Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 10 Yunus, Ayat 71-73

وَاتۡلُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَبَاَ نُوۡحٍ​ۘ اِذۡ قَالَ لِقَوۡمِهٖ يٰقَوۡمِ اِنۡ كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيۡكُمۡ مَّقَامِىۡ وَتَذۡكِيۡرِىۡ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ فَعَلَى اللّٰهِ تَوَكَّلۡتُ فَاَجۡمِعُوۡۤا اَمۡرَكُمۡ وَشُرَكَآءَكُمۡ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُنۡ اَمۡرُكُمۡ عَلَيۡكُمۡ غُمَّةً ثُمَّ اقۡضُوۡۤا اِلَىَّ وَ لَا تُنۡظِرُوۡنِ‏ ﴿10:71﴾ فَاِنۡ تَوَلَّـيۡتُمۡ فَمَا سَاَلۡـتُكُمۡ مِّنۡ اَجۡرٍ​ؕاِنۡ اَجۡرِىَ اِلَّا عَلَى اللّٰهِ​ۙ وَاُمِرۡتُ اَنۡ اَكُوۡنَ مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿10:72﴾ فَكَذَّبُوۡهُ فَنَجَّيۡنٰهُ وَمَنۡ مَّعَهٗ فِى الۡـفُلۡكِ وَجَعَلۡنٰهُمۡ خَلٰٓـئِفَ وَاَغۡرَقۡنَا الَّذِيۡنَ كَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا​ ۚ فَانْظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الۡمُنۡذَرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿10:73﴾

(10:71) And narrate to them the story of Noah69 when he said to his people: 'My people! If my living in your midst and my effort to shake you out of heedlessness by reciting to you the revelations of Allah offend you, then remember that I have put all my trust in Allah. So draw up your plan in concert with those whom you associate with Allah in His divinity, leaving no part of it obscure, and then put it into effect against me, and give me no respite.70 (10:72) When you turned your back on my admonition (what harm did you cause me?) I had asked of you no reward, for my reward lies only with Allah, and I am commanded to be of those who totally submit (to Allah)1. (10:73) But they rejected Noah, calling him a liar. So We saved him and those who were with him in the Ark, and made them successors (to the authority in the land), and drowned all those who had rejected Our signs as false. Consider, then, the fate of those who had been warned (and still did not believe).

Notes

69. The story of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) has been related here to serve as a warning to those who were rejecting the Message of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Up to this place, arguments had been presented before them to show the errors of their creeds, thoughts and ways, and impressive appeals had been made to them to adopt the right way. But from here onward they are being warned of the consequences of the attitude they had adopted towards their Messenger and admonished indirectly to learn a lesson from the fate of Prophet Noah’s (peace be upon him) people, who had behaved towards their Prophet like the Quraish, the addressees. The Prophet had been pointing out to them in a very befitting manner their errors and deviations, and was trying to correct them. But instead of considering and reconsidering these things, they had become his mortal enemies, though he had no self-interest in his Mission and was extending the Message for their good, but they responded to his arguments with rudeness, abuses and stones. So much so that his very person had become intolerable and unbearable for them. This was because of their prejudices against the right way, which had so blinded them that they could not tolerate even the presence of the one who was following the right way. At this Allah commanded His Messenger (peace be upon him) to recite to them the story of Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) so that they might get in it the answer to their misbehavior towards him.

70. This was a challenge that amounted to this: I am not going to give up my mission at all, whatever you may do against me, for I have my full trust in Allah. See (Ayat 55 of Surah Hud).