SURAH (11) HUD (AYA 21 to 40)

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ {11:21}

[Q11:21] Ulaaa'ikal lazeena khasirooo anfusahum wa dalla 'anhum maa kaanoo yaftaroon. 
[Q11:21] These are they who have lost their souls, and what they forged is gone from them.

[Q11:21] Merekalah orang-orang yang merugikan diri sendiri dan hilang lenyaplah dari mereka apa yang mereka ada-adakan.  

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(11:21) They caused utter loss to themselves, and all that they had invented failed them. *26

*26. All their conjectures regarding God, the universe and their own selves will prove to be absolutely baseless in the Next Life. Similarly, the notions they entertained about the help and support they would receive from those they considered to be either their deities, or their intercessors with God, or their patrons will prove to be false. Likewise, it will become obvious that all their notions about the After-life were utterly untrue.

لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ {11:22}

[Q11:22] Laa jarama annahum fil Aakhirati humul akhsaroon. 
[Q11:22] Truly in the hereafter they are the greatest losers.

[Q11:22] Tidak syak lagi, bahawa sesungguhnya merekalah yang paling rugi, pada hari akhirat kelak. 

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(11:22) Doubtlessly, they shall be the greatest losers in the Hereafter.

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَخْبَتُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ {11:23}

[Q11:23] Innal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati wa akhbatooo ilaa Rabbihim ulaaa'ika Ashaabul Jannati hum feehaa khaalidoon. 
[Q11:23] Surely (as to) those who believe and do good and humble themselves to their Lord, these are the dwellers of the garden, in it they will abide.

[Q11:23] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang beriman dan mengerjakan amal yang soleh, serta tunduk taat menunaikan ibadat kepada Tuhan mereka dengan khusyuk, mereka itulah ahli Syurga, mereka kekal di dalamnya. 

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(11:23) As for those who believed and acted righteously and dedicated themselves totally to their Lord -they are the people of Paradise, and there they shall abide forever. *27

*27. This concludes the account about the Hereafter. 

مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَالْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْأَصَمِّ وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ ۚ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ {11:24}

[Q11:24] Masalul fareeqini kal a'maa wal asammi walbaseeri wassamee'; hal yastawiyaani masalaa; afalaa tazakkaroon.
[Q11:24] The likeness of the two parties is as the blind and the deaf and the seeing and the hearing: are they equal in condition? Will you not then mind?

[Q11:24] Bandingan dua golongan (yang kafir dan yang beriman) itu samalah seperti orang yang buta serta pekak, dengan orang yang celik serta mendengar; kedua-dua golongan itu tidaklah sama keadaannya. (Setelah kamu mengetahui yang demikian) maka tidakkah kamu mahu mengambil peringatan dan insaf?

The disbelievers are deaf and blind and the believers are seeing and hearing.

Ø  Among the believers is a select group,

°          thoroughly purified (Ahzab 33:33) AND

°          truthfulness incarnate (Ali Imran 3:61),

known as Ahlul Bayt, the progeny of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), who cannot be compared with any other believing man and woman, just as believers and disbelievers, in general, cannot be held as equals. No one among the ummah can supersede the holy Ahlul Bayt in any spiritual or material field of activity.

Verses (25 to 48) pertain to Nuh. Also refer to the commentary of Araf 7:59 to 64 about Nuh.

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(11:24) The example of the two parties is that one is blind and deaf, and the other capable of seeing and hearing. Can the two be equals? *28 Will you, then, not heed?'

*28. Can the attitude and ultimate end of both these types of people be the same? Obviously, he who fails to see the right way and ignores the instruction of the guide who directs him to the right way will necessarily stumble and meet with some terrible mishap. However, he who perceives the right way and follows the instructions of his guide will reach his destination, and reach it safely.
The same difference is found between the two parties mentioned here. One of these carefully observes the realities of the universe and pays heed to the teachings of God's Messengers. The other party, however, neither uses their eyes properly to perceive God's signs, nor pays heed to His Messengers. The behaviour of the two parties is, therefore, bound to be different. And when their behaviour is different, there is no reason to believe that their ultimate end will be identical. 

