Tafsir Surah Ash-Shu'ara' ayah 120

Nuh's preaching to His People, and Their Response

Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Nuh, peace be upon him, who was the first Messenger sent by Allah to the people of earth after they started to worship idols.

Allah sent him to forbid that and to warn people of the consequences of idol worship. But his people belied him and continued their evil practice of worshipping idols besides Allah. Allah revealed that their disbelieving in him was akin to disbelieving in all the Messengers,

So Allah said:

كَذَّبَتۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٍ الۡمُرۡسَلِينَ

إِذۡ قَالَ لَهُمۡ أَخُوهُمۡ نُوحٌ أَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

The people of Nuh belied the Messengers. When their brother Nuh said to them:Will you not have Taqwa!

meaning, `do you not fear Allah when you worship others instead of Him!'

إِنِّي لَكُمۡ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

I am a trustworthy Messenger to you.

means, `I am the Messenger of Allah to you, faithfully fulfilling the mission with which Allah has sent me. I convey the Messages of my Lord to you, and I do not add anything to them or take anything away from them.'

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

وَمَا أَسۡأَلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مِنۡ أَجۡرٍ

So have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me. No reward do I ask of you for it;

means, `I do not want any payment for the advice I give you; I will save my reward for it with Allah.'

إِنۡ أَجۡرِيَ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

my reward is only from the Lord of all that exists.

فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ

So have Taqwa of Allah, and obey me.

`It is clear to you that I am telling the truth and that I am faithfully fulfilling the mission with which Allah has entrusted me.

The Demand of the People of Nuh and His Response

They said:We do not believe in you, and we will not follow you and become equal to the meanest of the people, who follow you and believe in you, and they are the lowest among us.

قَالُوا أَنُوۡمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الاۡاَرۡذَلُونَ

قَالَ وَمَا عِلۡمِي بِمَا كَانُوا يَعۡمَلُونَ

They said:Shall we believe in you, when the inferior follow you!

He said:And what knowledge have I of what they used to do

meaning, `what does it have to do with me if they follow me! No matter what they used to do before, I do not have to check on them and examine their background; all I have to do is accept it if they believe in me; whatever is in their hearts is for Allah to know.'

إِنۡ حِسَابُهُمۡ إِلاَّ عَلَى رَبِّي لَوۡ تَشۡعُرُونَ

Their account is only with my Lord, if you could (but) know. And I am not going to drive away the believers.

It seems that they asked him to drive these people away, then they would follow him, but he refused to do that, and said:

وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ

إِنۡ أَنَا إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِين

And I am not going to drive away the believers. I am only a plain warner.

meaning, `I have been sent as a warner, and whoever obeys me and follows me and believes in me, then he belongs to me and I to him, whether he is noble or common, upper-class or lower-class.

His People's Threat, Nuh's Prayer against Them, and Their Destruction

Nuh stayed among his people for a long time, calling them to Allah night and day, in secret and openly. The more he repeated his call to them, the more determined were they to cling to their extreme disbelief and resist his call. In the end, they said:

قَالُوا لَيِن لَّمۡ تَنتَهِ يَا نُوحُ لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الۡمَرۡجُومِينَ

They said:If you cease not, O Nuh you will surely be among those stoned.

meaning, `if you do not stop calling us to your religion,'

لَتَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الۡمَرۡجُومِينَ

(you will surely be among those stoned),

meaning, `we will stone you.'

At that point, he prayed against them, and Allah responded to his prayer.

Nuh said:

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ قَوۡمِي كَذَّبُونِ

فَافۡتَحۡ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَهُمۡ فَتۡحًا

My Lord! Verily, my people have denied me. Therefore judge You between me and them.

This is like the Ayah:

فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنُّى مَغۡلُوبٌ فَانتَصِرۡ

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

وَنَجِّنِي وَمَن مَّعِي مِنَ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ

and save me and those of the believers who are with me.

And Allah says here:

فَأَنجَيۡنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ فِي الۡفُلۡكِ الۡمَشۡحُونِ

ثُمَّ أَغۡرَقۡنَا بَعۡدُ الۡبَاقِينَ

And We saved him and those with him in the laden ship. Then We drowned the rest thereafter.

The laden ship is one that is filled with cargo and the couples, one pair from every species, that were carried in it.

This Ayah means:

`We saved Nuh and all of those who followed him, and We drowned those who disbelieved in him and went against his commands, all of them.'

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّوۡمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers. And verily your Lord, He is indeed the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful..

Ash-Shu'ara': 120

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Ash-Shu'ara': 120