Tafsir of Surah Yunus - Verse 73

The Story of Nuh and His People

Allah instructed His Prophet , saying:

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ

(And recite to them) relate to the disbelievers of the Quraysh who belied you and rejected you,

نَبَأَ نُوحٍ

(the news of Nuh) meaning, his story and news with his people who belied him. Tell them how Allah destroyed them and caused every last one of them all to drown. Let this be a lesson for your people, lest they will be destroyed like them.

إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ يَقَوْمِ إِن كَانَ كَبُرَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَّقَامِى وَتَذْكِيرِى بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ فَعَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ

(When he said to his people: "O my people, if my stay (with you), and my reminding (you) of the Ayat of Allah is hard on you, then I put my trust in Allah.") Meaning, `if you find that it is too much of an offense that I should live among you and preach to you the revelation of Allah and His signs and proofs, then I do not care what you think, and I will not stop inviting you.'

فَأَجْمِعُواْ أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَآءَكُمْ

(So devise your plot, you and your partners), `get together with all of your deities (idols and statues) that you call upon beside Allah,'

ثُمَّ لاَ يَكُنْ أَمْرُكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ غُمَّةً

(and let not your plot be in confusion for you) meaning, an`d do not be confused about this, rather come and let us settle this together if you claim that you are truthful,'

وَلاَ تُنظِرُونَ

(and give me no respite.) `Do not give me respite even for one hour. Whatever you can do, go ahead and do it. I do not care, and I do not fear you, because you are not standing on anything.' This is similar to what Hud said to his people,

إِن نَّقُولُ إِلاَّ اعْتَرَاكَ بَعْضُ ءَالِهَتِنَا بِسُوءٍ قَالَ إِنِّى أُشْهِدُ اللَّهِ وَاشْهَدُواْ أَنِّى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ - مِن دُونِهِ فَكِيدُونِى جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لاَ تُنظِرُونِ إِنِّى تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُمْ

(I call Allah to witness, and you bear witness, that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners in worship with Him (Allah). So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord!) (11:54-55)

Islam is the Religion of all of the Prophets

Nuh said,

فَإِن تَوَلَّيْتُمْ

(But if you turn away) if you belie the message and turn away from obedience.

فَمَا سَأَلْتُكُمْ مِّنْ أَجْرٍ

(then no reward have I asked of you,) I have not asked you anything for my advice.

إِنْ أَجْرِىَ إِلاَّ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

(My reward is only from Allah. And I have been commanded to be of the Muslims.) I submit to Islam. Islam is the religion of all of the Prophets from the first to the last. Their laws and their rules may be of different types but the religion is the same. Allah said:

لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَـجاً

(To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way.)(5:48) Ibn `Abbas said: "A way and a Sunnah." Here Nuh is saying:

وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

(and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims.) Allah said about His friend, Ibrahim:

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - وَوَصَّى بِهَآ إِبْرَهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَـبَنِىَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إَلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ

(When his Lord said to him, "Submit (be a Muslim)!" He said, "I have submitted myself (as a Muslim) to the Lord of all that exists." And this was enjoined by Ibrahim upon his sons and by Ya`qub (saying), "O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except as Muslims.")(2:131-132) Yusuf said:

رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِى مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِى مِن تَأْوِيلِ الاٌّحَادِيثِ فَاطِرَ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِىِّ فِى الدُّنُيَا وَالاٌّخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِى مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِى بِالصَّـلِحِينَ

(My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams -- the (Only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous.)(12:101) Musa said:

يقَوْمِ إِن كُنتُمْ ءامَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُواْ إِن كُنْتُم مُّسْلِمِينَ

(O my people! If you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims.)(10:84) The magicians said:

رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ

(Our Lord! pour out on us patience, and cause us to die as Muslims.)(7:126) Bilqis said:

رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَـنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit (I have become Muslim) together with Sulayman to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.) (27:44) Allah said:

إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَا التَّوْرَاةَ فِيهَا هُدًى وَنُورٌ يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُواْ

(Verily, We did send down the Tawrah, therein was guidance and light, by which the Prophets, judged for the Jews.)(5:44) He also said:

وَإِذْ أَوْحَيْتُ إِلَى الْحَوَارِيِّينَ أَنْ ءَامِنُواْ بِى وَبِرَسُولِى قَالُواْ ءَامَنَّا وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّنَا مُسْلِمُونَ

(And when I (Allah) inspired Al-Hawariyyin to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said: "We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims.") (5:111) The last of the Messengers and the leader of mankind said:

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلاَتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى للَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ - لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

(Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all that exists. He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.) (6:162-163) meaning, from this Ummah. He said, in an authentic Hadith:

«نَحْنُ مَعْشَرَ الْأَنِبْيَاءِ أَوْلَادُ عَلَّاتٍ. وَدِينُنُا وَاحِد»

(We, the Prophets are brothers with (the same father but) different mothers. Our religion is the same,) meaning, `we should worship Allah alone without partners while having different laws.'

The Evil Goal and End of Criminals

Allah said:

فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُ

(They denied him, but We delivered him, and those with him) meaning on his religion,

فِى الْفُلْكِ

(in the (Fulk) ship) Fulk refers to the ark, and,

وَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ خَلاَئِفَ

(We made them generations replacing one after another) on earth,

وَأَغْرَقْنَا الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِآيَـتِنَا فَانْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الْمُنْذَرِينَ

(while We drowned those who belied Our Ayat. Then see what was the end of those who were warned.) meaning `O Muhammad, see how We saved the believers and destroyed the deniers!'

It was said in the last verse (64) that, for the friends of Allah, there is the good news in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. As for the good news of the Hereafter, it will come at the time of death when the spirit of the deceased will be taken to Allah. At that time, he will hear the good news of Paradise being for him. Then, on the day of Qiyamah, when he rises from his grave, he will receive the good news of being welcome to Paradise. This is similar to what al-Tabarani has reported from Sayyidna Ibn ` Umar ؓ narrates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: ` People who recite: لا إلہ إلا اللہ (la ilaha illallah: There is no god but Allah) will not experience any fright at the time of death, nor inside the grave, nor at the time they rise from it. This is as if my eyes are seeing the scenario of that time when these people will, shaking the dust off, rise from their graves, saying: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّـهِ الَّذِي أَذْهَبَ عَنَّا الْحَزَنَ (Praised is Allah who has removed from us [ all ] grief - 35:34) '

As for the good news in this world, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, `(they are) the true dreams one sees himself or are seen by someone else with him in it and, in which, there is good news for them. (Reported by al-Bukhri from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ .

Another basharah (good news) of this world unfolds in the form that Muslims at large love someone and take him to be good without any personal motive or interest. About it, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: تِلکَ عَاجِلُ بشرَی المؤمِن that is, ` being taken as good and praiseworthy is, for a true Muslim, good news in ready cash.' (Muslim and al-Baghawi)

One who comes forward on behalf of God with the call for the Truth, does so always on the strength of argument. Although reasoning (argument) pertains to the intellect, man fails to realise its greatness. In spite of having no answer to it, he refuses to bow down before it. One of the considerations of the task which a messenger of Truth has to carry out is that he should not make any economic or material demands upon the community he addresses, even if this means great sacrifice on his part. This is so that the relation between them may remain that of the missionary and his addressee. It should not turn into group or material rivalry. When Noah had finally delivered his message in its entirety to his community, and still his community was adamant and arrogant, they were drowned in turbulent flood waters so that the earth was rid of them, while the Faithful (adherents of Noah) were given the opportunity to live in the world as inheritors of the earth. This, in Quranic terminology, is described as ‘khalifah.’ Before the flood, the community of Noah was the khalifah of the earth; after the flood those faithful to Noah were made the successors of the earth.