SECTION 3

         The Ministry of Noah

Noah exhorts the people to believe in and worship only the One True God---Noah is rejected and charged by the people as an imposter---Noah warns the people of the punishment from ALLAH.

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ إِنِّي لَكُمْ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ {11:25}

[Q11:25] Wa laqad arsalnaa Noohan ilaa qawmihee innee lakum nazeerum mubeen: 
[Q11:25] And certainly We sent Nuh to his people: Surely I am a plain warner for you:

[Q11:25] Dan demi sesungguhnya! Kami telah utuskan Nabi Nuh lalu dia memberitahu kaumnya dengan berkata: Sesungguhnya aku ini seorang Rasul pemberi amaran yang nyata kepada kamu.  

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(11:25) (Such were the circumstances) when We sent forth Noah to his people. *29 (He said): 'I have been sent to you to warn you plainly

*29. It is pertinent at this stage to bear in mind Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. III. al-A'raf 7: 59-64. nn. 47-50, pp. 37-42. 

أَنْ لَا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ أَلِيمٍ {11:26}

[Q11:26] Al laa ta'budooo illal laaha inneee akhaafu 'alaikum 'azaaba Yawmin aleem. 

[Q11:26] That you shall not serve any but ALLAH (SWT), surely I fear for you the punishment of a painful day.
[Q11:26] Iaitu janganlah kamu menyembah melainkan ALLAH (SwT); sesungguhnya aku bimbang (jika kamu menyembah yang lainnya), kamu akan ditimpa azab yang tidak terperi sakitnya pada hari pembalasan. 

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(11:26) that you may worship none but Allah or else I fear for you the chastisement of a Grievous Day. *30

فَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَوْمِهِ مَا نَرَاكَ إِلَّا بَشَرًا مِثْلَنَا وَمَا نَرَاكَ اتَّبَعَكَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَرَاذِلُنَا بَادِيَ الرَّأْيِ وَمَا نَرَىٰ لَكُمْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ فَضْلٍ بَلْ نَظُنُّكُمْ كَاذِبِينَ {11:27}

[Q11:27] Faqaalal mala ul lazeena kafaroo min qawmihee ma naraaka illaa basharam mislanaa wa maa naraakat taba'aka illal lazeena hum araazilunaa baadiyar raayi wa maa naraa lakum 'alainaa min fadlim bal nazunnukum kaazibeen. 
[Q11:27] But the chiefs of those who disbelieved from among his people said: We do not consider you but a mortal like ourselves, and we do not see any have followed you but those who are the meanest of us at first thought and we do not see in you any excellence over us; nay, we deem you liars.

[Q11:27] Maka berkatalah ketua-ketua yang kafir dari kaumnya: Kami tidak memandangmu (wahai Nuh) melainkan sebagai seorang manusia seperti kami dan kami tidak nampak golongan yang mengikutmu melainkan orang-orang kami yang miskin hina, lagi berfikiran singkat dan kami juga tidak memandang kamu (semua) mempunyai sebarang kelebihan yang mengatasi kami, bahkan kami menganggap kamu orang-orang pendusta.  

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(11:27) The notables among Noah's own people, who had refused to follow him, responded: 'We merely consider you a human being like ourselves. *31 Nor do we find among those who follow you except the lowliest of our folk, the men who follow you without any proper reason. *32 We see nothing in you to suggest that you are any better than us. *33 Rather, we believe you to be liars.'

*30. Substantially, the same warning was delivered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) in the first few verses (viz. 2-3) of this surah. 
*31. This is exactly the same absurd objection which the Makkans raised against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). They found it inconceivable that a mortal like themselves who ate arid drank, walked and slept, and who also had a family could be designated a Messenger by God. (See Ya Sin 36, n. Il;al-Shura42,n.41.)
*32. Again, it is noteworthy that the same objection raised by Noah's people against him was raised by the Makkans against the Prophet (peace be on him). The objection being that it is only persons of insignificant position who joined the Prophet's (peace be on him) ranks. They, thus, tried to belittle both the Message and the Messenger by highlighting that his followers were either a few raw youths, a bunch of slaves, or a group of feeble-minded and superstitious commoners from the lower rungs of society. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. Il,al-An'arn6,nn. 34-7,pp. 235-7, and Yunus 10, n. 78. p. 57 above.)
*33. The believers claimed that they enjoyed God's favour and mercy, and that those who chose to deviate from their way were subject to God's wrath. 

