Overview - Surah 71: Nuh (Noah )
This Surah talks about the preaching of Prophet Noah and then his prayer for the destruction of the disbelievers. Thus Allah's wrath came upon them and they were all destroyed in a flood.
He is mentioned from the very first Ayat, إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ أَنْ أَنذِرْ قَوْمَكَ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ "Indeed, We sent Noah to his people, [saying], "Warn your people before there comes to them a painful punishment." [71:1].
There are 28 Ayat in this Surah.
Overview
| Total Ayat | 28 |
| Total Words * | 226 |
| Root Words * | 91 |
| Unique Root Words * | 1 |
| Makki / Madani | Makki |
| Chronological Order* | 71st (according to Ibn Abbas) |
| Year of Revelation* | |
| Events during/before this Surah*
N/A
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| Events during/after still to occur*
N/A
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| Names of Prophets Mentioned
Nuh
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| Surah Index
Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (moon), Astronomy (celestial mechanics) (sun), Children, Earth, Evolution, gods of pre-Islamic Arabs by name, Heaven (several) , Hell, Humankind (creation of) , Humankind (grows gradually from the earth) , Materialism, Noah (ark) , Noah (flood) , Prayer (of Noah) , Resurrection (of humans)
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Theme 1: Dedication in giving Dawah.
In this Surah the story of the Prophet Noah has not been related only for the sake of storytelling, but its object is to warn the disbelievers of Makkah, so as to say: “You, O people of Makkah, are adopting towards Muhammad the same attitude as the people of the Prophet Noah had adopted towards him; if you do not change this attitude, you too would meet with the same end.” This had not been said in so many words anywhere in the Surah, but in the background of the conditions under which this story was narrated to the people of Makkah, this subject itself became obvious. Verse 2-4 briefly explain how he began his mission and what he preached. Then after suffering hardships and troubles in the way of preaching his mission for ages the report that he made to his Lord has been given in v. 5-20. In it he states how he had been trying to bring his people to the right path and how his people had stubbornly opposed him. After this, the Prophet Noah’s final submission has been recorded in v. 21-24, in which he prays to his Lord, saying: “These people have rejected my invitation: they are blindly following their chiefs, who have devised a tremendous plot of deceit and cunning. Time now has come when these people should be deprived of every grace to accept guidance.” This was not an expression of impatience by the Prophet Noah, but when after having preached his message under extremely trying circumstances for centuries he became utterly disappointed with his people, he formed the opinion that no chance whatever was left of their coming to the right path. His opinion fully conformed to God’s own decision. Thus, in the next verse (25), it has been said: “The torment of God descended on those people because of their misdeeds.”
In the concluding verse, the Prophet Noah’s supplication that he made to his Lord, right at the time the torment descended, has been recorded. He prays for his own and for all the believers’ forgiveness and makes a submission to God to the effect: “Do not leave any of the disbelievers alive on the earth, for they have become utterly devoid of every good: they will not beget any but disbelieving and wicked descendent.” While studying this Surah one should keep in view the details of the Prophet Noah’s story which have been given in the Qur’an. For this see the following Surah 7: al-A’raf (The Elevations) 59-64, Surah 10: Yunus (Jonah) 71,73, Surah 11: Hud (Hud) 25-49, Surah 23: al-Mu’minun (The Believers) 23-31, 26: ash-Shu’ara’ (The Poets) 105-122, Surah 29: al-‘Ankabut (The Spider) 14,15, Surah 37: as-Saffat (Those Lined Up) 75-82, Surah 54: al-Qamar (The Moon) 9-16.
Only the story of Prophet Nuh is discussed in this Surah and not anything else.
Manuscripts / Inscriptions
736 H 1335CE
736 H 1335CE
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
1st Century Hijrah (7th Century CE)
- In Surah al-Ma'arij [70:5], Allah advises the Prophet to have beautiful patience. The following Surah is on the Prophet Nuh who had much patience with this people for the great of time he spent in their midst.
- Surah Nuh [71] and Jinn [72] both have 28 Ayat.
Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) = 1* | ||
| # | Root Word | Frequency in Surah | Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | أ ل ه | 8 | 2851 |
| 2. | ق و ل | 6 | 1722 |
| 3. | ج ع ل | 6 | 346 |
| 4. | غ ف ر | 5 | 234 |
| 5. | ر ب ب | 5 | 980 |
| 6. | إِلَّا | 5 | 663 |
| 7. | ق و م | 4 | 660 |
| 8. | د ع و | 4 | 212 |
| 9. | ز ي د | 4 | 61 |
| 10. | و ذ ر | 4 | 45 |
| Root Word | Frequency in Surah |
Frequency in Qur'an |
|---|---|---|
| أ ل ه | 8 | 2851 |
| ق و ل | 6 | 1722 |
| ج ع ل | 6 | 346 |
| غ ف ر | 5 | 234 |
| ر ب ب | 5 | 980 |
| إِلَّا | 5 | 663 |
| ق و م | 4 | 660 |
| د ع و | 4 | 212 |
| ز ي د | 4 | 61 |
| و ذ ر | 4 | 45 |
This also is one of the earliest Surahs to be revealed at Makkah, but the internal evidence of its subject matter shows that it was sent down in the period when opposition to the Prophet’s message of Islam by the disbelievers of Makkah had grown very strong and active.
- The Prophet Nuh's preaching and submission to Allah after exhausting all his efforts.
- The Prophet Nuh's prayer not to leave any unbeliever on the surface of the earth and Allah granted his prayer.
- Giving Dawah night and day.
- The benefits ijn this world and after-life for seeking Istighfar [forgiveness] (71:10) (71:12)
- TheProphet Nuh is the second father of all humanity, as it was from his lineage that all men descended from after the flood.
Tafsir Zone
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Sayyid Qutb Overview (Verse 8 - 14) In his strenuous efforts to fulfil his mission, Noah used every method, addressing them openly at times, and speaking to them in private on others: "I have called them openly; I have preached to them in public, and I spoke to them secrecy in private." (Verses 8-9) In all this, he put before them immeasurable gains both in this life and in the life to come. The first prospect he put before them was forgiveness of their sins: "I said: Ask your Lord for forgiveness: He is ever forgiving." (Verse 10) He also put before them the prospect of abundant provisions to be granted through rain pouring down in plenty, so that plants can grow and rivers run. He also added other types of God's grace, ones they loved dearly: children and wealth: "He will let loose the sky over you with abundance, and will give you wealth and children; and will provide you with gardens and rivers." (Verses 11-12) Noah linked granting such provisions to seeking God's forgiveness of sins and misdeeds. This correlation between following God's guidance and attaining purity of heart on the one hand and a life of plenty and prosperity on the other is stated in several places in the Qur'an: "had the people of those cities believed and been God-fearing, We would indeed have opened up for them blessings out of heaven and earth. But they disbelieved, so We smote them on account of what they had been doing." (7: 96) "If only the people of earlier revelations would believe and be God fearing, We should indeed efface their [past] bad deeds, and bring them into gardens of bliss. If they would observe the Torah and the Gospel and all that has been revealed to them by their Lord, they would indeed be given abundance from above and from beneath." (5: 65-66) "Worship none but God. I come to you from Him as a warner and a bearer of glad tidings. Seek forgiveness of your Lord, and then turn towards Him in repentance, and He will grant you a goodly enjoyment of life a for an appointed term. He will grant everyone with merit a _All reward for his merit." (11: 2-3) This is, then, a true rule repeatedly stated in the Qur'an. It is based on certain conditions involving a promise by God and the rules He set for human life. History confirms its fulfilment during different generations. The rule applies to communities and nations, not to individuals. Every community that implemented God's law, truly looking up to Him, doing good and beneficial deeds and seeking His forgiveness in a way that reflected fearing Him, benefited by this promise. Every community that worshipped God and feared Him, implementing His law and establishing justice and security for all people, was given provisions in plenty and a life of strength and affluence. Having said this, we realize that some communities are left to enjoy a life of power and prosperity, despite the fact that they are far from being God-fearing or following His guidance. This is merely a test: "We test you all with evil and good by way of trial." (21: 35) Moreover, such prosperity is often accompanied by different ills such as the lack of