Tafsir Surah Nuh ayah 17 | Learn Quran Tafsir

Tafsir of Surah Nuh

Nuh's Invitation to His People

Allah says,

إِنَّا أَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوحًا إِلَى قَوۡمِهِ

Verily, We sent Nuh to his people (saying):

Allah says concerning Nuh that He sent him to his people commanding him to warn them of the punishment of Allah before it befell them. He was to tell them that if they would repent and turn to Allah, then the punishment would be lifted from them. Due to this Allah says,

أَنۡ أَنذِرۡ قَوۡمَكَ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

قَالَ يَا قَوۡمِ إِنِّي لَكُمۡ نَذِيرٌ مُّبِينٌ

Warn your people before there comes to them a painful torment.

He said:O my people! Verily, I am a plain Warner to you.

meaning, clarity of the warning, making the matter apparent and clear

أَنِ اعۡبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ

That you should worship Allah, and have Taqwa of Him,

meaning, `abandon those things that He has forbidden and avoid that which He has declared to be sinful.'

وَأَطِيعُونِ

and obey me,

`In that which I command you to do and that which I forbid you from.

يَغۡفِرۡ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمۡ

He will forgive you of your sins,

meaning, `if you do what I command you to do and you believe in what I have been sent with to you, then Allah will forgive you for your sins. '

وَيُوَخِّرۡكُمۡ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى

and respite you to an appointed term.

meaning, `He will extend your life span and protect you from the torment that He would have made befall you if you did not stay away from His prohibitions.'

This Ayah is used as proof by those who say that obedience (to Allah), righteousness and maintaining the family ties truly increase the life span of a person.

This is like that which has been reported in the Hadith,

صِلَةُ الرَّحِمِ تَزِيدُ فِي الۡعُمُر

Maintaining the family ties increases the life span.

Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاء لَا يُوَخَّرُ لَوۡ كُنتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُونَ

Verily, the term of Allah when it comes, cannot be delayed, if you but know.

means, hasten to the obedience (of Allah) before the coming of His vengeance. For verily, if He commands that to happen, it cannot be repulsed or prevented. For He is the Great One Who compels everything, and He is the Almighty Whose might all of creation succumbs to

Nuh complains about his Encounter with His People

Allah tells about His servant and Messenger, Nuh, and that he complained to his Lord about the response he received from his people, and how he was patient with them for this long period of time -- which was nine hundred and fifty years. He complained due to his explaining and clarifying matters for them and his calling them to guidance and the straightest path. So

قَالَ

he (Nuh) said,

رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُ قَوۡمِي لَيۡلً وَنَهَارًا

O my Lord!

Verily, I have called to my people night and day,

meaning, `I did not abandon calling them night and day, carrying out Your command and in obedience to You.'

فَلَمۡ يَزِدۡهُمۡ دُعَايِي إِلاَّ فِرَارًا

But all my calling added nothing but to (their) flight.

meaning, `the more I called them to come to the truth, the more they fled from it and avoided it.

وَإِنِّي كُلَّمَا دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ لِتَغۡفِرَ لَهُمۡ جَعَلُوا أَصَابِعَهُمۡ فِي اذَانِهِمۡ

وَاسۡتَغۡشَوۡا ثِيَابَهُمۡ

And verily, every time I called unto them that You might forgive them, they thrust their fingers into their ears, covered themselves up with their garments,

meaning, `they closed up their ears so that they could not hear what I was calling them to.'

This is similar to what Allah said about the disbelievers of the Quraysh.

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ لَا تَسۡمَعُواۡ لِهَـذَا الۡقُرۡءَانِ وَالۡغَوۡاۡ فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَغۡلِبُونَ

And those who disbelieve say:Listen not to this Qur'an, and make noise in the midst of its (recitation) that you may overcome. (41:26)

وَاسۡتَغۡشَوۡا ثِيَابَهُمۡ

covered themselves up with their garments, Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said,

They concealed themselves under false pretences from him so that he would not recognize them.

Sa`id bin Jubayr and As-Suddi both said,

They covered their heads so that they could not hear what he was saying.

وَأَصَرُّوا

and persisted,

meaning, they continued in what they were upon of associating partners with Allah and great disbelief.

وَاسۡتَكۡبَرُوا اسۡتِكۡبَارًا

and magnified themselves in pride.

meaning, they were turned away from following the truth and submitting to it.

ثُمَّ إِنِّي دَعَوۡتُهُمۡ جِهَارًا

Then verily, I called to them openly.

meaning, openly among the people

ثُمَّ إِنِّي أَعۡلَنتُ لَهُمۡ

Then verily, I proclaimed to them in public,

meaning, with open speech and a raised voice.

وَأَسۡرَرۡتُ لَهُمۡ إِسۡرَارًا

and I have appealed to them in private.

meaning, in discussions with them. So he tried various types of propagation to be more effective with them.

What Nuh said when He called His People to Allah

فَقُلۡتُ اسۡتَغۡفِرُوا رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا

I said:Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving;

meaning, `return to Him and turn away from what you are involved in. Repent to Him soon, for verily, He is Most Accepting of the repentance of those who turn to Him in repentance. He will accept repentance no matter what the sin is, even if it is disbelief and polytheism.'

