Surah al-A`raf (The Elevated Places) 7 : 59

Overview (Verses 59 - 64)

Noah Rejected by Blind People

We sent Noah to his people, and he said: “My people, worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day.” The great ones among his people replied: “We certainly see that you are in obvious error. “Said he: “My people, I am not in error, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds. I am delivering to you my Lord’s messages and giving you sincere counsel, for I know [through revelation] from God what you do not know. Do you think it strange that a reminder from your Lord should come to you through a man from among yourselves, so that he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy?” But they accused him of lying, so We saved him together with all those who stood by him, in the ark, and caused those who rejected Our revelations to drown. Surely they were blind people. (Verses 59-64)

This first historical account gives us a brief history of Noah. It does not include the details given elsewhere in the Qur’ān where these are required by the main theme under discussion in Sūrahs, Had and Noah. The main purpose of giving it here is to describe the main features which we have already discussed, the nature of faith, how to deliver God’s message, how people receive it and the messenger’s reaction to the response he gets, and finally the infliction of the punishment against which they were warned. Hence, only those aspects of the story which outline these points are mentioned here, following the general method of Qur’ānic historical accounts.

This passage opens with the statement, “We sent Noah to his people.” (Verse 59) This follows the pattern adopted by God, which meant that a messenger was chosen from among his own people, speaking their own language in order to win over those whose nature remained undistorted and to facilitate discussion and communication. Those whose nature is already distorted wonder at this pattern and feel it beneath them to respond to human beings, demanding that the message be delivered to them by angels. This is no more than an excuse, because they would not have responded positively to divine guidance, whatever its means of delivery.

As Noah was sent to his people, he stressed the central point of all divine messages: “He said: ‘My people, worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him.’” (Verse 59) This is the solid unchangeable basis of divine faith, the mainstay of human life that guarantees the unity of direction and goal. It ensures that human beings are free from enslavement by their desires or by other human beings. It helps those who accept it to rise above all that they desire and to resist all temptation and threats.

The divine faith is a code for living based on the fundamental principle that all authority in human life belongs to God alone. This is the essential meaning of worshipping God alone and that God is the only deity acknowledged by human beings. When we speak of authority we include the belief that He is the Lord of both the universe and mankind who has originated them and conducts their affairs by His will and power. At the same level, we include belief in God’s Lordship over man’s day-to-day practical life and that man should conform to God’s will and abide by His law, in the same way as worship is offered to Him alone. All this is one integral whole. Otherwise, we come very close to associating partners with God, worshipping others alongside Him, or instead of Him.

Noah conveyed this single message to his people, and warned them against rejecting it, speaking to them as a brother deeply concerned for their well-being and as a herald giving them honest counsel: “I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day.” (Verse 59) Here we note that the faith preached by Noah, which is the most ancient faith, included belief in the hereafter and the reckoning and reward on an awesome day, with Noah fearing for his people what punishment and suffering may await them. Here we realize the clear divergence between God’s system and what it tells us about the origin of faith on the one hand, and, on the other, the system of the `religious specialists’ who grope in the dark and ignore what the Qur’ān says.

How was this clear, straightforward address received by Noah’s deviant people? “The great ones among his people replied: ‘We certainly see that you are in obvious error.’” (Verse 60) This is also how the idolatrous Arabs responded to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when they accused him of being an apostate who had renounced the faith of Abraham.

Deviation can extend as far as making a person believe that the one who advocates a return to divine guidance is in error! When human nature is corrupted, and standards are perverted and personal desire reigns supreme, then people can be so insolent and describe divine guidance as erroneous. Consider, if you will, what ignorant societies of today say about those who follow God’s guidance. They are often described as having gone astray, and they are always offered some temptation to bring them back to the fold. That is, the fold of the filth in which jāhiliyyah finds its pleasure. Besides, what does contemporary jāhiliyyah say to a young woman who covers her body, and to a young man who looks with contempt at cheap flesh? Their purity is described as reactionaryism, backwardness and primitiveness. Indeed, jāhiliyyah employs all means of influence and all media outlets at its command to drag them from their clean standard down into the filth by which it surrounds itself. Again, what does contemporary jāhiliyyah say about a person who chooses for himself serious preoccupations and refuses to be football crazy or television and video crazy, or refuses to waste his time in parties and discotheques? He is described as reserved, introvert, inflexible, uncultured, etc. He is offered a variety of temptations to toe the line. All jāhiliyyah is essentially the same, although appearances and circumstances may differ.

