11. Surah Hud

Commentary When warnings of punishment were given to opponents of Islam, they referred to the charities they contributed to and the social welfare work they did. With this testimonial of good deeds in their hands, why would they be punished? It is interesting that, in our time too, there are a lot of unaware Muslims who seem to be suffering from the same doubt. They look at disbelieving non-Muslims who impart a good image of their outward deeds and morals, are active in social work, give out in charities, and make roads, bridges, hospitals, free drinking water counters. This view leads them to hold the opinion that they were better than Muslims. This has been answered in the first (15) of the three verses cited above. In gist, the answer is that every deed, in order to be accepted as a source of salvation in the Hereafter, must fulfill the first condition of absolute sincerity - that this deed should have been done for the sake of Allah. And the only valid way of doing it for Allah is that it is done in accordance with the way taught and shown in practice by His Messenger. A person who simply does not believe in Allah and His Messenger is a person the sum total of whose deeds and morals is a skeleton without soul. It may look handsome (even slim) but because it has no soul or spirit, it has no weight or effect in the home of the Here-after. Yes, the contribution of such a person in the mortal world has benefited people. At least in terms of its outward form, what he had done was good, therefore, Allah, the Lord Almighty has, in consideration of His supreme equity and justice, not allowed this deed to go to waste totally. Instead, things were arranged in terms of the objectives the doers of these deeds had before them. If they had worked for recognition in society or an image as philanthropist, man of charity, good-will or distinction, or had simply aspired for health and material wealth and comfort, Allah Ta` ala lets them have all this right here in this world. They had no concept of the Hereafter. They had never cared to think of salvation there, nor their deeds, being without the essential spirit, could have qualified them to become deserving of it. Therefore, no return waits for them there, against their deeds, while the added burden of disbelief and disobedience will keep them in Hell. This was a gist of what was said in the first verse. Now, we can have a look at some of the words used there. It was said that a person who kept striving for the life of this world and its embellishments gets from Allah the full return for his or her deeds right here in this world. For them, nothing is cut short in Dunya. These are the kind of men and women for whom there is nothing in Akhirah (Hereafter), except the Hell. It is noteworthy at this point that the expression opted for in the Qur'an is: مَن کَانَ یُریدُ (those who have been intending) which bypasses something brief like: مَن اَرَادَ (those who wanted). The Qur'anic expression denotes continuity and carries the sense of ` kept striving for' as trans-lated a little earlier. This tells us that it is the condition of people who never wanted to have anything out of what they did but the good of this world. They just never bothered to worry about what would hap-pen in the life to come. As for the person who feels concerned about the Hereafter and does what would bring salvation there and, along with it aims and plans to have his share from the world, then, it is not included in the purview of this verse. Is this verse related to kafirs or Muslims or to both Muslims and kafirs? Major authorities in Tafsir differ about it. The words in the last sentence of the verse - for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter except the fire of Hell - seem to suggest that it is related to kafirs, because a Muslim, no matter how sinning, would ultimately go to Paradise after having undergone the punishment of sins. Therefore, Dahhak and other commentators have interpreted it as related to kafirs only. Some commentators have said that it refers to Muslims who, through their good deeds, aim to acquire only the comfort, wealth and recognition from this worldly life. In other words, they do their good deeds with the sole intention of having comfort and recognition in the world they live in. And the sentence we are talking about would thus mean that, until they undergo the punishment of their evil deeds, they would have nothing except the fire of Hell. However, the weightier and clearer approach is to take this verse as relating to people who do their good deeds only with the intention of acquiring worldly benefits, such as wealth, health and recognition. Those who do so may be kafirs or disbelievers who do not believe in the Hereafter from the very outset. Or, they may be Muslims who believe in the Hereafter theoretically but do not apply their belief to what they do practically. In fact, they would keep all concerns of their life exclusively attached to worldly benefits and interests. From among the ear_ ly commentators, Mujahid, Maimun ibn Mihran and Sayyidna Mu’ awiyah ؓ have gone by this view. This meaning is also supported by the well-known Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ : اِنَّما الاَعمال بِالنِّیَات (Actions are [ judged ] according to Intentions). What one intends to have by his action gets exactly that. Whoever intends to have Dunya (worldly benefits) gets Dunya. Whoever intends to have Ahhirah gets Akhirah. Whoever intends to have both gets both. That all actions depend on intention is a principle approved of in every community and religion. (Qurtubi) Therefore, says