Thus, he said,

فَقُلۡتُ اسۡتَغۡفِرُوا رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا

يُرۡسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارًا

(I said:Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar,

meaning, continuous rain.

Thus, it is recommended to recite this Surah in the prayer for rain due to this Ayah.

This has been reported from the Commander of the faithful, `Umar bin Al-Khattab. He ascended the Minbar to perform the prayer for rain, and he did not do more than seeking Allah's forgiveness and reciting the Ayat that mention seeking Allah's forgiveness. Among these Ayat:

فَقُلۡتُ اسۡتَغۡفِرُوا رَبَّكُمۡ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا

يُرۡسِلِ السَّمَاء عَلَيۡكُم مِّدۡرَارًا

I said:Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you Midrar,

Then he (`Umar) said, Verily, I have sought rain with the keys of the sky which cause the rain to descend.

Ibn `Abbas and others have said,

It (Midrar) means some of it (rain) following others.

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَيُمۡدِدۡكُمۡ بِأَمۡوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجۡعَل لَّكُمۡ أَنۡهَارًا

And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.

meaning, `if you repent to Allah, seek His forgiveness and obey Him, He will increase your provisions for you and provide you with water from the blessings of the sky. He will cause the blessings of the earth and crops to grow for you. He will increase your live stock animals for you and give you more wealth and children. This means that He will give you more wealth, more children and gardens with various types of fruits. He will cause rivers to flow among these gardens.'

This is the position of the invitation with encouragement. Then He made it balanced for them by using intimidation. He said,

مَّا لَكُمۡ لَا تَرۡجُونَ لِلَّهِ وَقَارًا

What is the matter with you, that you do not hope for any Waqar from Allah.

meaning, great majesty.

This has been said by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and Ad-Dahhak.

Ibn `Abbas said,

That you all do not magnify Allah in the proper manner that He deserves to be magnified.

Meaning, you do not fear His punishment and His vengeance.

وَقَدۡ خَلَقَكُمۡ أَطۡوَارًا

While He has created you (in) Atwar (stages).

It has been said that this means from a drop of sperm, then from a hanging clot, then from a lump of flesh.

Ibn `Abbas, `Ikrimah, Qatadah, Yahya bin Rafi`, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd, all said this.

Concerning Allah's statement,

أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡا كَيۡفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا

See you not how Allah has created the seven heavens in tiers?

meaning, one above another.

Can this be comprehended simply by hearing it only or is it of the matters that actually can be perceived with the senses which are known about the movements (of the heavenly bodies) and the eclipses. It is known that they (the scholars) have many different opinions about these matters that we will not discuss here. The only intent here is that

خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبۡعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا

وَجَعَلَ الۡقَمَرَ فِيهِنَّ نُورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمۡسَ سِرَاجًا

Allah has created the seven heavens in tiers and has made the moon a light therein, and made the sun a lamp.

meaning, He made a distinction between them (the sun and moon) in reference to their lighting. He made each one of them in a set manner with a distinct quality so that the night and day may be known. They (the night and day) are known by the rising and setting of the sun. He also determined fixed stations and positions for the moon, and He made its light vary so that sometimes it increases until it reaches a maximum, then it begins to decrease until it is completely veiled. This shows the passing of months and years.

This is as Allah said,

هُوَ الَّذِى جَعَلَ الشَّمۡسَ ضِيَأءً وَالۡقَمَرَ نُوراً وَقَدَّرَهُ مَنَازِلَ لِتَعۡلَمُواۡ عَدَدَ السِّنِينَ وَالۡحِسَابَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ إِلاَّ بِالۡحَقِّ يُفَصِّلُ الايَـتِ لِقَوۡمٍ يَعۡلَمُونَ

It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and the moon as a light and measured out for its stages that you might know the number of years and the reckoning. Allah did not create this but in truth. He explains the Ayat in detail for people who have knowledge. (10:5)

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَاللَّهُ أَنبَتَكُم مِّنَ الاۡاَرۡضِ نَبَاتًا

And Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth.

This (Nabat) is a verbal noun (for emphasis) and its usage here is most excellent

ثُمَّ يُعِيدُكُمۡ فِيهَا

Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth),

meaning, when you die.

وَيُخۡرِجُكُمۡ إِخۡرَاجًا

And bring you forth.

meaning, on the Day of Judgement He will repeat your creation just as He first originated you.

وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الاۡاَرۡضَ بِسَاطًا

And Allah has made for you the earth a wide expanse.

meaning, He spread it out, leveled it, settled it, and stabilized it with firm and lofty mountains.

لِتَسۡلُكُوا مِنۡهَا سُبُلً فِجَاجًا

That you may go about therein in broad roads.

meaning, He created it so that you may settle in it and travel in it wherever you wish, from its different sides, areas and regions.

All of this is from what Nuh informed them of concerning Allah's power and His greatness in creating the heavens and the earth. It demonstrates the favor that He did for them by making both heavenly benefits and earthly benefits. For He is the Creator and the Sustainer Who made the heaven as a building and the earth as a bed, and He enlarged His provisions for His creatures. Therefore, He is the One Who it is obligatory to worship, and accept as One God. No one should be associated with Him as a partner, because He has no equal, peer, rival, coequal, mate, son, minister or advisor, rather He is the Most High, the Most Great.

Nuh: 17

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Nuh: 17