Surah 26. Ash-Shu'ara

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-33 [2], 34-51 [3], 52-68 [4], 69-104 [5], 105-122 [6], 123-140 [7], 141-159 [8], 160-175 [9], 176-191 [10], 192-227 [11]

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Quran Text of Verse 105-122كَذَّبَتْDeniedقَوْمُ(the) peopleنُوْحِ(of) Nuhلْمُرْسَلِیْنَۚۖthe Messengers اِذْWhenقَالَsaidلَهُمْto themاَخُوْهُمْtheir brotherنُوْحٌNuhاَلَاWill notتَتَّقُوْنَۚyou fear (Allah) اِنِّیْIndeed I amلَكُمْto youرَسُوْلٌa Messengerاَمِیْنٌۙtrustworthy فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِۚand obey me وَ مَاۤAnd notاَسْـَٔلُكُمْI ask (of) youعَلَیْهِfor itمِنْanyاَجْرٍ ۚpaymentاِنْNotاَجْرِیَ(is) my paymentاِلَّاbutعَلٰیfromرَبِّ(the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَۚ(of) the worlds فَاتَّقُواSo fearاللّٰهَAllahوَ اَطِیْعُوْنِؕand obey me قَالُوْۤاThey saidاَنُؤْمِنُShould we believeلَكَin youوَ اتَّبَعَكَwhile followed youالْاَرْذَلُوْنَؕthe lowest 26. Ash-Shu'ara Page 372قَالَHe saidوَ مَاAnd whatعِلْمِیْ(do) I knowبِمَاof whatكَانُوْاthey usedیَعْمَلُوْنَۚ(to) do اِنْVerilyحِسَابُهُمْtheir accountاِلَّا(is) butعَلٰیuponرَبِّیْmy Lordلَوْifتَشْعُرُوْنَۚyou perceive وَ مَاۤAnd notاَنَاI amبِطَارِدِthe one to drive awayالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَۚthe believers اِنْNotاَنَاI amاِلَّاbutنَذِیْرٌa warnerمُّبِیْنٌؕclear قَالُوْاThey saidلَىِٕنْIfلَّمْnotتَنْتَهِyou desistیٰنُوْحُO Nuh!لَتَكُوْنَنَّSurely you will beمِنَofالْمَرْجُوْمِیْنَؕthose who are stoned قَالَHe saidرَبِّMy Lord!اِنَّIndeedقَوْمِیْmy peopleكَذَّبُوْنِۚۖhave denied me فَافْتَحْSo judgeبَیْنِیْbetween meوَ بَیْنَهُمْand between themفَتْحًا(with decisive) judgmentوَّ نَجِّنِیْand save meوَ مَنْand whoمَّعِیَ(are) with meمِنَofالْمُؤْمِنِیْنَ the believers فَاَنْجَیْنٰهُSo We saved himوَ مَنْand whoمَّعَهٗ(were) with himفِیinالْفُلْكِthe shipالْمَشْحُوْنِۚladen ثُمَّThenاَغْرَقْنَاWe drownedبَعْدُthereafterالْبٰقِیْنَؕthe remaining ones اِنَّIndeedفِیْinذٰلِكَthatلَاٰیَةً ؕsurely (is) a signوَ مَاbut notكَانَareاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themمُّؤْمِنِیْنَ believers وَ اِنَّAnd indeedرَبَّكَyour Lordلَهُوَsurely Heالْعَزِیْزُ(is) the All-Mightyالرَّحِیْمُ۠the Most Merciful

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Translation of Verse 105-122

(26:105) The people of Noah⁷⁴ gave the lie to the Messengers.⁷⁵

(26:106) Recall when their brother Noah said to them: "Do you have no fear?⁷⁶

(26:107) I am a trustworthy Messenger to you;⁷⁷

(26:108) so fear Allah and obey me.⁷⁸

(26:109) I seek of you no reward for this: my reward is with none except the Lord of the Universe.⁷⁹

(26:110) So fear Allah and obey me."⁸⁰

(26:111) They answered: "Shall we accept you even though it is the meanest of people who follow you?"⁸¹

(26:112) Noah said: "What knowledge do I have about their deeds?

(26:113) It is only for my Lord to take account of them. Would that you made use of your understanding!⁸²

(26:114) It is not for me to repel those who choose to believe.

(26:115) I am none but a plain warner."⁸³

(26:116) They said: "O Noah! If you do not desist, you will certainly become one of the accursed."⁸⁴

(26:117) He said: "My Lord! My people have branded me a liar.⁸⁵

(26:118) So pass a clear judgement between me and them and rescue me and the believers with me."⁸⁶

(26:119) Thereafter We rescued him and those who were with him in the laden Ark⁸⁷

(26:120) and drowned the rest.