a Hadith, those who devoted themselves to acts of worship in the mortal world to look respectable before others will be brought forth on the day of Qiyamah. It would be said to them: ` you said your prayers, gave in charity, fought in Jihad, recited the Qur'an, but you did all that with the intention that you should be known as devotees to prayers, givers in charity, veteran warriors of Jihad and great reciters of Qur'an. Now you have had what you wanted to have. The honors you were looking for have already come to you in the mortal world. Now, there is no return for your deeds here. And these people will be the first to be thrown into the Hell.' While reporting this Hadith, Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ broke into tears and said, ` the verse of the Qur'an: مَن كَانَ يُرِ‌يدُ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتَهَا (Those who have been intending (to achieve) the worldly life and its beauty –11:15 ) confirms this Hadith. Sahih Muslim reports on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` Allah Ta` ala does no injustice to anyone. For the good deed a believer does, he gets some return for it in the mortal world while gets the real reward in the Hereafter. As for a kafir (since he does not bother about what would happen to him in the Hereafter), his account is cleared within his life in the mortal world. The return for his good deeds, if any, is given to him in the form of worldly wealth, recognition, health and comfort - until comes the time when he reaches the stage of the Hereafter where he is left with nothing that could bring any return there. It appears in Tafsir Mazhari that, though a believer looks forward to having prosperity in the mortal world as well, but his intention to have the best of the Hereafter remains on top of everything. Therefore, he gets what he does in the mortal world only to the measure of his needs. However, he does get the larger return and reward in the Here-after. Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ عنہ once visited the home of the Holy Prophet ﷺ When he saw virtually nothing in the house but a few things here and there, he said to him: ` please pray that Allah Ta` ala blesses your Ummah too with extended material means. We see Persia and Byzantine. They are very prosperous in this world although they do not worship Allah Ta` ala.' The Holy Prophet ﷺ was reclining on a pillow behind his waist. When he heard these words of Sayyidna ` Umar ؓ he sat up straight and said, ` O ` Umar, you are still lost in those thoughts. As for these people, they are the ones who have been given the return of their good deeds right here in this world.' (Mazhari) Jami` Tirmidhi and the Musnad of Ahmad report on the authority of Sayyidna Anas ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` Whoever intends to have (the best of) the Hereafter through his deeds, Allah Ta` ala makes his heart need-free in this world. He (Himself) takes care of what he must have, and (the desire of) the world comes to him all humbled. And whoever intends to have (the best of) the present world, Allah Ta’ ala makes want and need stand before him to the effect that they can never shake them off. There is no end to his needs because he is constantly being driven by worldly greed. No sooner does one need gets fulfilled, another gaping need stands before him. Countless concerns gang upon him but what he gets is what Allah Ta'ala has written for him. Regarding what has been said in this verse: ` those who aimed for worldly life are fully recompensed for their deeds within this world,' someone may raise a doubt. It could be said that there are many people who, despite aiming and striving to have worldly benefits, fail to achieve their objective even in this world and, on occasions, they would get just about nothing. The answer is that, in this verse, the Qur'an has dealt with the subject briefly. Details appear in the following verse of Surah al-Isra' (Banu Isra'i1) where it was said: مَّن كَانَ يُرِ‌يدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَن نُّرِ‌يدُ (whoever keeps aspiring for the immediate, We shall give soon what We will to whom We will). It means whoever keeps aiming for nothing but worldly life, Allah gives it to him right here within the world, but this giving is restricted by two conditions. Firstly, He gives as much as He wants. It is not necessary to let them have what matches their desires. Secondly, He gives only to a person it is appropriate to give him according to His wisdom. Giving to everyone is not necessary.

The second verse (17) presents the high ground the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the purely sincere believers with him occupy. This is in sharp contrast to those the sum total of whose knowledge and the end of whose quest is restricted to worldly life only - so that the whole world could see that these two groups could not be equal. After having focused on this phenomena, it has been stated that the mission and message of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as a prophet and messenger of Allah is open to mankind right through the Last Day of Qiyamah. Then, it has been stressed that anyone who does not believe in him will be considered, irrespective of what one does, astray and Hell-bound. In the first sentence, it was asked: Can a denier of the Qur'an be equal to the one who adheres to the Qur'an that has come from his Lord? And along with it there is a witness present within it, while a witness earlier to this is the Book of Musa A.L that was sent to be followed and to be mercy for people?