Noah denies that he is in error, and explains to his people the true nature of his call and its origin. He has not invented it, but he is simply a messenger bearing a message from the Lord of mankind, and delivering it with honest advice, based on the fact that he knows of God what they do not know. He feels that knowledge within himself, because he has his link with God: “Said he: ‘My people, I am not in error, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds. I am delivering to you my Lord’s messages and giving you sincere counsel, for I know [through revelation] from God what you do not know.’” (Verses 61-62)

Here we note a gap in the story. It seems that they have wondered that God should choose a human being, one of their number, to bear a message from Him to them, and that this human messenger should find within himself knowledge about his Lord which is not available to those who are not similarly chosen. This gap is indicated by what comes next: “Do you think it strange that a reminder from your Lord should come to you through a man from among yourselves, so that he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy?” (Verse 63)

There is nothing strange about this choice. Indeed, everything about human beings is amazing. Man deals with all the worlds and can have a direct link with his Lord because of what God has imparted to him and settled in his nature as a result of breathing into him of His soul. God certainly knows best whom to choose as His messenger. If God chooses a human being to bear His message, then this honoured person can receive the message through his latent ability to be in contact with God who gives him his special status as a human being receiving honours no other creature receives.

Noah reveals to them the goal of his message: “That he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy.” (Verse 63) There is first the warning so that their hearts respond and steer away from evil, as a prelude to eventually receiving God’s grace. Noah himself has no personal interest or purpose other than this noble one.

But when human nature reaches a certain limit of corruption, it ceases to reflect and use its reason. At this stage, no warning or reminder is of any use: “But they accused him of lying, so We saved him together with all those who stood by him, in the ark, and caused those who rejected Our revelations to drown. Surely they were blind people.” (Verse 64) We have already seen how blind they are, that they cannot recognize right guidance, honest warning or sincere advice. Indeed, it is their blindness which caused them to reject the truth and let them suffer their inevitable destiny.

Overview (Verses 59 - 64)

Noah Rejected by Blind People

We sent Noah to his people, and he said: “My people, worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him. I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day.” The great ones among his people replied: “We certainly see that you are in obvious error. “Said he: “My people, I am not in error, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds. I am delivering to you my Lord’s messages and giving you sincere counsel, for I know [through revelation] from God what you do not know. Do you think it strange that a reminder from your Lord should come to you through a man from among yourselves, so that he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy?” But they accused him of lying, so We saved him together with all those who stood by him, in the ark, and caused those who rejected Our revelations to drown. Surely they were blind people. (Verses 59-64)

This first historical account gives us a brief history of Noah. It does not include the details given elsewhere in the Qur’ān where these are required by the main theme under discussion in Sūrahs, Had and Noah. The main purpose of giving it here is to describe the main features which we have already discussed, the nature of faith, how to deliver God’s message, how people receive it and the messenger’s reaction to the response he gets, and finally the infliction of the punishment against which they were warned. Hence, only those aspects of the story which outline these points are mentioned here, following the general method of Qur’ānic historical accounts.

This passage opens with the statement, “We sent Noah to his people.” (Verse 59) This follows the pattern adopted by God, which meant that a messenger was chosen from among his own people, speaking their own language in order to win over those whose nature remained undistorted and to facilitate discussion and communication. Those whose nature is already distorted wonder at this pattern and feel it beneath them to respond to human beings, demanding that the message be delivered to them by angels. This is no more than an excuse, because they would not have responded positively to divine guidance, whatever its means of delivery.

As Noah was sent to his people, he stressed the central point of all divine messages: “He said: ‘My people, worship God alone: you have no deity other than Him.’” (Verse 59) This is the solid unchangeable basis of divine faith, the mainstay of human life that guarantees the unity of direction and goal. It ensures that human beings are free from enslavement by their desires or by other human beings. It helps those who accept it to rise above all that they desire and to resist all temptation and threats.