(26:121) Surely there is a Sign in this, but most of them would not believe.

(26:122) Verily Your Lord is Immensely Mighty, Ever Compassionate.

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Commentary

74. Cf. al-A ‘raf7:59-64; Yunus 10:71-3; Had 11:25—-48; Bani Isra’il 17:3, al-Anbiya’ 21:76-7; al-Mu’minun 23:30, and al-Fuqan 25:37. Details of Noah’s life are found in al-‘Ankabut 29:14-15; al-Saffat 37:75-82; al-Qamar 54:9-15 and the whole of Surah Nuh (Surah 71).

75. True, they Had rejected only one Messenger. But such rejection, in the sight of God, amounts to the rejection of all Messengers, for all of them brought the same Message from God. This is a very important principle which is stated in the Qur’an at various places and in a variety of ways: that those who do not believe in .one Messenger of God, even though they might believe in other Messengers, are unbelievers. (See al- Baqarah 2:285). This is so because anyone who believes in the Message of the Messengers is also bound to believe in all those who brought that Message. Now if someone does not believe in one Messenger but believes in all others, he possibly does so either because of his chauvinistic affinity with the collective entity to which those Messengers belong, or else does so for no other reason than the blind imitation of the customs and traditions of his people. In any case, his belief in those Messengers is not grounded in the affirmation of the institution of Prophecy and Revelation. For it is .

hard to conceive that a person would accept the Truth if it is presented by one, and would reject it when it is presented by another.

76. At other places, this initial sermon by Noah to his people is mentioned in the following manner: “Serve Allah; you have no deity other than He. Do — you have no fear?” (al-Muminun 23:23) and “Do worship Allah Alone and fear Him” (Nuh 71:3). Therefore, the use of the word “fear” (see al-Muminun 23:23) does not mean “fear” as such, but “fear of Allah”.

The purpose of the verse is to urge people to fear God. This is expressed, however, in the form of a question which amounts to saying: “Have you become so fearless of God that you worship others than the One True God and do not care to think of the disaster to which this posture of defiance will lead you?” The wisdom underlying this admonition, at the very outset of Noah’s mission, is to emphasize that if a person or community is not warned against the dire consequences of choosing an erroneous worldview, they will pay no attention to the Truth or to the arguments that support it. The desire to seek the Truth arises in a person’s heart when he fears that a wrong choice will bring about his undoing.

77. This has two meanings: first, that Noah did not present before them anything of his own accord; he merely conveyed to them what God Had asked him to convey. He neither added anything to nor omitted anything from it.

Second, that Noah was a Messenger of God whom they Had known for a long time; even before he embarked on his mission, they Had Known him as an honest and trustworthy person. If he was honest in his dealings with God’s creatures, a how could he possibly be dishonest with God? Therefore, it was for them to realize that when Noah expounded any religious teachings on behalf of God, one could trust him no less than one would trust him in worldly matters.

78. Since the Prophet (peace be on him) was a trustworthy Messenger of a God, it was incumbent on people to obey him for he spoke on God’s behalf, and hence obeying him was tantamount, to obeying God. In like manner, disobeying him did not simply mean disobeying the commands of a mortal, but amounted to disobeying God. In other words, it is not enough to merely accept the Messenger as the true Messenger of God. Rather, as soon as one accepts him as the true Messenger, one becomes bound to disregard all other laws and follow the law that he expounds. To accept someone who is a true Messenger of God as His Messenger and still not to accept his commands as binding amounts to rebellion against God and incurs God's Wrath. That is why before asking people to believe and obey, they are asked to fear ‘God in order that everyone understands the consequences of denying the status of a true Messenger and of not accepting his commands as binding.

79. This is the second argument which Noah put forward in support of his truthfulness. The first argument consisted of Noah’s contention that he Had spent a lifetime among his people and that they Had known him as an honest and trustworthy person. The second argument consists of asking them to reflect over the fact that he did not stand to gain anything by his preaching, that he Had no vested interest in doing so. On the contrary, he was tiring himself out by calling people, day in and day out, to the Truth. He devoted all his energy and endured al} kinds of opposition and hardship in order that his Message might prosper. All this should make it quite evident that he was absolutely sincere in his mission. It was also clear that he was expounding what he knew to be true and was conducive to the good of all humanity. Quite obviously, this was not actuated by any ulterior motive, a motive that might have prompted him, God forbid, to fabricate lies and propagate them.

These two aspects are among the. fundamental arguments which the Qur’an presents over and over again to establish the truthfulness of the Prophets and which also lay down the criteria by which to judge their truthfulness. It is impossible for someone who has spent his whole life among his people as a righteous and trustworthy person before attaining to the office of Prophet hood to suddenly come up with a huge lie and falsely claim to be a Prophet if God Had, indeed, not designated him as one.