social cohesion, loose morality, injustice, disregard for human dignity, etc. We see today two superpowers,' seemingly enjoying power and plentiful provisions: one of them is capitalist while the other communist. In the first, morality has sunk to the lowest level. The prevailing vision of life has become so low that all life has become materialistic, measured by the dollar. In the other, the value of man has gone below the level of slavery. Intelligence agencies have become too powerful and people live in constant fear, threatened in their own homes. Several massacres have taken place, and no one is assured that by the morning his head will remain in place. A false allegation can easily find it chopped off. Neither condition can be described as a truly prosperous human life. We continue with Noah and his untiring efforts. We see him trying to turn people's attentions to the signs pointing to God, be these from within themselves or in the world around them. He wonders at their carelessness and rudeness: "What is the matter with you? Why do you behave with such insolence towards your Lord, when it is He who has created you in successive stages?" (Verses 13-14) These stages of creation to which Noah refers must have been something which people either knew about or could understand at that time. He is obviously reminding them of something they know and hopes will have the desired effect of leading them to a positive response. Most commentators on the Qur'an say that the expression refers to the different stages the embryo goes through, starting with a gamete, then becoming a clinging cell mass, before it becomes a human embryo, and acquires a skeleton and is subsequently given its full shape and form. Noah's people could understand this because pregnant women suffered abortions at different stages of pregnancy, thus giving man a clear idea of how the human grows. This is one interpretation of the statement. It could also be a reference to what embryology says about the creation of man. It starts like a one-celled creature, then becomes like a multi-celled creature before acquiring the form of a water animal, then it becomes like a mammal, before it acquires human shape. This was however far from comprehensible to Noah's people, being only a very recent discovery. This interpretation may be the meaning of another Qur'anic statement that mentions the stages of the embryo before saying: "We then bring this into being as another creation." (23: 14) Both statements, however, may mean something else that remains beyond our present knowledge. Be that as it may, Noah draws the attention of his people to look at their creation and how it is done in stages. He reproaches them for knowing this and yet remaining insolent in their attitude towards their Lord. This is all very singular. |
Ibn Kathir (English)
Sayyid Qutb
Sha'rawi
Al Jalalain
Mawdudi
الطبري - جامع البيان
ابن كثير - تفسير القرآن العظيم
القرطبي - الجامع لأحكام
البغوي - معالم التنزيل
ابن أبي حاتم الرازي - تفسير القرآن
ابن عاشور - التحرير والتنوير
ابن القيم - تفسير ابن قيّم
السيوطي - الدر المنثور
الشنقيطي - أضواء البيان
ابن الجوزي - زاد المسير
الآلوسي - روح المعاني
ابن عطية - المحرر الوجيز
الرازي - مفاتيح الغيب
أبو السعود - إرشاد العقل السليم
الزمخشري - الكشاف
البقاعي - نظم الدرر
الهداية إلى بلوغ النهاية — مكي ابن أبي طالب
القاسمي - محاسن التأويل
الماوردي - النكت والعيون
السعدي - تيسير الكريم الرحمن
عبد الرحمن الثعالبي - الجواهر الحسان
السمرقندي - بحر العلوم
أبو إسحاق الثعلبي - الكشف والبيان
الشوكاني - فتح القدير
النيسابوري - التفسير البسيط
أبو حيان - البحر المحيط
البيضاوي - أنوار التنزيل
النسفي - مدارك التنزيل
ابن جُزَيّ - التسهيل لعلوم التنزيل
علي الواحدي النيسابوري - الوجيز
السيوطي - تفسير الجلالين
المختصر في التفسير — مركز تفسير
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- Surah 71. Nuh - Saad al Ghamidi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcLCmAyM6KY&index=71&list=PLhM2xiAUdw2cAqW_o3zZkbhJNw0bnaBZN
- Surah 71. Nuh - Umar Quzabri http://youtu.be/DePCo4QPSkM
- Surah 71. Nuh Mahmoud Khalil Al Hussary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTCFhtWHLa0&index=71&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfMFWX22VZWOKpzjr-vH_BM
- Surah 71. Nuh Muhammad Al Luhaydan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAYzERDxQ9A&index=71&list=PLxpAkjlGauHfKAYuQLRNAZomoezhfhRZe
- Idris Akbar Surah Nur https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csropoiYJIQ
- Surah 71. Nuh Muhammad MInshawi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gBaahmUchA&index=71&list=PLxpAkjlGauHdUcO_uc-8F8J2NUQRDZjPG
