Tafsir of Surah Hood - Verse 45

A Return to the Story of the Son of Nuh and mentioning what transpired between Nuh and Allah concerning Him

This was a request for information and an inquiry from Nuh concerning the cirumstances of his son's drowning.

فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنَّ ابُنِى مِنْ أَهْلِى

(and said, "O my Lord! Verily, my son is of my family!") This means, "Verily, You promised to save my family and Your promise is the truth that does not fail. Therefore, how can he (my son) be drowned and You are the Most Just of the judges"

قَالَ ينُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ

(He (Allah) said: "O Nuh! Surely, he is not of your family...") This means, "He (your son) is not of those whom I promised to save. I only promised you that I would save those of your family who believe." For this reason Allah said,

وَأَهْلَكَ إِلاَّ مَن سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ

l(and your family except him against whom the Word has already gone forth.) 11:40 Thus, for his son, it had already been decreed that he would be drowned due to his disbelief and his opposition to his father, the Prophet of Allah, Nuh peace be upon him. Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ

(Surely, he is not of your family;) meaning that he (Nuh's son) was not among those whom Allah promised to save. `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "He was the son of Nuh, but he opposed him in deeds and intention." `Ikrimah said in some of the modes of recitation it said here, (إِنَّهُ عَمِلَ عَمَلًا غَيْرَ صَالِحٍ) "Verily, he (Nuh's son) worked deeds that were not righteous."

Commentary

The remaining account of the flood associated with the name of Sayyidna Nuh along with instructions related to it, appears in the five verses cited above.

When Canaan, the son of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) did not board the ark despite the counsel and call of his esteemed father who was still concerned emotionally as he saw his son surrounded by the waves of the flood. His filial love knocked at another door. He turned to his Lord and prayed to Him on the basis of His promise that He would save his family from the flood, and that His promise was true. But, conditions were alarming and his son who was part of his family was going to be swallowed by the flood. The only court of appeal he could now go to was the court of the most just of judges for everything was in His power and control and that He could still save him from the flood.

Among those who were drowned in the great flood of Noah, was Kan‘an, Noah’s son. Noah wanted him to board his Ark, but he refused to do so out of sheer stubbornness. Then Noah prayed to God for his protection and the answer was that such questions should be avoided as showing a lack of understanding, on the part of Noah, of God’s plan. The fact is that God does not treat as redeemed the children of holy men or those who attach themselves to certain ‘holy men’, nor does He settle them in the Gardens of Paradise. God’s decisions regarding redemption are based purely on deeds and not on relationships, descent or group attachments. In this world, family relationships are of great importance. This will not be so in the Hereafter, there moral relationships outweigh all else. Noah’s flood had occurred in order that all divisions of human beings other than moral ones be abolished, and all doers of righteous deeds be saved by accommodating them in the Divine Ark, while the unrighteous were consigned to the merciless waves. There will be a repetition of such an event on Doomsday, only on a larger scale and to the uttermost degree.