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.
123 Total Word Count per Ayat (shows how many words per Ayat) * | ||
| # | 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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Overview (Verses 1 - 4) The surah begins with a statement defining the source of this message of divine faith: "We sent Noah to his people." (Verse 1) This is the source that assigns tasks to God's messengers and from whom they learn the truth of faith. It is the source of all existence and all life. It is He who created mankind, giving their nature the ability to know and worship Him. When they deviated from this straight path, He sent them messengers to bring them back to Him. Noah was the first of these messengers after Adam. The Qur'an does not mention a message given to Adam after his fall to earth and life thereon. Perhaps he was a teacher who taught his children and grandchildren. With the passage of time, they went astray and adopted idols as deities. These were at first symbols of certain forces they considered holy. Then, they forgot what the symbols signified and worshipped the idols themselves. The most important of those idols were the five mentioned in this surah. God sent them Noah to bring them back to believing in His oneness and give them the right concept of God, life and existence. Earlier scriptures mention Idris as a messenger of God prior to Noah. However, what such scriptures mention is not part of the Islamic faith, because they were subject to distortion, addition and omission. When we read the stories of earlier prophets given in the Qur'an, we tend to believe that Noah lived when humanity was still in its dawn period. He spent 950 years of his life advocating God's message to his people who must have lived a similarly long life. This suggests that humans were still few in number. In saying this we draw on the observation that species that are small in number live long, and that the reverse is true. Perhaps this is a rule of balance. This is merely a personal point of view, but God knows best. Having established the source of the message, the surah sums it up in a few words, and we learn that Noah was instructed to deliver a warning: "Warn your people, before grievous suffering befalls them." (Verse 1) The report Noah presents to his Lord, as stated in the surah, shows that the state in which he found his people, heedless and arrogant, makes warning the sum of his message. In fact, the first thing he does by means of advocacy is to warn them of severe punishment, in either this world or the next, or in both. The surah moves straight from assigning the task to its fulfilment, in which the delivery of the warning is prominent. However, this is coupled with a note that raises the hope of the forgiveness of past sins and the deferment of reckoning until the Day of Resurrection. Moreover, the surah gives a brief outline of the message Noah delivered to his people: He said: My people, l am here to warn you plainly. Worship God alone and fear Him, and obey me. He will forgive you your sins and grant you respite for an appointed term. When God's appointed term comes, it can never be put back, if you but knew it. (Verses 2-4) "My people, lam here to warn you plainly." (Verse 2) He immediately states his role as a warner, clearly explaining his argument. He does not hesitate or wrap his words in a false cover. He leaves no one in confusion as to what he has to say, or what those who reject his message can expect. What he calls for is plain and simple: "Worship God alone and fear Him, and obey me." (Verse 3) All worship must be addressed to God alone, without partners. Fearing God should be the quality that is clearly reflected in feeling and behaviour. Obeying the messenger God sends to a people is the attitude that makes His orders the basis on which they build their way of life and how they determine their rules of behaviour. To be God-fearing is the true guarantee that people will follow this code of living, abide by it and never try to circumvent it or slacken in its implementation. Moreover, it is the quality that ensures sound moral behaviour that seeks no reward other than being acceptable to God. Moreover, obeying God's messenger is the means that ensures remaining consistent, receiving guidance from its original source. It maintains the link with heaven through the messenger who receives instructions from on high. These were the broad lines that constituted what Noah called on his people to believe in. They remain the essence of the divine faith for every generation. God promised them in reward what He promises those who turn to Him in repentance: "He will forgive you your sins and grant you respite for an appointed term." (Verse 4) This verse states the reward promised for those who respond to the call to worship God alone, fear Him and obey His messenger. The reward is forgiveness of past sins, a respite lasting until the time appointed for reckoning, which means until the Day of Judgement, so that they will not be punished in this life like other communities that were totally destroyed. Later in the Sarah, we see that Noah promised his people certain other things to be granted in this life. Noah also confirms that this appointed time is inevitable: it comes at the moment determined for it. It will not be postponed like the delayed punishment in this world: "When God's appointed term comes, it can never be put back, if you but knew it." (Verse 4) This statement may be understood to apply to every time appointed by God, so as to make this fact clear in their minds. It occurs at the appropriate place here, within the context of the promise that the reckoning will be deferred to the Day of Judgement if they heeded Noah's advice.
