Surah 71. Nuh

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Verses [Section]: 1-20[1], 21-28 [2]

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Quran Text of Verse 21-28قَالَSaidنُوْحٌNuhرَّبِّMy Lord!اِنَّهُمْIndeed theyعَصَوْنِیْdisobeyed meوَ اتَّبَعُوْاand followedمَنْ(the one) whoلَّمْ(did) notیَزِدْهُincrease himمَالُهٗhis wealthوَ وَلَدُهٗۤand his childrenاِلَّاexceptخَسَارًاۚ(in) loss وَ مَكَرُوْاAnd they have plannedمَكْرًاa planكُبَّارًاۚgreat وَ قَالُوْاAnd they saidلَا(Do) notتَذَرُنَّleaveاٰلِهَتَكُمْyour godsوَ لَاand (do) notتَذَرُنَّleaveوَدًّاWaddوَّ لَاand notسُوَاعًا ۙ۬Suwaوَّ لَاand notیَغُوْثَYaguthوَ یَعُوْقَand Yauqوَ نَسْرًاۚand Nasr وَ قَدْAnd indeedاَضَلُّوْاthey have led astrayكَثِیْرًا ۚ۬manyوَ لَاAnd notتَزِدِincreaseالظّٰلِمِیْنَthe wrongdoersاِلَّاexceptضَلٰلًا (in) error مِمَّاBecause ofخَطِیْٓـٰٔتِهِمْtheir sinsاُغْرِقُوْاthey were drownedفَاُدْخِلُوْاthen made to enterنَارًا ۙ۬(the) Fireفَلَمْand notیَجِدُوْاthey foundلَهُمْfor themselvesمِّنْfromدُوْنِbesidesاللّٰهِAllahاَنْصَارًا any helpers وَ قَالَAnd saidنُوْحٌNuhرَّبِّMy Lord!لَا(Do) notتَذَرْleaveعَلَیonالْاَرْضِthe earthمِنَanyالْكٰفِرِیْنَ(of) the disbelieversدَیَّارًا (as) an inhabitant اِنَّكَIndeed YouاِنْifتَذَرْهُمْYou leave themیُضِلُّوْاthey will misleadعِبَادَكَYour slavesوَ لَاand notیَلِدُوْۤاthey will begetاِلَّاexceptفَاجِرًاa wickedكَفَّارًا a disbeliever رَبِّMy Lord!اغْفِرْForgiveلِیْmeوَ لِوَالِدَیَّand my parentsوَ لِمَنْand whoeverدَخَلَentersبَیْتِیَmy houseمُؤْمِنًاa believerوَّ لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَand believing menوَ الْمُؤْمِنٰتِ ؕand believing womenوَ لَاAnd (do) notتَزِدِincreaseالظّٰلِمِیْنَthe wrongdoersاِلَّاexceptتَبَارًا۠(in) destruction

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Translation of Verse 21-28

(71:21) Noah said: “My Lord, they did not pay heed to what I said, and followed those (nobles) whose possession of wealth and children has led them to an even greater loss.

(71:22) They contrived a plot of great magnitude.¹⁶

(71:23) They said: “Do not abandon your deities; do not abandon Wadd, nor Suwa, nor Yaghuth, nor Yauq, nor Nasr.¹⁷

(71:24) They have misled many. So do not enable these evildoers to increase in anything except straying (from the Right Way).”¹⁸

(71:25) And so they were drowned on account of their sins, and then cast into the Fire,¹⁹ and did not find any other than Allah,²⁰ to come forth to their help.

(71:26) Noah said: “My Lord, do not leave out of these unbelievers even a single dweller on earth,

(71:27) for certainly if You should leave them (alive), they will mislead Your servants, and will beget none but sinners and utter unbelievers.

(71:28) My Lord, forgive me and my parents, and whoever enters my house as a believer, and forgive all believers, both men and women, and do not increase the wrong-doers in anything except perdition.”

