وَ لَقَدْ And verily اَرْسَلْنَا We sent نُوْحًا Nuh اِلٰی to قَوْمِهٖۤ ؗ his people اِنِّیْ Indeed I am لَكُمْ to you نَذِیْرٌ a warner مُّبِیْنٌۙ clear اَنْ That لَّا (do) not تَعْبُدُوْۤا worship اِلَّا except اللّٰهَ ؕ Allah اِنِّیْۤ Indeed I اَخَافُ [I] fear عَلَیْكُمْ for you عَذَابَ (the) punishment یَوْمٍ (of) a Day اَلِیْمٍ painful فَقَالَ So said الْمَلَاُ the chiefs الَّذِیْنَ (of) those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieved مِنْ from قَوْمِهٖ his people مَا Not نَرٰىكَ we see you اِلَّا but بَشَرًا a man مِّثْلَنَا like us وَ مَا and not نَرٰىكَ we see you اتَّبَعَكَ followed [you] اِلَّا except الَّذِیْنَ those who هُمْ [they] اَرَاذِلُنَا (are) the lowest of us بَادِیَ immature in opinion الرَّاْیِ ۚ immature in opinion وَ مَا And not نَرٰی we see لَكُمْ in you عَلَیْنَا over us مِنْ any فَضْلٍۭ merit بَلْ nay نَظُنُّكُمْ we think you كٰذِبِیْنَ (are) liars قَالَ He said یٰقَوْمِ O my people اَرَءَیْتُمْ Do you see اِنْ if كُنْتُ I was عَلٰی on بَیِّنَةٍ (the) clear proof مِّنْ from رَّبِّیْ my Lord وَ اٰتٰىنِیْ while He has given me رَحْمَةً mercy مِّنْ from عِنْدِهٖ Himself فَعُمِّیَتْ but (it) has been obscured عَلَیْكُمْ ؕ from you اَنُلْزِمُكُمُوْهَا should We compel you (to accept) it وَ اَنْتُمْ while you (are) لَهَا averse to it كٰرِهُوْنَ averse to it
(11:25) (Such were the circumstances) when We sent forth Noah to his people.29 (He said): 'I have been sent to you to warn you plainly
(11:26) that you may worship none but Allah or else I fear for you the chastisement of a Grievous Day.30
(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?
29. It is pertinent at this stage to bear in mind Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. Ill, al-A‘raf 7: 59-64, nn. 47-50, pp. 37-42.
30. Substantially, the same warning was delivered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) in the first few verses (viz. 2-3) of this surah.
31. This is exactly the same absurd objection which the Makkans raised against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). They found it inconceivable that a mortal like themselves who ate and drank, walked and slept, and who also had a family could be designated a Messenger by God. (See Ya Sin 36, n. 11; al-Shura. 42, n. 41.)
32. Again, it is noteworthy that the same objection raised by Noah’s people against him was raised by the Makkans against the Prophet (peace be on him).
The objection being that it is only persons of insignificant position who joined the Prophet’s (peace be on him) ranks. They, thus, tried to belittle both the Message and the Messenger by highlighting that his followers were either a few raw youths, a bunch of slaves, or a group of feeble-minded and superstitious commoners from the lower rungs of society. (See Towards Understanding the Qur’ an, vol. Il, al-An‘am 6, nn. 34-7, pp. 235-7, and Yunus 10, n. 78, p. 57 above.)
33. The believers claimed that they enjoyed God’s favor and mercy, and that those who chose to deviate from their way were subject to God’s wrath.
The unbelievers denied this claim. They contended that there was no evidence in support of such a supposition. The unbelievers further argued in opposition to the believers’ contention, that it was they, the unbelievers, who enjoyed God’s favor. They had riches, political power and influence, and.an army of servants to serve them and to carry out their behests. How could it ever be imagined, therefore, that the believers — whose lot was simply miserable — were God’s favorites?
34. This amounts to virtually repeating the statement mentioned earlier (see verse 17 and n. 17 ff. above). The statement suggested that the Prophet (peace be on him) had reached the stage of affirming the unity of God as a result of his own reflection. Where after, God favored him by designating him a Prophet and providing him with direct knowledge of the truths about which his heart was already convinced.
This also shows that the Prophets attain belief regarding the realm of the Unseen before they are appointed to the office of prophethood. When they are subsequently designated Prophets, they are endowed with faith in the truths belonging to the realm of the Unseen as a result of direct knowledge of those truths.