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي وَآتَانِي رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِنْدِهِ فَعُمِّيَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنُلْزِمُكُمُوهَا وَأَنْتُمْ لَهَا كَارِهُونَ {11:28}

[Q11:28] Qaala yaa qawmi ara'aitum in kuntu 'alaa baiyinatim mir Rabbee wa aataanee rahmatam min 'indihee fa'um miyat 'alaikum anulzimuku moohaa wa antum lahaa kaarihoon.
[Q11:28] He said: O my people! tell me if I have with me clear proof from my Lord, and He has granted me mercy from Himself and it has been made obscure to you; shall we constrain you to (accept) it while you are averse from it?

[Q11:28] Nabi Nuh berkata: Wahai kaumku! Jika keadaanku berdasarkan bukti yang nyata dari Tuhanku, serta Dia mengurniakan pangkat Nabi kepadaku dari sisiNya, kemudian bukti yang nyata itu menjadi kabur pada pandangan kamu (disebabkan keingkaran kamu yang telah sebati), maka adakah kamu nampak ada gunanya Kami memaksa kamu menerima bukti itu sedang kamu tidak suka kepadanya? 

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(11:28) Noah said: 'My people! If I base myself on a clear evidence from my Lord, and I have also been blessed by His mercy *34 to which you have been blind, how can we force it upon you despite your aversion to it?

*34. This amounts to virtually repeating the statement mentioned earlier (see verse 17 and n. 17 ff. above). The statement suggested that the Prophet (peace be on him) had reached the stage of affirming the unity of God as a result of his own reflection. Whereafter, God favoured him by designating him a Prophet and providing him with direct knowledge of the truths about which his heart was already convinced.
This also shows that the Prophets attain belief regarding the realm of the Unseen before they are appointed to the office of prophethood. When they are subsequently designated Prophets, they are endowed with faith in the truths belonging to the realm of the Unseen as a result of direct knowledge of those truths. 

وَيَا قَوْمِ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَالًا ۖ إِنْ أَجْرِيَ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا أَنَا بِطَارِدِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ مُلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ وَلَٰكِنِّي أَرَاكُمْ قَوْمًا تَجْهَلُونَ {11:29}

[Q11:29] Wa yaa qawmi laaa as'alukum 'alaihi maalan in ajriya illaa 'alal laah; wa maaa ana bitaaridil lazeena aamanoo; innahum mulaaqoo Rabbihim wa laakinneee araakum qawman tajhaloon.
[Q11:29] And, O my people! I ask you not for wealth in return for it; my reward is only with ALLAH (SWT) and I am not going to drive away those who believe; surely they shall meet their Lord, but I consider you a people who are ignorant:

[Q11:29] Dan (ketahuilah) wahai kaumku! Aku tidak meminta kepada kamu sebarang harta benda sebagai upah menyampaikan agama ALLAH (SwT) itu, tiadalah aku harapkan upahku melainkan dari ALLAH (SwT) semata-mata dan aku tidak akan menghalau orang-orang yang beriman (sebagaimana yang kamu minta itu), kerana sesungguhnya mereka akan menemui Tuhan mereka (dan pada hari itu mereka akan menuntut dan menerima hak masing-masing); tetapi aku nampak kamu semua, kaum yang tidak mengetahui apa yang mesti diketahui. 

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(11:29) My people! I seek no recompense from you. *35 My recompense is only with Allah. Nor will I drive away those who believe. They are destined to meet their Lord. *36 But I find you to be an ignorant people.