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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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Overview (Verses 1 - 4) The surah begins with a statement defining the source of this message of divine faith: "We sent Noah to his people." (Verse 1) This is the source that assigns tasks to God's messengers and from whom they learn the truth of faith. It is the source of all existence and all life. It is He who created mankind, giving their nature the ability to know and worship Him. When they deviated from this straight path, He sent them messengers to bring them back to Him. Noah was the first of these messengers after Adam. The Qur'an does not mention a message given to Adam after his fall to earth and life thereon. Perhaps he was a teacher who taught his children and grandchildren. With the passage of time, they went astray and adopted idols as deities. These were at first symbols of certain forces they considered holy. Then, they forgot what the symbols signified and worshipped the idols themselves. The most important of those idols were the five mentioned in this surah. God sent them Noah to bring them back to believing in His oneness and give them the right concept of God, life and existence. Earlier scriptures mention Idris as a messenger of God prior to Noah. However, what such scriptures mention is not part of the Islamic faith, because they were subject to distortion, addition and omission. When we read the stories of earlier prophets given in the Qur'an, we tend to believe that Noah lived when humanity was still in its dawn period. He spent 950 years of his life advocating God's message to his people who must have lived a similarly long life. This suggests that humans were still few in number. In saying this we draw on the observation that species that are small in number live long, and that the reverse is true. Perhaps this is a rule of balance. This is merely a personal point of view, but God knows best. Having established the source of the message, the surah sums it up in a few words, and we learn that Noah was instructed to deliver a warning: "Warn your people, before grievous suffering befalls them." (Verse 1) The report Noah presents to his Lord, as stated in the surah, shows that the state in which he found his people, heedless and arrogant, makes warning the sum of his message. In fact, the first thing he does by means of advocacy is to warn them of severe punishment, in either this world or the next, or in both. The surah moves straight from assigning the task to its fulfilment, in which the delivery of the warning is prominent. However, this is coupled with a note that raises the hope of the forgiveness of past sins and the deferment of reckoning until the Day of Resurrection. Moreover, the surah gives a brief outline of the message Noah delivered to his people: He said: My people, l am here to warn you plainly. Worship God alone and fear Him, and obey me. He will forgive you your sins and grant you respite for an appointed term. When God's appointed term comes, it can never be put back, if you but knew it. (Verses 2-4) "My people, lam here to warn you plainly." (Verse 2) He immediately states his role as a warner, clearly explaining his argument. He does not hesitate or wrap his words in a false cover. He leaves no one in confusion as to what he has to say, or what those who reject his message can expect. What he calls for is plain and simple: "Worship God alone and fear Him, and obey me." (Verse 3) All worship must be addressed to God alone, without partners. Fearing God should be the quality that is clearly reflected in feeling and behaviour. Obeying the messenger God sends to a people is the attitude that makes His orders the basis on which they build their way of life and how they determine their rules of behaviour. To be God-fearing is the true guarantee that people will follow this code of living, abide by it and never try to circumvent it or slacken in its implementation. Moreover, it is the quality that ensures sound moral behaviour that seeks no reward other than being acceptable to God. Moreover, obeying God's messenger is the means that ensures remaining consistent, receiving guidance from its original source. It maintains the link with heaven through the messenger who receives instructions from on high. These were the broad lines that constituted what Noah called on his people to believe in. They remain the essence of the divine faith for every generation. God promised them in reward what He promises those who turn to Him in repentance: "He will forgive you your sins and grant you respite for an appointed term." (Verse 4) This verse states the reward promised for those who respond to the call to worship God alone, fear Him and obey His messenger. The reward is forgiveness of past sins, a respite lasting until the time appointed for reckoning, which means until the Day of Judgement, so that they will not be punished in this life like other communities that were totally destroyed. Later in the Sarah, we see that Noah promised his people certain other things to be granted in this life. Noah also confirms that this appointed time is inevitable: it comes at the moment determined for it. It will not be postponed like the delayed punishment in this world: "When God's appointed term comes, it can never be put back, if you but knew it." (Verse 4) This statement may be understood to apply to every time appointed by God, so as to make this fact clear in their minds. It occurs at the appropriate place here, within the context of the promise that the reckoning will be deferred to the Day of Judgement if they heeded Noah's advice.
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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