The word: bayyinah (بینہ) appearing in this verse refers to the Qur'an. As for the meaning of ` shahid' (شاھِد evidence), statements of Tafsir authorities differ. The author of Bay-an a1-Qur'an takes ` shahid' to mean the miracle of the Qur'an that is present in the Qur'an as such. Thus, it comes to mean that those who adhere to the Qur'an, they already have a witness to the veracity of the Qur'an within it, that is, its miracle. Then, the other witness has already come in the form of Torah. Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had brought it as guidance and mercy for people. The reason is that the Torah confirms the truth of the Qur'an clearly. In the second sentence, in order to stress that salvation, up to the Last Day, depends on faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ it has been said that anyone from any religion or community of the world who refuses to have faith in him will have his abode in Jahannam. The Sahih of Muslim reports on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` by the One in whose hands rests my life, any Jew or Christian who hears my call and still does not believe in the teachings I have brought, then, he or she will be of the people of Jahannam.' This should remove the misunderstanding of those who regard the Jews and Christians or the adherents of other religions as being on haqq (the truth) on the basis of some outward deeds and consider these to be sufficient for salvation without having faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an. This is an open clash with the present ayah of the Holy Qur'an, and the authentic ahadith. اَلعَیَاذ بِاللہ (Allah may save us from that! )

Commentary When Sayyidna Nuh علیہ السلام invited his people to believe, they responded with some doubts and objections against the veracity of his mission as a prophet and messenger of Allah. Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) with the will and permission of Allah, answered their questions. Many primary and subsidiary religious rulings relating to honesty and social living emerge from here as a corollary. This dialogue forms the core of the subject taken up in these verses.

Some questions raised by the disbelievers appear in the third verse (27). Before we take these up, let us first look at the meanings of some of the words there. The word ملا : (mala) generally means a group. Some leading lexicographers say that a group of the chiefs of a people is called: ملا (mala' ). Bashar (بشر) is translated as human being or man. Aradhil (ارزذل) is the plural form of ardhal (ارذل). It means someone lowly, not having any status or respect among his people. The expression: بَادِيَ الرَّ‌أْيِ (badiyarra'y) means cursory or shallow opinion. As for their objections, the first one related to the status of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) as a prophet and messenger: مَا نَرَ‌اكَ إِلَّا بَشَرً‌ا مِّثْلَنَا (We see that you are nothing but a man like us). In effect, they were saying that he ate, drank, walked, slept and woke up like them. How then, they questioned, could they accept this extraordinary status of his as a messenger and prophet of God? They thought that the person who is sent to men as a messenger from Allah should not belong to the genus of man, instead, he should be an angel whose distinct status had to be recognized by everyone, willingly or unwillingly. This was answered in the fourth verse (28) as follows: يَا قَوْمِ أَرَ‌أَيْتُمْ إِن كُنتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِّن رَّ‌بِّي وَآتَانِي رَ‌حْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِهِ فَعُمِّيَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنُلْزِمُكُمُوهَا وَأَنتُمْ لَهَا كَارِ‌هُونَ He said, "0 my people, tell me when I am on a clear path from my Lord, and He has bestowed mercy upon me from Himself and it has been hidden from your sight. Shall we, then, impose it upon you while you are averse to it?". Here we are being told that for a rasul or messenger to be a man is not contrary to his mission as a prophet or messenger. In fact, a little thought would show that this is how it should be - that the rasul of men should be a man so that men find it comfortable to learn their religion from him. There is an enormous difference in the mental and emotional make up of men and angels. If an angel were to be sent as a rasul, learning religion from him would have become terribly difficult. The reason is that an angel is not hungry or thirsty or sleepy or plain tired, nor does he have to deal with all those human compulsions. How would he have the feeling for such human weaknesses? And, without this feeling, how could men have followed him deed-wise? This theme has appeared in other verses of the Qur'an, either explicitly or suggestively, at several places. Bypassing these, they were exhorted to use their reason and realize that it was not the least necessary that a prophet and messenger should not be a man. But, what is necessary is that he brings with him some proof, argument and evidence from Allah Ta` ala that could make it easy for people to accept that he was definitely a rasul sent by Allah. Those open proofs بَیِّنۃ (bayyinah) and binding arguments for common people take the form of miracles shown at the hands of prophets. Therefore, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) said that he had brought with him the clear path, argument and mercy from his Lord. If they had seen it carefully and thought about it, they would not have refused to accept the invitation. But, their aversion and hostility