وَ لَقَدْ And verily اَرْسَلْنَا We sent نُوْحًا Nuh اِلٰی to قَوْمِهٖ his people فَقَالَ and he said یٰقَوْمِ O my people! اعْبُدُوا Worship اللّٰهَ Allah مَا not لَكُمْ for you مِّنْ (is) any اِلٰهٍ god غَیْرُهٗ ؕ other than Him اَفَلَا Then will not تَتَّقُوْنَ you fear فَقَالَ But said الْمَلَؤُا the chiefs الَّذِیْنَ (of) those who كَفَرُوْا disbelieved مِنْ among قَوْمِهٖ his people مَا This is not هٰذَاۤ This is not اِلَّا but بَشَرٌ a man مِّثْلُكُمْ ۙ like you یُرِیْدُ he wishes اَنْ to یَّتَفَضَّلَ assert (his) superiority عَلَیْكُمْ ؕ over you وَ لَوْ and if شَآءَ Allah had willed اللّٰهُ Allah had willed لَاَنْزَلَ surely He (would have) sent down مَلٰٓىِٕكَةً ۖۚ Angels مَّا Not سَمِعْنَا we heard بِهٰذَا of this فِیْۤ from اٰبَآىِٕنَا our forefathers الْاَوَّلِیْنَۚ our forefathers اِنْ Not هُوَ he اِلَّا (is) but رَجُلٌۢ a man بِهٖ in him جِنَّةٌ (is) madness فَتَرَبَّصُوْا so wait بِهٖ concerning him حَتّٰی until حِیْنٍ a time قَالَ He said رَبِّ My Lord! انْصُرْنِیْ Help me بِمَا because كَذَّبُوْنِ they deny me فَاَوْحَیْنَاۤ So We inspired اِلَیْهِ to him اَنِ That اصْنَعِ construct الْفُلْكَ the ship بِاَعْیُنِنَا under Our eyes وَ وَحْیِنَا and Our inspiration فَاِذَا then when جَآءَ comes اَمْرُنَا Our Command وَ فَارَ and gushes forth التَّنُّوْرُ ۙ the oven فَاسْلُكْ then put فِیْهَا into it مِنْ of كُلٍّ every (kind) زَوْجَیْنِ (of) mates اثْنَیْنِ two وَ اَهْلَكَ and your family اِلَّا except مَنْ those سَبَقَ (has) preceded عَلَیْهِ against whom الْقَوْلُ the Word مِنْهُمْ ۚ thereof وَ لَا And (do) not تُخَاطِبْنِیْ address Me فِی concerning الَّذِیْنَ those who ظَلَمُوْا ۚ wronged اِنَّهُمْ indeed they مُّغْرَقُوْنَ (are) the ones to be drowned 23. Al-Mu'minun Page 344 فَاِذَا And when اسْتَوَیْتَ you (have) boarded اَنْتَ you وَ مَنْ and whoever مَّعَكَ (is) with you عَلَی [on] الْفُلْكِ the ship فَقُلِ then say الْحَمْدُ Praise لِلّٰهِ (be) to Allah الَّذِیْ Who نَجّٰىنَا (has) saved us مِنَ from الْقَوْمِ the people الظّٰلِمِیْنَ the wrongdoers." وَ قُلْ And say رَّبِّ My Lord اَنْزِلْنِیْ cause me to land مُنْزَلًا (at) a landing place مُّبٰرَكًا blessed وَّ اَنْتَ and You خَیْرُ (are) the Best الْمُنْزِلِیْنَ (of) those who cause to" اِنَّ Indeed فِیْ in ذٰلِكَ that لَاٰیٰتٍ surely (are) Signs وَّ اِنْ and indeed كُنَّا We are لَمُبْتَلِیْنَ surely testing ثُمَّ Then اَنْشَاْنَا We produced مِنْۢ after them بَعْدِهِمْ after them قَرْنًا a generation اٰخَرِیْنَۚ another فَاَرْسَلْنَا And We sent فِیْهِمْ among them رَسُوْلًا a Messenger مِّنْهُمْ from themselves اَنِ [that] اعْبُدُوا Worship اللّٰهَ Allah مَا not لَكُمْ for you مِّنْ (is) any اِلٰهٍ god غَیْرُهٗ ؕ other than Him اَفَلَا Then will not تَتَّقُوْنَ۠ you fear
(23:23) We sent Noah to his people,24 and he said: "My people! Serve Allah; you have no deity other than He. Do you have no fear?"25
(23:24) But the notables among his people had refused to believe, and said: "This is none other than a mortal like yourselves26 who desires to attain superiority over you.27 Had Allah wanted (to send any Messengers) He would have sent down angels.27a We have heard nothing like this in the time of our forebears of old (that humans were sent as Messengers).
(23:25) He is a person who has been seized with a little madness; so wait for a while (perhaps he will improve)."
