English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 7: Al-Araf — The Elevated Places (Revealed at Makkah: 24 sections, 206 verses)
Section 8 (Verses 7:59–7:64): Noah
Translation:
لَقَدۡ اَرۡسَلۡنَا نُوۡحًا اِلٰی قَوۡمِہٖ فَقَالَ یٰقَوۡمِ اعۡبُدُوا اللّٰہَ مَا لَکُمۡ مِّنۡ اِلٰہٍ غَیۡرُہٗ ؕ اِنِّیۡۤ اَخَافُ عَلَیۡکُمۡ عَذَابَ یَوۡمٍ عَظِیۡمٍ ﴿۵۹﴾
7:59 Certainly We sent Noah to his people,1 so he said: My people, serve Allah, you have no god other than Him. Indeed I fear for you the punishment of a grievous day.
قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِہٖۤ اِنَّا لَنَرٰىکَ فِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ﴿۶۰﴾
7:60 The chiefs of his people said: Surely we see you in clear error.
قَالَ یٰقَوۡمِ لَیۡسَ بِیۡ ضَلٰلَۃٌ وَّ لٰکِنِّیۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۶۱﴾
7:61 He said: My people, there is no error in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds.
اُبَلِّغُکُمۡ رِسٰلٰتِ رَبِّیۡ وَ اَنۡصَحُ لَکُمۡ وَ اَعۡلَمُ مِنَ اللّٰہِ مَا لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۶۲﴾
7:62 I deliver to you the messages of my Lord, and I offer you good advice, and I know from Allah what you do not know.
اَوَ عَجِبۡتُمۡ اَنۡ جَآءَکُمۡ ذِکۡرٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ عَلٰی رَجُلٍ مِّنۡکُمۡ لِیُنۡذِرَکُمۡ وَ لِتَتَّقُوۡا وَ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تُرۡحَمُوۡنَ ﴿۶۳﴾
7:63 Do you wonder that a reminder has come to you from your Lord through a man from among you, that he may warn you and that you may guard against evil, and that mercy may be shown to you?
فَکَذَّبُوۡہُ فَاَنۡجَیۡنٰہُ وَ الَّذِیۡنَ مَعَہٗ فِی الۡفُلۡکِ وَ اَغۡرَقۡنَا الَّذِیۡنَ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا ؕ اِنَّہُمۡ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا عَمِیۡنَ ﴿٪۶۴﴾
7:64 But they called him a liar, so We delivered him and those with him in the ark, and We drowned those who rejected Our messages. Surely they were a blind people!2
Commentary:
- Having warned the opponents of the evil consequences of their opposition to the Holy Prophet, several illustrations are now given from sacred history, showing how those people were dealt with who refused to listen to the voice of the warners. The object is not to narrate history as such, but to bring out common characteristics of the histories of different nations, to mention incidents which contain prophetical allusion to the Holy Prophet’s life and to illustrate the general warnings made regarding the ultimate consequences of the rejection of Truth. The Quran relates the broad facts that every prophet preached Divine Unity, every prophet laid stress on the doing of good, every prophet was received with severe opposition, and that every prophet ultimately succeeded in establishing the truth. ↩
- See further 11:37–48 and 23:27–29. The Quran does not support the idea of a world deluge, for it states here that Noah was sent only to his people, not to all nations. Only the people to whom Noah was sent called him a liar, and only those were drowned who rejected the message of Allah delivered through Noah. ↩