Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 11 Hud, Ayat 27-31

فَقَالَ الۡمَلَاُ الَّذِيۡنَ كَفَرُوۡا مِنۡ قَوۡمِهٖ مَا نَرٰٮكَ اِلَّا بَشَرًا مِّثۡلَنَا وَمَا نَرٰٮكَ اتَّبَعَكَ اِلَّا الَّذِيۡنَ هُمۡ اَرَاذِلُـنَا بَادِىَ الرَّاۡىِ​ۚ وَمَا نَرٰى لَـكُمۡ عَلَيۡنَا مِنۡ فَضۡلٍۢ بَلۡ نَظُنُّكُمۡ كٰذِبِيۡنَ‏  ﴿11:27﴾ قَالَ يٰقَوۡمِ اَرَءَيۡتُمْ اِنۡ كُنۡتُ عَلٰى بَيِّنَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّىۡ وَاٰتٰٮنِىۡ رَحۡمَةً مِّنۡ عِنۡدِهٖ فَعُمِّيَتۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡؕ اَنُلۡزِمُكُمُوۡهَا وَاَنۡـتُمۡ لَـهَا كٰرِهُوۡنَ‏ ﴿11:28﴾ وَيٰقَوۡمِ لَاۤ اَسۡـئَلُكُمۡ عَلَيۡهِ مَالًا ؕاِنۡ اَجۡرِىَ اِلَّا عَلَى اللّٰهِ​ وَمَاۤ اَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا​ ؕ اِنَّهُمۡ مُّلٰقُوۡا رَبِّهِمۡ وَلٰـكِنِّىۡۤ اَرٰٮكُمۡ قَوۡمًا تَجۡهَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿11:29﴾ وَيٰقَوۡمِ مَنۡ يَّـنۡصُرُنِىۡ مِنَ اللّٰهِ اِنۡ طَرَدتُّهُمۡ​ؕ اَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُوۡنَ‏  ﴿11:30﴾ وَلَاۤ اَقُوۡلُ لَـكُمۡ عِنۡدِىۡ خَزَآئِنُ اللّٰهِ وَلَاۤ اَعۡلَمُ الۡغَيۡبَ وَلَاۤ اَقُوۡلُ اِنِّىۡ مَلَكٌ وَّلَاۤ اَقُوۡلُ لِلَّذِيۡنَ تَزۡدَرِىۡۤ اَعۡيُنُكُمۡ لَنۡ يُّؤۡتِيَهُمُ اللّٰهُ خَيۡرًا​ ؕ اَللّٰهُ اَعۡلَمُ بِمَا فِىۡۤ اَنۡفُسِهِمۡ​ ۖۚ اِنِّىۡۤ اِذًا لَّمِنَ الظّٰلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿11:31﴾

(11:27) The notables among Noah's own people, who had refused to follow him, responded: 'We merely consider you a human being like ourselves.31 Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason.32 We see nothing in you to suggest that you are any better than us.33 Rather, we believe you to be liars.' (11:28) Noah said: 'My people! If I base myself on a clear evidence from my Lord, and I have also been blessed by His mercy34 to which you have been blind, how can we force it upon you despite your aversion to it? (11:29) My people! I seek no recompense from you.35 My recompense is only with Allah. Nor will I drive away those who believe. They are destined to meet their Lord.36 But I find you to be an ignorant people. (11:30) My people! Were I to drive the men of faith away, who will protect me from (the chastisement of) Allah? Do you not understand even this much? (11:31) I do not say to you that I possess Allah's treasures, nor that I have access to the realm beyond the ken of sense-perception, nor do I claim to be an angel.37 Nor do I say regarding those whom you look upon with disdain that Allah will not bestow any good upon them. Allah knows best what is in their hearts. Were I to say so I would be one of the wrongdoers.'

Notes

31. The same foolish objection was being raised by the people against the Prophet (peace be upon him). They argued like this: You are a man like us: you eat and drink, you walk and sleep and have a family, and there is nothing in you that might show that you have been sent by God. (See E. N. Surah Yaseen).

32. The big people of Makkah passed the same remarks about those who followed the Prophet (peace be upon him). They taunted him with things like these: Your followers consist of mere inexperienced boys or slaves or the lowest strata of society, in short, of such people as are credulous and lack commonsense and wisdom. Refer to (E.Ns 34-37 of Surah Al-Anaam) and (E.N. 75 of Surah Yunus).

33. This is to say, You claim that you are the favored ones of God Whose blessings are on you, and that those who do not follow your way are under His wrath. But the reverse of this is true for it is we who have been favored with wealth, servants and power and you possess nothing of the sort. Please point out anything in which you are superior to us.

34. This is the same thing that has been put into the mouth of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in( Ayat 17). That is, At first I recognized the reality of Tauhid by observing keenly the signs of God in the universe and in my own self. Then the same was confirmed by revelation to me. This shows that all the Prophets acquired the knowledge of the Unseen by observation and contemplation. Then Allah blessed them with the actual knowledge of the same at the time of their appointment as Prophets.

35. This was to bring home to them the fact that he had no selfish motive in the performance of his mission, as if to say: I am conveying the admonition to you without any demand or hope or expectation of worldly gains. Nay, I am bearing all the sufferings in the hope that you may at last realize that I have no axe to grind. And you cannot point out anything to show that I have any personal or selfish interest before me in the mission of the Message. See. (E.N. 70 of Surah Al-Mominoon), (E.N. 17 of Surah Saba vand (E.N. 41 of Surah Ash-Shura).

36. That is, their true worth will be known only when they shall meet their Lord. Therefore it is not proper for you to treat them with contempt here in this world. Maybe they are precious stones, their Lord alone knows, and you are treating them as mere worthless stones. See (Surah Al- Anaam, Ayat, 52), (Surah Al-Kahaf, Ayat 28).

37. This is the answer to their objection that he was no more than a man like themselves. Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) admitted this: In fact I am a man and I never claimed to be more than this. My only claim is that God has shown me the right way of knowledge and action and you are welcome to test this in any way you like. But instead of this, you are asking me questions about the Unseen, though I never claimed to have its knowledge. You ask me to produce such things as can be produced only by that person who possesses God’s treasures and I never claimed to possess them. You object that my physical life is like that of other men, though I never claimed that I was an angel and not a man. The true test of my claim is that you should ask me about the true creeds, the principles of morality and culture and not about frivolous things about the future events for I never claimed to possess their knowledge.