made them blind, hence they opted to deny the truth and became adamant to it. But, this mercy of Allah Ta` ala that comes through a prophet is not something which could be caused to fall over the heads of people - until they themselves show their inclination to have it. There is a hint here that the prophet would have passed on the wealth of' ‘Iman he had come with to them, if he could, despite their denial and obstinacy. But, this was against Divine law. A blessing is aspired for. People cannot be compelled to have it. From here it also stands proved that it has never been permissible, in any period of a prophet, that people should be compelled to become believers. Even those who continue to spread the ugly propaganda that Islam was spread by the sword are not themselves unaware of the truth of the matter. But, they find it convenient to use the power of a lie to sow seeds of doubt in the hearts of the ignorant only to keep the torches of their hatred burning. As a side benefit, it has also become easier to understand why an angel was not made a prophet. The reason is that an angel is endowed with supernatural power. He is way distinct from human beings in every facet of his existence. To see him and then to believe in him would have become an exercise in compulsion. With an angel in front of him, who could dare being obstinate - something so conveniently demonstrated before prophets? Then, according to the dictate of the Shari` ah, if a person believes unwillingly under the threat of some coercive power, his belief and faith is not acceptable. In fact, the ideally desirable thing is to believe without seeing (al-'Iman bi'l-ghaib اَلاِیمَان بِالغَیب) - that one believes without having fully observed and witnessed the ultimate subduing power of Allah Ta` ala. The second objection they raised was: وَمَا نَرَ‌اكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَ‌اذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّ‌أْيِ (and we do not see you followed by anyone but by the lowest among us who are of shallow opinion - 27). This objection has two aspects: (1) That the people of higher status would have been the first to accept your call, if it was correct and true; and that only such lowly people have accepted it shows that the call itself is not worth accepting. (2) That there is something else that stops us from accepting your call to believe. Suppose we were to believe, then we understand that we too will be taken as Muslims, like them and equal to them and, in rows of prayers as well as in other meetings, we will have to sit with them as equals. This we cannot do. These people were far from reality and very unaware indeed. Simply because poor people did not wallow in wealth and pride in office and status, they had elected to berate them as lowly and mundane - although, the thought itself is as ignorant as it can be. Honor and dis-grace, reason and understanding are not subservient to wealth and property. Rather, as experience bears out, power and wealth can become intoxicating enough as would stop its possessors from under-standing and accepting so many reasonable and correct things. These barriers do not stand before the meek and the poor. They go ahead and accept what is correct and true. This is the reason why the customary Divine practice through the lanes of time gone by has been no other but that the first among those who believe in prophets are none but the weak and the meek. This phenomenon has also been explained in past Scriptures. Pursuant to this, when the blessed letter from the Holy Prophet ﷺ inviting him to believe reached the Byzantine Emperor, Hiraql, he felt the need to ascertain the truth of the matter - because, he had read the signs of the noble prophets in the Torah and the Injil. Therefore, he assembled people of Arabia who were visiting Syria at that time and asked them some questions about those signs. One of these questions was, ` Are those who follow him the poor and the weak among his people, or those who are considered big and notable among them?' He was told, ` They are poor and weak.' Thereupon, Hiraql confessed, ` this is sign of his being a true prophet because those who follow prophets initially are these very poor and weak people.' In short, taking poor people to be lowly was ignorance on their part. In reality, ` radhil' or disgraced is he who does not recognize his creator and sustainer and disobeys what He has asked him to do. Therefore, the venerated Sufyan Ibn Said Ath-Thawri, was asked by someone, ` who is mean and disgraced?' He said, ` people who keep flattering rulers and officials.' And Ibn al-Arabi said, ` mean is he who earns Dunya (benefits of worldly life) by selling his din دِین (religion).' Someone asked him, ` who is the meanest?' Then, he said, ` a person who ruins his religion and streamlines the worldly life of someone else.' Imam Malik said, ` mean is he who maligns the noble Companions of the Holy Prophet ﷺ because they are the greatest benefactors of the entire Muslim Ummah, and the source through which the blessings of 'Iman and Shari` ah have reached us.' Returning to the ignorant thought expressed by the objectors, we see that it has been initially refuted in the third verse (29). It has been said that a prophet does not fancy anyone's wealth or property. He takes no compensation for his service or good counsel to people. His compensation is with Allah alone. Therefore, the rich and the poor are equal in his sight. Let the rich not be scared about their wealth for no one would start asking for it once they become believers.

