Al-Mu'minun: 23

Ayah

Word by Word

وَلَقَدۡ

And verily

أَرۡسَلۡنَا

We sent

نُوحًا

Nuh

إِلَىٰ

قَوۡمِهِۦ

his people

فَقَالَ

and he said

يَٰقَوۡمِ

O my people!

ٱعۡبُدُواْ

Worship

ٱللَّهَ

Allah

مَا

not

لَكُم

for you

مِّنۡ

(is) any

إِلَٰهٍ

god

غَيۡرُهُۥٓۚ

other than Him

أَفَلَا

Then will not

تَتَّقُونَ

you fear

Translation

(Further, We sent a long line of prophets for your instruction). We sent Noah to his people: He said, "O my people! worship Allah! Ye have no other god but Him. Will ye not fear (Him)?"

Tafsir

The Story of Nuh, Peace be upon Him; and his people

Allah tells;

وَلَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَى قَوۡمِهِ

And indeed We sent Nuh to his people,

Allah tells us about Nuh, peace be upon him, whom He sent him to his people to warn them of the severe punishment of Allah and His severe vengeance on those who associated partners with Him, defied His commands and disbelieved His Messengers:

فَقَالَ يَا قَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَهٍ غَيۡرُهُ أَفَلَ تَتَّقُونَ

and he said:O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other God but Him. Will you not then have Taqwa!'

Meaning, Do you not fear Allah when you associate others in worship with Him

فَقَالَ الۡمَلَُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن قَوۡمِهِ

But the chiefs of his people who disbelieved said:

The chiefs or leaders of his people said:

مَا هَذَا إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ

He is no more than a human being like you, he seeks to make himself superior to you.

meaning, `he is putting himself above you and trying to make himself great by claiming to be a Prophet, but he is a human being like you, so how can he receive revelation when you do not!'

وَلَوۡ شَاء اللَّهُ لَاَنزَلَ مَلَيِكَةً

Had Allah willed, He surely could have sent down angels.

meaning, `if Allah had wanted to send a Prophet, He would have sent an angel from Him, not a human being.

مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَذَا فِي ابَايِنَا الاَۡوَّلِينَ

Never did we hear such a thing among our fathers of old.

We have never heard of such a thing -- i.e., sending a man to our forefathers' -- their predecessors in times past

إِنۡ هُوَ إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ بِهِ جِنَّةٌ

He is only a man in whom is madness,

means, `he is crazy in his claim that Allah has sent him and chosen him from among you to receive revelation.'

فَتَرَبَّصُوا بِهِ حَتَّى حِينٍ

so wait for him a while.

means, `wait until he dies, put up with him until you are rid of him.

Allah tells us that Nuh, peace be upon him, invoked his Lord to help him against his people,

Allah tells;

قَالَ رَبِّ انصُرۡنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ

He (Nuh) said:O my Lord! Help me because they deny me.

as Allah mentions in another Ayah:

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغۡلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرۡ

Then he invoked his Lord (saying):I have been overcome, so help (me)! (54:10)

Here he says:

رَبِّ انصُرۡنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ

(O my Lord! Help me because they deny me).

فَأَوۡحَيۡنَا إِلَيۡهِ أَنِ اصۡنَعِ الۡفُلۡكَ بِأَعۡيُنِنَا وَوَحۡيِنَا فَإِذَا جَاء أَمۡرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ فَاسۡلُكۡ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّ زَوۡجَيۡنِ اثۡنَيۡنِ وَأَهۡلَكَ

So, We revealed to him:Construct the ship under Our Eyes and under Our revelation. Then, when Our command comes, and (water) gushes forth from the oven, take on board of each kind two, and your family,

At that point, Allah commanded him to build a boat and to make it strong and firm, and to carry therein of every kind two, i.e., a male and a female of every species of animals, plants and fruits etc. He was also to carry his family,

إِلاَّ مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيۡهِ الۡقَوۡلُ مِنۡهُمۡ

except those thereof against whom the Word has already gone forth.

meaning, those whom Allah had already decreed were to be destroyed. These were the members of his family who did not believe in him, such as his son and his wife.

And Allah knows best.

وَلَا تُخَاطِبۡنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِنَّهُم مُّغۡرَقُونَ

And address Me not in favor of those who have done wrong. Verily, they are to be drowned.

means, `when you witness the heavy rain falling, do not let yourself be overcome with compassion and pity for your people, or hope for more time for them so that they may believe, for I have decreed that they will be drowned and will die in their state of disbelief and wrongdoing.'

The story has already been told in detail in Surah Hud, and there is no need to repeat it here

فَإِذَا اسۡتَوَيۡتَ أَنتَ وَمَن مَّعَكَ عَلَى الۡفُلۡكِ فَقُلِ

And when you have embarked on the ship, you and whoever is with you, then say:

الۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي نَجَّانَا مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

`All the praise be to Allah, Who has saved us from the people who are wrongdoers.'

This is like the Ayah:

وَالَّذِى خَلَقَ الَازۡوَجَ كُلَّهَا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمۡ مِّنَ الۡفُلۡكِ وَالاٌّنۡعَـمِ مَا تَرۡكَبُونَ

لِتَسۡتَوُواۡ عَلَى ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذۡكُرُواۡ نِعۡمَةَ رَبِّكُمۡ إِذَا اسۡتَوَيۡتُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ وَتَقُولُواۡ سُبۡحَـنَ الَّذِى سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَـذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقۡرِنِينَ

وَإِنَّأ إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ

and has appointed for you ships and cattle on which you ride:In order that you may mount on their backs, and then may remember the favor of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say:Glory to Him Who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts). And verily, to Our Lord we indeed are to return! (43:12-14)

So, certainly, Nuh adhered to what he was commanded, as Allah says elsewhere:

وَقَالَ ارۡكَبُواۡ فِيهَا بِسۡمِ اللَّهِ مَجۡرَاهَا وَمُرۡسَاهَا

And he said:Embark therein:in the Name of Allah will be its (moving) course and its (resting) anchorage... (11:41)

So Nuh mentioned Allah at the beginning of his journey and at the end, and Allah said:

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَنزِلۡنِي مُنزَلاً مُّبَارَكًا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ الۡمُنزِلِينَ

And say:`My Lord! Cause me to land at a blessed landing place, for You are the Best of those who bring to land.

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَاتٍ

Verily in this, there are indeed Ayat,

means in this event, which is the saving of the believers and the destruction of the disbelievers there are signs, i.e., clear evidence and proof that the Prophets speak the truth in the Message they bring from Allah, may He be exalted, and that Allah does what He wills, and He is able to do all things and knows all things.

وَإِن كُنَّا لَمُبۡتَلِينَ

for sure We are ever putting (men) to the test.

means, `We try Our servants by means of sending the Messengers.