Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 37 As-Saffat, Ayat 75-82

وَلَقَدۡ نَادٰٮنَا نُوۡحٌ فَلَنِعۡمَ الۡمُجِيۡبُوۡنَ  ۖ‏ ﴿37:75﴾ وَنَجَّيۡنٰهُ وَاَهۡلَهٗ مِنَ الۡكَرۡبِ الۡعَظِيۡمِ  ۖ‏ ﴿37:76﴾ وَجَعَلۡنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهٗ هُمُ الۡبٰقِيۡنَ  ۖ‏ ﴿37:77﴾ وَتَرَكۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ فِى الۡاٰخِرِيۡنَ  ۖ‏ ﴿37:78﴾ سَلٰمٌ عَلٰى نُوۡحٍ فِى الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿37:79﴾ اِنَّا كَذٰلِكَ نَجۡزِى الۡمُحۡسِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿37:80﴾ اِنَّهٗ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا الۡمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿37:81﴾ ثُمَّ اَغۡرَقۡنَا الۡاٰخَرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿37:82﴾

(37:75) Noah39 had called upon Us (earlier).40 See, how excellent We were in answering him! (37:76) We delivered him and his household from the great calamity;41 (37:77) and made his offspring the only ones to survive,42 (37:78) and We established for him a good name among posterity. (37:79) Peace be upon Noah among all the nations.43 (37:80) Thus do We reward all those who do good. (37:81) Surely he was one of Our truly believing servants. (37:82) Thereafter We caused the others to be drowned.

Notes

39. This theme is related with the preceding sentences. A study of them shows why these stories are being narrated here.

40. This refers to the prayer that the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) had at last made to Allah Almighty, being disappointed with his people, after having preached the true faith to them for a very long period of time, without much success. This prayer has been related in Surah Al- Qamar, thus: He called out to his Lord, saying: I am overcome: take now Thy vengeance.( verse 10).

41. That is, from the severe distress that was being caused to him on account of the continuous opposition and antagonism of a wicked and cruel people. This also contains a subtle allusion that just as the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) and his companions were saved from the great distress, so We will also ultimately save the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions from the great distress that is being caused to them by the people of Makkah.

42. This can have two meanings.

(1) That the progeny of the people who were opposing the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) was made extinct and the Prophet Noah’s progeny alone was allowed to survive.

(2) That the whole human race was made extinct, and only the Prophet Noah’s progeny was allowed to inhabit the earth after that. The commentators generally have adopted this second meaning, but the words of the Quran are not explicit in this regard and no one knows the reality except Allah.

43. That is there is none in the world today, who would talk evil of the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him). After the flood till today the world has been praising and speaking well of him for thousands of years.