Then, they were told: ` As for the condition you impose that I should remove the poor from my company in order that you could believe, then let it be very clear that I cannot do that. They may be poor but they are close to the Highest of the high, the greatest honor one can have. Turning such people out is not a right thing to do.' And: مُّلَاقُو رَ‌بِّهِمْ (They are surely to meet their Lord) could also mean: If, supposedly, I were to turn them out, when they go to their Lord on the day of Qiyamah and complain, what would I have to say? The subject continues in the fourth verse (30): If I were to turn them out, who would save me from Divine punishment? At the end, it was said: All this is nothing but your ignorance and heedlessness. To you being a man is counter to being a prophet, or you go to the other extreme and demand that poor people should be driven away from his company.

Reported in the fifth verse (31) there is an address that Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) gave before his people to announce some matters of principle after he had heard their objections. In this address it has been stressed that the mission of a prophet and messenger does not depend on things they think are necessary for it. For instance, first it was said: وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِندِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّـهِ (And I do not say to you that with me are the treasures of Allah). This carries a refutation of their idea that someone coming from Allah as His messenger should have brought treasures with him giving it out to everyone freely. Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) put it out clearly that the mission of prophets has nothing to do with involving people into the mess of worldly enjoyments. What for would they need all those treasures? It is also possible that the statement may be refuting the false thought nursed by some people that Allah has given all powers to prophets, even to Auliya'. Assuming this, it is surmised that they have the treasures of Allah's power in their hands and that they decide whom to give and whom not to give. So, this declaration of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) makes it clear that Allah Ta'ala has not entrusted the total control of the treasures of His power not even with any prophet, not to say much about the Auliya' or men of Allah. However, when they pray or wish, Allah Ta'ala does answer their prayers and fulfills their wishes with His infinite power. Secondly, it was said: وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ (nor do I have the knowledge of the unseen). Another false idea these people harbored was that a person who is a rasul of Allah Ta'-al-a should also be the one who knows what is unseen (` alim al-ghayb). This sentence clarifies that the mission of a prophet and messenger needs no knowledge of the unseen, and why should it when the knowledge of the unseen is an exclusive attribute of Allah Ta'-al-a which no prophet or angel can share with Him. However, Allah Ta'-al-a does inform whomever He wills from out of His prophets about the secrets of the unseen as much as He wills. But, because of this, it is not correct to call them ` alim al-ghayb (possessor of the knowledge of the unseen) - because, it is not in their power to find out something in the domain of the unseen at their choice. Thirdly, it was said: وَلَا أَقُولُ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ (nor do I say that I am an angel). Here we have a refutation of their idea that a ras ul should be some angel.

Fourthly, it was stated: In your sight these poor people may appear lowly and disgraceful. But, I cannot say as you say that Allah Ta'ala will not bless them with what is good, because good relates to one's heart, not wealth, and only Allah knows the secrets of hearts and He knows whose heart is worthy of receiving good and whose heart is not. Then, it was said: If I too were to start calling them lowly and disgraceful, I too would become unjust.