The second and even more important point is that when such a false claim is made, it is made from self-interest. For when someone lies, he does so out of some vested interest. When he engages acts of deceit out of self-interest, this does not remain hidden from people despite his best efforts. That he is pursuing his interest and pandering to his own greed becomes very evident from the methods he uses to bolster his religious position, the manner in which he fleeces his devotees, the advantages he obtains in running public kitchens with charitable pretensions, the manner in which he amasses fortunes, the way he obtains precious jewelry, and the whole set of arrangements as a result of which the natural simplicity of spiritual enlightenment gradually gives way to the splendor of royal courts. Contrariwise, the personal life of a Prophet is characterized by the best of moral attributes, so much so that everything about his life and character is transparent. He devotes all! what he has to his cause without there being even a trace of self-interest in his striving. In such circumstances, there are no grounds for any rational person to doubt that person’s claim to be a Prophet: No.one who is rational and fair-minded can imagine that Such a person, who once lived a comfortable and peaceful life among his folk would have suddenly fabricated an. enormous lie, especially when he was not going to gain anything out of it. On the contrary, how could he have fabricated such a lie when he knew that what he would teach would provoke the enmity of a very large number of people. The sacrifice of one’s interests. is the strongest evidence of a person’s sincerity? If a person doubts the sincerity and veracity of someone who has sacrificed his interests for years on end, it is indicative, if anything, of his own male fides. (For more details see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. VI, al-Muminun 23: n. 70; pp. 115-16.)

80. The refrain “... fear Allah and obey me” is not without reason. In verse 108, the command to “fear Allah” relates to the statement preceding it: “I am a trustworthy Messenger to you”, this in the sense that if people feel tempted to deny the truthfulness of a veracious and genuine Messenger of God whom they already knew to be honest, they should desist from doing so out of fear of God. In the present verse, the expression “fear Allah” means that if people are inclined to doubt the motives of the Messenger who, in fact, is sincerely working for the good of all humanity and who does not seek any reward from them for his work, they Had better abstain from doing so out of fear of God. The reason for stressing this point being that Noah’s people Had stated that he was calling them to the Truth in order to impose his superiority over them: “This is none other than a mortal ... who desires to gain superiority over you ...” (al-Muminun 23:24).

81. Those who said this in response to Noah’s Message were the chiefs the elders, and the leaders of Noah’s nation as mentioned elsewhere in the Qur'an: “The notables among Noah’s own people, who Had refused to follow him, responded: ‘We merely consider you a human being like ourselves. Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason. We see nothing in you to suggest that you are any better than us. Rather, we believe you to be liars’” (Hud 11:27). This shows that those who believed in Noah were mostly poor and belonged to the working classes, or were young men with no social standing among their people. The rich and the influential Had become Noah’s bitter enemies and were trying to keep people in bondage by recourse to deceit and subterfuge. One of the arguments they advanced against Noah was that Had there been any truth in Noah’s claim, the chiefs, the notables, the religious leaders, scholars and the wise men of the nation would have followed him. But none them Had accepted Noah’s claim. Only a few people from the lower classes has become his followers. How, then, could people belonging to the higher strata of society join the company of those lowly people?

Significantly. this is precisely what the Quraysh used to say at out the Prophet (peace be on him): that his followers were either slaves, poor or young who lacked maturity. None of the chiefs and the nobles of the community Had joined him. Abu Sufyan also demonstrated this aspect of the Prophet (peace be on him) while answering the questions of Heraclius: “Only the poor and the weak among us have become his followers.” This Hadith has been reported in Bukhari and Muslim and other authentic sources but with a slight variation.

(See Bukhari, ‘K. Bad’ al-Wahy', ‘Bab Kayf Kana Bad’ al-Wahy ila Rasul Allah, Muslim, ‘K. al-Jihdd wa al-Siyar’, ‘Bab Kitab al-Nabi Sallalahu alayhi wa Sallam ila Harqal yad uhu ila al-Islam’.) In other words, their argument was that the Truth was only what was recognized as such by the leaders of the community because they alone enjoyed wisdom and mature judgement. As for the commoners, they were devoid of sound reason. The fact of their being poor and lowly was, in itself, a proof against their maturity. Therefore, if they accepted some doctrine and the leaders did not, that automatically meant that that doctrine was worthless. The Makkan polytheists went even further they claimed that a commoner could not be a Prophet. If God really wanted to send a Prophet, they contended, He would have chosen someone from among the nobles: “And they also say, ‘Why was this Qur’an not revealed to some great man of the two cities?’ “(al-Zukhruf 43:31).