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Commentary

16. Reference is to the plots (makr) contrived by the chiefs to mislead the people about the Prophet Noah’s mission. Some of their objections were: “We see you as merely a human being like ourselves.” (Surah al-A ‘raf 7:63 and Surah Hud 11: 27); “Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, those who follow you without any proper reason.” (Surah Hid 11: 27); “Had Allah wanted (to send any Messenger) He would have sent down angels.” (Surah al-Muminun 23: 24); Had he been a Messenger, he should have possessed God’s treasures or access to the Unseen or would have been like an angel, free from all the human wants (Surah Hud 11: 31); “He has nothing in him to suggest that he is any better than us.” (Surah Hud 11: 27); “He only desires to have superiority over people.” (Surah al-Mu’minun 23; 24); “He is a person who has been seized with a little madness.” (Surah al-Muminun 23: 25) Almost the same allegations were hurled by the Quraysh chiefs against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to mislead people.

17. Here only some deities of the Prophet Noah’s people are mentioned whom the people of Arabia later on started worshipping. These and their shrines were scattered across the expanse of Arabia at the time of the advent of Islam. It is not unlikely that the survivors of the Flood may have related to their subsequent generations some account of these deities. When ignorance once again penetrated among their children, they made statues of the same idol and started worshipping those deities again.

Wadd was the deity of Bani Kalb ibn Wabrah, a branch of the Quda‘ah tribe. They had erected its temple at Dumat al-Jandal. In the ancient Arabian scrolls, itis mentioned as Waddam Abam. According to Kalbi, this idol had the form of an erroneous male figure. Members of the Quraysh tribe looked upon it as a deity and called it Wudd. It is not therefore surprising that one of the Arabs in history was named ‘Abd Wudd.

Suwa’ was the deity of the Hudhayl tribe and the idol was a female figure. Its temple was at Ruhat, a place in the vicinity of Yanbu’.

Yaghuth was the deity of the An’um and Madhjih tribes. The latter had installed its idol in a temple at Jurash, a town midway between Yemen and Hijaz. It bore the form of a lion. From this, some of the Quraysh bore the name, ‘Abd Yaghuth.

Ya’uq was the deity of Khaywan, a branch of the Hamdan tribe in Yemen. It had the form of a horse.

Nasr was the deity of Al-Dhu al-Kula’, a branch of the Humayr tribe. Its temple was located in Balkha’, and bore the form of a vulture. In the ancient scrolls of Saba’, it is referred to as Nasir. This temple was known as Bayte- Nasur and its devotees were called the people of Nasur. Many temples of ancient Arabia had the image of a vulture engraved on their doors.

18. As already explained in the introduction to this Surah, the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) did not invoke this curse simply out of impatience on his part. He did so after he had tried extremely hard to reform his people by constantly preaching his message for centuries and only then reached a point of utter desperation. In almost identical circumstances, the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) had cursed the Pharaoh and his people thus: “Our Lord! Obliterate their riches and harden their hearts that they may not believe until they observe the painful chastisement.” To this Allah responded: “The prayer of the two of you is accepted.” (Surah Yunus 10: 88-89) This curse was in accord with the divine plan, as in the case of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). The Qur’an states: “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 their deeds.” (Surah Hud 11: 36)

19. Not only were these culprits drowned, their souls were cast into the Fire immediately after their death. Exactly the same punishment was meted out to the Pharaoh and his people, as is mentioned in verses 45-46 of Surah al-Mu'min (for details see Surah al-Mu’min 40: n. 63). This verse affirms the existence of barzakh (the intermediary stage between this world and the Resurrection) and punishment therein.

20. They did not find any of their idols, whom they took as their patrons and protectors, to come forth to their aid. It served as a warning to the Makkan disbelievers that on being afflicted with divine punishment, their idols in whom they reposed so much trust, will not be of any avail.