Commentary Allah Ta` a1a had blessed Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) with long years of life extending up to nearly one thousand years. Along with it, he was given a special status in terms of his prophetic mission to invite people to Allah and make their condition better whereby he devoted these long years to keep asking them to believe in the true Faith and in Allah as One. He had to face the harshest of pains in this mission. His people would throw stones at him until he fell down and lost consciousness. But, as soon as he would regain it, he prayed to Allah for the forgiveness of his people for they did not know what they were doing. A generation was followed by the other, and the other by yet another, in a chain and he kept giving his call in the hope that they might, at some stage, accept the truth. When centuries passed over this exercise in patience, he complained about their deplorable condition before his Almighty Lord which has been mentioned in Surah Nuh قَالَ رَ‌بِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارً‌ا ﴿5﴾ فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَائِي إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا ﴿6﴾ (My Lord, I did invite my people [ to the truth ] night and day. But, my invitation increased them in nothing but flight [ in aversion ] - 71:5, 6) and, after all those long years of hardship, the prayer that this great servant of Allah made was: قَالَ رَ‌بِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارً‌ا ﴿5﴾ فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَائِي إِلَّا فِرَ‌ارً‌ا ﴿6﴾ (My Lord, help me because they have belied me - al-Mu'minun, 23: 26, 39). When the reign of terror let loose by the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) became much too excessive, he was addressed by Allah Ta` ala in the words appearing in the verses cited above. (al-Baghawi, Mazhari) Firstly, he was told that, out of his people, those who were to believe had already believed. No one was to believe after that. Their hearts were sealed with their own obstinacy and contumacy. There-fore, he should not grieve about his people anymore and feel free of any concern about their failure to believe. Secondly, he was told that Allah was to send the punishment of flood against those people. Therefore, he should make an ark that could hold his family, as many believers as there were, and what they needed, so that they could embark it when the flood comes and be safe from it. Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) made the ark as he was ordered to. When the initial signs of the flood came before them - that water started overflowing from the earth - Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was commanded to embark the ark along with his family and the few believers who had believed in him. They were also asked to load a pair each of animals that serve human needs, such as, cow, ox, goat, horse, mule etc. Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) put everyone on the ark as ordered. At the end it was said that the believers in Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) who boarded the ark were only a few. This was a gist of the subject as it appears in the cited verses. Now we can turn to the explanation of each verse and deal with issues and problems that emerge there from. In the first verse (36), it was said that it was revealed to Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) that those who were to believe from among his people had already believed. In future, no one else will believe. Therefore, he should not worry about how they deal with him because one feels the pinch of sorrow only when one expects something good to come from someone. Disappointment is not that bad. It has its own relief. He might as well be disappointed with them. As for the shock felt by Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) because of all sorts of pains inflicted by his people on him, arrangements had already been made as indicated the next verse (37) - ` they are to be drowned.' Under these conditions came that invocation of curse for his people on the lips of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) which has been mentioned in Surah Nuh (علیہ السلام) : رَّ‌بِّ لَا تَذَرْ‌ عَلَى الْأَرْ‌ضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِ‌ينَ دَيَّارً‌ا ﴿26﴾ إِنَّكَ إِن تَذَرْ‌هُمْ يُضِلُّوا عِبَادَكَ وَلَا يَلِدُوا إِلَّا فَاجِرً‌ا كَفَّارً‌ا ﴿27﴾ "My Lord, do not leave upon the earth any inhabitant from among the disbelievers. Indeed, if You were to leave them, they will mislead Your servants and will not procreate anyone but the ones wicked and disbelieving (diehards) " - 71:26, 27. In answer to this prayer, the people of Sayyidna Nuh were drowned en masse.

Boat-Making: The Education of a Prophet ﷺ When Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was commanded to make an ark, he knew no ark, nor its making. Therefore, in the next verse (37), he got his first lesson. To orient him to the reality of boat making, it was said: وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا (And make an ark under Our eyes and according to Our revelation). Hadith reports say that Sayyidna Jibra'il al-Amin (علیہ السلام) told Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) by means of revelation all about the making of boats. He had used wood from the saul tree (shorea robusta) to build this ark. Some historical narratives give its measurement. It was three hundred yards long, fifty yards in width and thirty yard high, almost a three storied ship. Its ventilators, as customary, opened to the right and the left. Thus, this industry, the first prototype of the ship building industry, began at the hands of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) for the first time through Divine revelation. After that, the progress it made is current history. All Essential Industries Originated through Revelation It has been reported on the authority of some elders of early centuries of Islam in at-Tibb an-Nabawi of Hafiz Shamsud-Din adh-Dhahabi that all industries essential for human beings owe their origin to the process of Divine revelation through some prophet. Later, improvements kept coming as needed during different times. The first revelation that came to Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) mostly related to rehabilitation of the land and establishment of different industries. The invention of wheel carts for loading and hauling things is part of the chain of inventions. Sir Syed Ahmad an, the founder of the well-known Aligarh College, (now the Muslim University of Aligarh, India) used to say more than a hundred years ago that the world has seen inventions of all sorts in moving vehicles but its pivot continued to be the axle and the wheel. It is the common factor between a bullock-cart, a donkey-cart, rails and cars. Therefore, the greatest inventor of moving vehicles is the person who invented the wheel that is the life and soul of a lot of machines. As it was said, this invention unfolded itself at the hands of the first prophet, Sayyidna Adam, peace on him, through a Divine revelation. From here we also learn that industries devoted to essential human needs are so important that the blessed prophets have been taught and trained in these through Divine revelation. Soon after instructing Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) how he would make an ark, he was told that a flood would come and his people will be drowned and that, at the time, he was not to intercede out of compassion on their behalf.