(23:26) Noah said: "My Lord! Come to my help at their accusation that I am lying."28
(23:27) Thereupon We revealed to him, saying: "Build the Ark under Our eyes and according to Our revelation. And when Our command comes to pass29 and the oven boils over, take on board a pair each from every species, and also take your household except those of them against whom sentence has already been passed and do not plead to Me on behalf of the wrong-doers. They are doomed to be drowned.
(23:28) And then when you and those accompanying you are firmly seated in the Ark, say: "Thanks be to Allah Who has delivered us from the wrong-doing people."30
(23:29) And say: "My Lord! Make my landing a blessed landing, for You are the Best of those Who can cause people to land in safety."31
(23:30) There are great Signs in this story;32 and surely We do put people to test.33
(23:31) Then, after them, We brought forth another generation;34
(23:32) and We sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, saying: "Serve Allah; you have no god other than He. Do you have no fear?"
24. For comparison see al-A ‘raf 7: 59-64; Yunus 10: 71-3; Had 11:25 and 48; Bani Isra’il 17: 3; and al-Anbiya’ 21: 76-7.
25. The unbelievers are asked: do they not have fear when they worship other than their true God? Are they not fearful of the terrible consequences of serving and obeying others than the One True God when they live in the realm of He Who is the true Lord and Master of the whole universe and of themselves as well?
26. All those who have wandered away from the True Path share one common error — that a human being cannot become a Prophet; and that Prophets are not human beings. It is for this reason that the Qur’an repeatedly declared this idea to be altogether false, emphasizing that all the Prophets were human The Qur’an also says that in order to carry out the functions of the Prophetic office effectively, he who is sent to human beings should be one of them (See for further details al-A ‘raf 7: 63 and 69; Yunus 10: 2; Hud 11: 27 and 31; Yusuf 12: 109; al-Ra‘d 13: 38; Ibrahim 14: 10-11; al-Nahl 16: 43; Bani Isra’il 17: 94-5; al-Kahf 18: 110; al-Anbiya’ 21: 3 and 34; al-Muminun 23: 33 and 47; Fussilat 41: 6 and also the relevant notes.)
27. The enemies of the truth have always been wont to charge that the activity of reformers is actuated by their hunger for power. This very charge was levelled by Pharaoh against Moses and Aaron and was phrased in the form of the following question ‘Have you come to turn us away from the way of our forefathers that the two of you might become supreme in the land?’ (Yunus 10: 78). The Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) was also subjected to a similar accusation: that he was striving to become the king of the Jews. The unbelieving Quraysh entertained the same suspicion about the Prophet “| Muhammad (peace be on him). Hence, they made several attempts to entice him into striking a bargain with them. They suggested that if he sought power, they were willing to accept him as their sovereign.
It is inconceivable for those who ceaselessly hanker after worldly benefits, after pomp and glory, to appreciate that anyone can strive simply for the good of mankind, and that all such striving be absolutely sincere and selfless. Such people are wont to come up, every now and then, with catchy slogans and lay false claims to be working for the common welfare of all. They do so even though the true purpose of their effort is nothing else but to achieve power and influence. Furthermore, they regard craftiness and deception as absolutely natural. No wonder then that they tend to believe that no one can call for reform sincerely and altruistically. If someone does call for reform, he must inevitably be prompted, like them, by some ulterior motive. For example, as a subterfuge for the realization of his own selfish designs.
It-is also interesting that accusations of hungering after power are always hurled at reformers by those who have been able to entrench themselves in power or by their sycophantic cronies. They seem to believe that the power they enjoy is their birth-right. Hence, if they strive to wrest power from others and to perpetuate their hold on it, all is viewed as perfectly legitimate. But it becomes altogether objectionable if anyone else, someone who has no birthright to enjoy power, shows the least sign of hungering for it. (For further elaboration seen. 36 below.) It is pertinent at this stage to point out that whoever rises with the purpose of purging the prevalent order of its evils and expounds a reformist idea and program is bound to confront the forces that obstruct and oppose such reform. In time, the reformer will naturally make efforts to remove these obstructions, and seek to bring to power those forces that will implement and enforce his ideas and programs. Additionally, if and when the call for such reform succeeds, that reformer will naturally be invested with leadership and will himself either hold the reins of power, or bring to power some of his supporters and followers. Can we identify any single: Prophet or reformer whose efforts were not directed at the implementation of his Message? Who of them did not assume the leadership of his people after his call attained - success? Given that, does the mere fact of someone’s assuming the leadership of his people suffice to accuse him of being power-hungry? It is only those implacable enemies of the truth who can answer this question in the affirmative.