82. This is the first answer to their objection. As already stated, their objection was based on the assumption that since the poor, the working classes and the people of lower social strata, as a rule, do not possess the requisite mental faculties and are devoid of. knowledge and wisdom, hence their acceptance of a Faith has no rational basis, and their actions, beliefs and thoughts are of no value. In answer to this objection, Noah said that he Had no way of knowing what were the inner motives of those who Had accepted his Message nor of who, in fact Had begun to live according to its teachings. He could not judge the intentions of others it was for God Alone to do so.

83. This is the second answer to their objection. Their objection implied that those who Had accepted Noah’s Prophet hood were from the lower classes; hence, none from the upper classes would care to join them. In other words, they said: “O Noah, by believing in you, we will become like those lowly people.

How can we do that? How can we Join the ranks of the poor, the slaves, the laborers and the workers?” On the other hand, Noah’s answer amounted to saying the following: “How can J be so unreasonable as to pursue endlessly.

those who do not accept my call and contemptuously alienate those who have accepted it and follow me? I am calling all to accept the Truth. I have proclaimed to the people as loudly as I could that their way is false and will lead to disaster.

I am only a selfless caller and the salvation of all lies in following the way, to which I am calling. It is up to each and every individual to decide the way that he wants to choose. Whoever so desires can accept my Message and come to the Right Path; and whoever wants to keep going blindly on the way leading to a disastrous end, can do so. But I cannot ask God’s servants, who have given heed to my warming and have come to the Right Way, what is their lineage or their profession or their status. I cannot spurn them just because they are low in your eyes, and then sit and wait until the so-called nobility gives up its false ways and chooses for itself the Right Way.” The Makkan unbelievers’ attitude towards the Prophet (peace be on him) was the same as that of Noah’s people towards him. If we bear this is mind, we can appreciate why the conversation between Noah and the notables of his nation is being narrated here. The chiefs of the Makkan unbelievers used to say to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be-on him): “How can we sit with the likes of Bilal and ‘Ammar and Suhayb who are slaves and ordinary working class people?” In other words, they were saying that if somehow those “lowly” people left the ranks of the believers, they could consider Joining the fold. In other words, they were saying, how could slaves and masters form part of the same fold and sit together? God clearly directed the Prophet (peace be on him) not to reject the poor who Had accepted the true Faith for the sake of those haughty folk who Had rejected it: [O Muhammad!] You attend earnestly to him who has shown indifference [to your Message] although you have no responsibility if he does not purify himself and you are neglectful of him who comes to you earnestly; fearing Allah. Nay, it is indeed a good counsel, so let him who wills, pay - heed to it (‘Abasa 80:5-12.) And do not drive away those who invoke their Lord ‘in the morning and the evening, seeking His pleasure all the time. You are by no means accountable for them just as they are by no means accountable for you. If you still drive them away, you will become among the wrongdoers.

Thus We have made some of them a means for testing others, so that they should say: “Are these the ones among us upon whom Allah has bestowed His favor”? Yes, does Allah not know well who are the thankful? (al-An‘am 6: 52-3.)

84. La-takunanna min al-marjumin can have two meanings. First, that you will be stoned to death; and second, that you will be showered with abuses and curses and will be reviled wherever you go. Linguistically, both meanings are equally valid.

85. That is, they Had definitively and categorically rejected him, denouncing him as a liar and there was no hope that they would accept and believe in his Message.

The brevity of this verse may lead some people to believe that what happened consisted of Noah going to his people, conveying his Message to them, they rejecting him, he reporting their rejection to God and asking Him to decide between him and them. That, however, was not at all the case. The Qur’an mentions, on many occasions, the details of the long struggle, spread over centuries, that went on between Noah and his people after he conveyed the Message to them which they greeted with willful and defiant rejection. In Surah al- ‘Ankabut, a period of struggle spanning nine hundred and fifty years is mentioned: “He {Noah] remained among them for a thousand years save fifty” (29:14). During this long period, Noah observed the behavior of several generations of his people, finally concluding that they Had lost the ability to accept the Truth and that there was no hope of there being honest and righteous people among their offspring: “My Lord. if You leave them, they will lead Your servants astray, and they will bear children who will be sinners and unbelievers” (Nuh 71: 27). God Himself confirmed Noah’s statement, saying: “It was revealed to Noah that no more of your people, other than those who already believe, will ever come to believe. So do not grieve over T their deeds” (Had 11:36.).

86. The words: “... So pass a clear judgement between t me and them and rescue me and the believers.” clearly indicate what Noah prayed for. He did not beseech. God simply to a verdict that would establish who was right and who was wrong, but that He should deliver it in such a manner that the followers of the Truth would be rescued and the followers of falsehood be totally annihilated.

87. “Thereafter We rescued him and those who were with him in the laden Ark”, means that the Ark contained all the believers and a pair of each of the animal species that God Had asked Noah to take along with him. For details see Hud 11:40.