In the third verse (38), mentioned there is the total lack of concern for their sad end shown by the people of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) during the period he was making the ark. When the chieftains of his people saw him busy with his project under a Divine command, they would ask him, ` what are you doing?' He said, ` a flood is to come, therefore, I am making an ark.' They would mock at him and say, ` we have no water to drink here and this wise man is planning to sail in a boat on this dry land.' In response, Sayyidna Nuh told them, ` if you mock at us today, then remember the day is sure to come when we shall be laughing at you.' The sense is that conditions would change and events would unfold in a manner that they themselves would become the cause of their being mocked at. For, in reality, ridicule is contrary to the spiritual station of prophets. It is simply not permissible for any-one in fact, it is Haram (unlawful). Says the Holy Qur'an: لَا يَسْخَرْ‌ قَوْمٌ مِّن قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَن يَكُونُوا خَيْرً‌ا مِّنْهُمْ ( O those who have believed, no people should mock at [ other ] people - may be, they are better than them - 49:11) Therefore, the mocking referred to here is a pragmatic response to their mockery. This is like saying, ` when you are seized by the punishment, we shall be telling you that this was the outcome of your mockery.' This is as it was said after that in the fourth verse (39): ` So, you shall soon know to whom will come the punishment that will humble him, and upon whom will befall the lasting punishment.' The first punishment refers to the punishment in the mortal world, and the ` lasting punishment' means the never-ending punishment of the Hereafter.

From the fifth verse (40) begins the description of the coming of the flood, related instructions and events as they unfolded. So, first it was said: حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُ‌نَا وَفَارَ‌ التَّنُّورُ‌ (At last, when Our command came and the oven overflowed). The word: (tannur: تَّنُّور oven) is used in more than one sense. The Earth's floor is called an oven. The oven that bakes bread is also a tan-nur. A raised part of the land is also referred to as tannur. Therefore, some of the Tafsir authorities have said that, at this place, ` tannur' means the surface of the land in that water started overflowing from it. Some of them have said that it means the tannur of Sayyidna Adam (علیہ السلام) that was located at ` ainul- wardah' in Syria - and water over-flowed from it. Some others said that Sayyidna Nuh's own tannur was located in Kufah and that was what it means. Most commentators - Sayyidna Hasan, Mujahid, Sha` bi, Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ and others - have gone by this view. As for Sha` bi, he used to say on oath that this tannur was located in a secluded quarter of the city of Kufah, and that Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) had built his ark in the mosque of Kufah. This tannur was right by the entrance to this mosque. Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ says that Allah Ta` ala had told Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) ، ` when you see water overflowing from the oven in your home, know that the flood has come.' (Qurtubi and Mazhari) Commentator al-Qurtubi said: The sayings of commentators appear to be different as to the meaning of tannur, but this, in reality, is not a difference. When water began to bulge out, it overflowed from the bread baking oven, and from out of the surface of the land, and from the oven of ` Ainul-Wardah in Syria. The Holy Qur'an has said explicitly: فَفَتَحْنَا أَبْوَابَ السَّمَاءِ بِمَاءٍ مُّنْهَمِرٍ‌ وَفَجَّرْ‌نَا الْأَرْ‌ضَ عُيُونًا (Then We opened the gates of the heaven with rain pouring down and caused the earth to burst out with springs - al-Qamar, 54:11). In his statement, Sha'bi has also said that this grand mosque of Kufah has its own distinct status after al-Masjid al-Haram, al-Masjid an-Nabawii and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. Later in the verse, it was said: When the flood had started, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was commanded: احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِن كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ (Load in it a pair of two from every kind). This tells us that all kinds of animals were not loaded in the ark of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) . Loaded there were animals born to a pair of male and female and which cannot survive in water. Therefore, all sea life stands excluded from here and so do land based life forms born without male-female conjunction. This leaves only domestic animals like the cow, ox, water buffalo, goat etc. This removes the possible doubt as to how could the ark hold that many animals. After that, Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) was asked to have his family members - other than the disbelieving ones - board the ark, as well as those who had believed in him, though they were only a few. The exact number of those who sailed on the ark has not been determined in the Qur'an and Hadith. It has been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Abbas ؓ that their total number was eighty, which included three sons of Sayyidna Nuh : (علیہ السلام) - Sam, Ham, Yafith and the three of their wives. The fourth son had stayed with the disbelievers and was drowned with them.