The divine faith is a code for living based on the fundamental principle that all authority in human life belongs to God alone. This is the essential meaning of worshipping God alone and that God is the only deity acknowledged by human beings. When we speak of authority we include the belief that He is the Lord of both the universe and mankind who has originated them and conducts their affairs by His will and power. At the same level, we include belief in God’s Lordship over man’s day-to-day practical life and that man should conform to God’s will and abide by His law, in the same way as worship is offered to Him alone. All this is one integral whole. Otherwise, we come very close to associating partners with God, worshipping others alongside Him, or instead of Him.

Noah conveyed this single message to his people, and warned them against rejecting it, speaking to them as a brother deeply concerned for their well-being and as a herald giving them honest counsel: “I fear lest suffering befall you on an awesome day.” (Verse 59) Here we note that the faith preached by Noah, which is the most ancient faith, included belief in the hereafter and the reckoning and reward on an awesome day, with Noah fearing for his people what punishment and suffering may await them. Here we realize the clear divergence between God’s system and what it tells us about the origin of faith on the one hand, and, on the other, the system of the `religious specialists’ who grope in the dark and ignore what the Qur’ān says.

How was this clear, straightforward address received by Noah’s deviant people? “The great ones among his people replied: ‘We certainly see that you are in obvious error.’” (Verse 60) This is also how the idolatrous Arabs responded to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when they accused him of being an apostate who had renounced the faith of Abraham.

Deviation can extend as far as making a person believe that the one who advocates a return to divine guidance is in error! When human nature is corrupted, and standards are perverted and personal desire reigns supreme, then people can be so insolent and describe divine guidance as erroneous. Consider, if you will, what ignorant societies of today say about those who follow God’s guidance. They are often described as having gone astray, and they are always offered some temptation to bring them back to the fold. That is, the fold of the filth in which jāhiliyyah finds its pleasure. Besides, what does contemporary jāhiliyyah say to a young woman who covers her body, and to a young man who looks with contempt at cheap flesh? Their purity is described as reactionaryism, backwardness and primitiveness. Indeed, jāhiliyyah employs all means of influence and all media outlets at its command to drag them from their clean standard down into the filth by which it surrounds itself. Again, what does contemporary jāhiliyyah say about a person who chooses for himself serious preoccupations and refuses to be football crazy or television and video crazy, or refuses to waste his time in parties and discotheques? He is described as reserved, introvert, inflexible, uncultured, etc. He is offered a variety of temptations to toe the line. All jāhiliyyah is essentially the same, although appearances and circumstances may differ.

Noah denies that he is in error, and explains to his people the true nature of his call and its origin. He has not invented it, but he is simply a messenger bearing a message from the Lord of mankind, and delivering it with honest advice, based on the fact that he knows of God what they do not know. He feels that knowledge within himself, because he has his link with God: “Said he: ‘My people, I am not in error, but I am a Messenger from the Lord of all the worlds. I am delivering to you my Lord’s messages and giving you sincere counsel, for I know [through revelation] from God what you do not know.’” (Verses 61-62)

Here we note a gap in the story. It seems that they have wondered that God should choose a human being, one of their number, to bear a message from Him to them, and that this human messenger should find within himself knowledge about his Lord which is not available to those who are not similarly chosen. This gap is indicated by what comes next: “Do you think it strange that a reminder from your Lord should come to you through a man from among yourselves, so that he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy?” (Verse 63)

There is nothing strange about this choice. Indeed, everything about human beings is amazing. Man deals with all the worlds and can have a direct link with his Lord because of what God has imparted to him and settled in his nature as a result of breathing into him of His soul. God certainly knows best whom to choose as His messenger. If God chooses a human being to bear His message, then this honoured person can receive the message through his latent ability to be in contact with God who gives him his special status as a human being receiving honours no other creature receives.

Noah reveals to them the goal of his message: “That he might warn you, and that you may keep away from evil and be graced with His mercy.” (Verse 63) There is first the warning so that their hearts respond and steer away from evil, as a prelude to eventually receiving God’s grace. Noah himself has no personal interest or purpose other than this noble one.

But when human nature reaches a certain limit of corruption, it ceases to reflect and use its reason. At this stage, no warning or reminder is of any use: “But they accused him of lying, so We saved him together with all those who stood by him, in the ark, and caused those who rejected Our revelations to drown. Surely they were blind people.” (Verse 64) We have already seen how blind they are, that they cannot recognize right guidance, honest warning or sincere advice. Indeed, it is their blindness which caused them to reject the truth and let them suffer their inevitable destiny.