*35. The Prophet Noah (peace be on him) told his people that he had sincerely counselled his people about what was conducive to their well-being. Noah bore all kinds of hardship and suffering, and all for the well-being of his people. Noah sought to achieve no personal benefit out of his striving to call 
*36. The worth of the believers is best known only to their Lord which will become fully evident when they encounter Him on the Day of Judgement. If they indeed are true gems, they will not then become pieces of ordinary rock just because some people in this world had disparagingly thrown them aside. But if, on the contrary, they are indeed nothing but mere pieces of ordinary rock, their Lord has every right to cast them wherever He pleases. (See Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, al-An'am 6: 52, and al-Kahf 18:28.) 

وَيَا قَوْمِ مَنْ يَنْصُرُنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ إِنْ طَرَدْتُهُمْ ۚ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ {11:30}

[Q11:30] Wa yaa qawmi mai yansurunee minal laahi in tarattuhum; afalaa tazak karoon.
[Q11:30] And, O my people! Who will help me against ALLAH (SWT) if I drive them away? Will you not then mind?

[Q11:30] Dan lagi wahai kaumku! Siapakah yang akan menolongku dari azab ALLAH (SwT) jika aku menghalau mereka? Maka mengapa kamu tidak mahu ingatkan kekuasaan ALLAH (SwT)?  

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(11:30) My people! Were I to drive the men of faith away, who will protect me from (the chastisement of) Allah? Do you not understand even this much?

وَلَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ عِنْدِي خَزَائِنُ اللَّهِ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ وَلَا أَقُولُ إِنِّي مَلَكٌ وَلَا أَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ تَزْدَرِي أَعْيُنُكُمْ لَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا ۖ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ ۖ إِنِّي إِذًا لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ {11:31}

[Q11:31] Wa laa aqoolu lakum 'indee khazaa'inul laahi wa laaa a'lamul ghaiba wa laa aqoolu inee malakunw wa laaa aqoolu lillazeena tazdareee a'yunukum lai yu'tiyahumul laahu khairan Allaahu a'lamu bimaa feee anfusihim innee izal laminaz zaalimeen. 
[Q11:31] And I do not say to you that I have the treasures of ALLAH (SWT) and I do not know the unseen, nor do I say that I am an angel, nor do I say about those whom your eyes hold in mean estimation (that) ALLAH (SWT) will never grant them (any) good-- ALLAH (SWT) knows best what is in their souls-- for then most surely I should be of the unjust. 

[Q11:31] Dan aku tidak pernah berkata kepada kamu: Di sisiku ada perbendaharaan ALLAH (SwT), dan tidaklah aku mendakwa mengetahui perkara-perkara yang ghaib dan aku tidak mengatakan bahawa aku ini malaikat dan aku juga tidak berkata terhadap orang-orang yang beriman yang kamu pandang hina itu, bahawa ALLAH (SwT) tidak akan memberi kebaikan kepada mereka. ALLAH (SwT) lebih mengetahui akan apa yang ada di dalam hati mereka. Sesungguhnya aku jika bertindak demikian, nescaya menjadilah aku dari orang-orang yang zalim. 

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(11:31) I do not say to you that I possess Allah's treasures, nor that I have access to the realm beyond the ken of sense-perception, nor do I claim to be an angel. *37 Nor do I say regarding those whom you look upon with disdain that Allah will not bestow any good upon them. Allah knows best what is in their hearts. Were I to say so I would be one of the wrongdoers.'

*37. This is a rejoinder to the Prophet Noah's opponents. His opponents tried to discredit him by saying that he appeared to them to be merely an ordinary human being just like any one of them. In response to this Noah acknowledges that he is indeed nothing more than a human being, and that he has never claimed to be anything other than that. Hence, any attack on him on the grounds that he was merely a human being was pointless.
Noah (peace be on him), like other Prophets, had claimed no more than what God had intimated to him about the Straight Way comprising right beliefs and sound principles of behaviour. His people were free to test him in regard to that claim. It was strange, however, that they asked him about a matter which lay beyond the ken of human perception, something which he had never claimed to know. They also made strange demands of him which suggested that he possessed the keys to God's treasures. They even taunted him on the grounds that like other human beings he also ate and drank and walked around.
All this was meaningless for Noah (peace be on him) had never claimed to he an angel and that as such he could dispense with necessary physical and biological requirements. All that Noah (peace be on him) had claimed was that he possessed the knowledge needed to guide human beings in matters of belief, moral conduct, and social behaviour. Now, what sense did it make to ask such a person what gender a cow's calf would be? By what stretch of the imagination can one establish a nexus between the pregnancy of a cow and sound principles of individual and social conduct? (See also Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, al-An'am 6, nn. 31-2, pp. 234-5.) 

