاراً (22) وَقَالُوا لَا تَذَرُنَّ آلِہَتَکُمْ وَلَا تَذَرُنَّ وَدّاً وَلَا سُوَاعاً وَلَا یَغُوثَ وَیَعُوقَ وَنَسْراً (23) وَقَدْ أَضَلُّوا کَثِیْراً وَلَا تَزِدِ الظَّالِمِیْنَ إِلَّا ضَلَالاً (24) مِمَّا خَطِیْءَاتِہِمْ أُغْرِقُوا فَأُدْخِلُوا نَاراً فَلَمْ یَجِدُوا لَہُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّہِ أَنصَاراً (25) وَقَالَ نُوحٌ رَّبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَی الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْکَافِرِیْنَ دَیَّاراً (26) إِنَّکَ إِن تَذَرْہُمْ یُضِلُّوا عِبَادَکَ وَلَا یَلِدُوا إِلَّا فَاجِراً کَفَّاراً (27) رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِیْ وَلِوَالِدَیَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَیْْتِیَ مُؤْمِناً وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَلَا تَزِدِ الظَّالِمِیْنَ إِلَّا تَبَاراً (28)
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful
[O Prophet! just as We have sent forth you], We had sent forth Nuhas a Rasulto his people [with the directive] ‘Warn your people before there comes to them a grievous penalty’.1 He said ‘O my People! I am to you a warner, clear and open. [I call upon you] to serve Allah and remain within the limits set by him and obey me.2 [I inform you that as a result of this] the Almighty shall forgive your [previous] sins3, and shall give you respite till an appointed time.4 Verily, the time appointed by Allah, when it comes, cannot be put off. Would that you understood this!' (1-4)
[He kept on calling them to this message but they did not pay any heed until at last] he said `O Lord! day and night I have called my people but my calls have only added to their aversion.5 And whenever I called upon them [to show repentance] so that You [O Lord!] may forgive them, they thrust their fingers in their ears and drew their cloaks over them and persisted in their denial and bore themselves with insolent pride.6 Then I openly called them and then appealed to them in public and beseeched them in private. `Seek forgiveness from your Lord' I said. `Indeed, He is ever Forgiving.7 [As a consequence] He shall send down on you abundant rain from the heavens and shall strengthen you with wealth and sons and shall make for you gardens and shall bring forth for you springs of water.8 (5-12)
What has come upon you that you do not fear the majesty of your Lord9 , for He has made you in gradual stages in various moulds.'10 [We said]11 `See you not how God has made seven heavens one above the other? And made the moon a light therein and the sun a lamp? And Allah has grown you from the earth in such an elaborate way12 and to the earth He will return you and then He will suddenly bring you forth from it without any effort. And Allah has spread out the earth for you as a spreading that you may walk in its spacious passes [that lie between the mountains].' (13-20)
Nuhsaid `O Lord! they have disobeyed me and followed those [leaders of theirs] whose wealth and children only added to their ruin and they contrived great schemes13 and said ‘Abandon not these Gods of yours whatsoever and abandon not [this] Wadd nor Suwa‘; and neither Yaghuthnor Ya‘uqnor Nasr.’14 And [in this manner] they misled many. And [now, O Lord!] only increase these wrong-doers in further error.'15 (21-24)