In point of fact, there is a world of difference between seeking power for its own sake and seeking it for a good cause. This difference can be understood if we compare the dagger of a bandit with the knife of a surgeon. Now, it is possible that someone might claim that there is no difference between the bandit’s use of his dagger and the surgeon’s use of his instruments, i.e. both pierce another person’s body with a sharp instrument. Moreover, both of them acquire money from their action. The preposterousness of this line of argument is all too evident even to be stated. For, the two persons radically differ from each other in respect of their intentions and objectives, their modus operandi and their overall role and character. If this were not so, they would not be known by two different names, bandit and surgeon.
27a. This statement makes it incontrovertibly clear that the people of Noah (peace be on him) did not deny the existence of God. Nor did they deny that God is the Lord of the universe Who has all angels subservient to His authority. Thus, Noah’s people were guilty of polytheism rather than of atheism; guilty of associating others with the attributes, power and authority of God rather than denying His existence.
28. The Prophet Noah implored God to punish those who had been accusing him of deceit: ‘Then he called on his Lord: “I am one overcome; help me, then, to victory” (al-Qamar 54: 10). The Qur’an also mentions that: ‘And Noah said: “O my Lord! Leave not any of the unbelievers, not a single one of them on earth! For if You leave any of them, they will but mislead Your servants, and they will breed none but those that are wicked and ungrateful” (Nah 71: 26-7).
29. Some scholars are inclined to interpret the word al-tannur to mean the earth. Others have considered it to be the highest point of the earth, and others that it means sunrise. Other scholars though set it as a metaphor, the blowing up of tannur being merely a figure of speech such as the expression meaning the boiling up-of turbulence.
There seems little reason, however, to interpret this word figuratively in disregard of its literal meaning. The verse seems to suggest that a particular oven was indeed designated aforetime as the place from which water would start gushing forth. Such an incident, it was believed, would mark the beginning of the Flood. Now, one may feel the need to interpret this word figuratively. only if one is not prepared to accept that a flood of such gigantic proportions could have commenced with the eruption of water from an oven.
The fact that the starting-point of such an enormous flood was an oven simply shows that the ways of God are indeed strange. Once He decides to inflict a nation with scourge, He strikes from a direction which is even beyond the ken of their imagination.
30. It is significant that God commanded Noah (peace be on him) to thank Him for the total annihilation of a people. This is clear proof of the extent to which the people of Noah (peace be on him) were involved in corruption, wickedness and criminal mischief.
31. To make someone land at a certain place, according to Arabic idiom, has the connotation of entertaining and playing host to him. This Prayer, therefore, amounts to saying to God: ‘From now on we are Your guests, and You are our hosts.”
32. This story is full of lessons. Through it we learn that the Prophets who called mankind to monotheism were right whereas those who insisted on polytheism were wrong. It is significant that this was also true of Makka in the time of the Prophet (peace be on him). In fact, the Makkan situation at the time of the Prophet Muhammad closely resembled the situation which obtained in the time of the Prophet Noah (peace be on them). Additionally, the role of the Prophet Muhammad was similar to the role of the Prophet Noah (peace be on them). Likewise, the attitude of the Makkans at the time of Muhammad (peace be on him) was similar to that of Noah’s people.
This suggests, in a subtle manner, that the unbelieving Makkans were bound to meet the same fate which had befallen Noah’s people. God’s Judgement might take some time but it was bound to come and when it did, it would undoubtedly be in favor of the votaries of the truth and against the unbelievers.
33. Alternatively, the verse might be translated as follows: ‘We had to put them to test’ or ‘We have to put them to test.’ Whatever be the truly correct translation of the verse, its thrust is to warn people. The warning consisted of bringing home to Noah’s people that God does not allow any people whom He has invested with authority and power in any part of His earth to go about doing as they wish, and if they do that God will not hold them to account. On the contrary, it is God’s rule that such people are constantly under observation. They are watched in order to establish whether they abuse the power that has been bestowed upon them. What befell Noah’s people was strictly according to this rule? No nation is God’s favorite to such an extent that He leaves them free to go about pouncing upon the treasures of the world, and never calling them to account for their deeds.
All have to go through this process.
34. Some scholars consider this to refer to the Thamud. For it is said a little later in this surah that the people of the Thamud were destroyed by a blast (see verse 41 below). We learn from the Qur’an that it was indeed the Thamud who were thus destroyed (Hud 11: 67; al-Hijr 15: 83; al-Qamar 54: 31). According to other scholars, however, this verse refers to the ‘Ad since it is they who succeeded Noah’s people: And do call to mind when He made successors after the people of Noah’ (al-A ‘raf 7: 69). The latter opinion seems more plausible and seems to be corroborated by the words ‘.. . after the people of Noah’.
As for the reference to the sayhah (see, for example, Hud 11: 67 etc.) was not specific to the Them. For it may be taken, in its general senses to be the scourge which caused death on a massive scale. Moreover, the word sayhah is also used for that hue and cry which takes place at the time of death on massive scale, whatever its actual cause.