قَالُوا يَا نُوحُ قَدْ جَادَلْتَنَا فَأَكْثَرْتَ جِدَالَنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ {11:32}

[Q11:32] Qaaloo yaa Noohu qad jaadaltanaa fa aksarta jidaalanaa faatinaa bimaa ta'idunaaa in kunta minas saadiqeen. 
[Q11:32] They said: O Nuh! Indeed you have disputed with us and lengthened dispute with us, therefore bring to us what you threaten us with, if you are of the truthful ones.

[Q11:32] Mereka berkata: Wahai Nuh! Sesungguhnya engkau telah bertikam lidah membantah kami lalu engkau banyakkan sangat hujjah-hujjah semasa mengemukakan bantahanmu kepada kami; oleh itu, datangkanlah azab ALLAH (SwT) yang engkau janjikan kepada kami, jika betul engkau dari orang-orang yang benar. 

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(11:32) They said: 'O Noah! Surely you have disputed with us and have prolonged your dispute. Now bring upon us the chastisement that you threaten us with; do so, if you are truthful.'

قَالَ إِنَّمَا يَأْتِيكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ إِنْ شَاءَ وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ {11:33}

[Q11:33] Qaala innamaa yaateekum bihil laahu in shaaa'a wa maaa antum bimu'jizeen. 
[Q11:33] He said: ALLAH (SWT) only will bring it to you if He please, and you will not escape: 

[Q11:33] Nabi Nuh menjawab: Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) jualah yang akan mendatangkan azabNya itu kepada kamu jika Dia kehendaki dan kamu tidak sekali-kali akan dapat melemahkan kuasa ALLAH (SwT)! 

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(11:33) Noah said: 'Only Allah will bring it upon you if He so wills, and you will be utterly unable to frustrate that.

وَلَا يَنْفَعُكُمْ نُصْحِي إِنْ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَنْصَحَ لَكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُغْوِيَكُمْ ۚ هُوَ رَبُّكُمْ وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ {11:34}

[Q11:34] Wa laa yanfa'ukum nusheee in arattu an ansaha lakum in kaanal laahu yureedu ai yughwi yakum; Huwa Rabbukum wa ilaihi turja'oon.
[Q11:34] And if I intend to give you good advice, my advice will not profit you if ALLAH (SWT) intended that He should leave you to go astray; He is your Lord, and to Him shall you be returned.

[Q11:34] Dan tidak ada gunanya nasihatku kepada kamu, jika aku hendak menasihati kamu, kalau ALLAH (SwT) hendak menyesatkan kamu (kerana kamu tetap berdegil); Dialah Tuhan kamu dan kepadaNya kamu akan kembali. 

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(11:34) If I want to give you good advice that will not profit you if Allah Himself has decided to let you go astray. *38 He is your Lord, and to Him will you be returned.'

*38. Such was their obduracy, mischievousness and absolute disregard for righteous behaviour that quite understandably God should decide not to direct them to the right way and instead let them, as they wished, stumble in error. Once God had made such a decision no one's effort to direct them to the right way - not even the Prophet's - could be of any avail. 

أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ ۖ قُلْ إِنِ افْتَرَيْتُهُ فَعَلَيَّ إِجْرَامِي وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُجْرِمُونَ {11:35}

[Q11:35] Am yaqooloonaf taraahu qul inif taraituhoo fa'alaiya ijraamee wa ana bareee'um mimmaa tujrimoon. 
[Q11:35] Or do they say: He has forged it? Say: If I have forged it, on me is my guilt, and I am clear of that of which you are guilty.

[Q11:35] (Mereka terus berdegil), bahkan mereka menuduh dengan mengatakan Nabi Nuh sengaja mengada-adakan secara dusta: Bahawa Tuhan mengurniakan pangkat Nabi kepadanya. Nabi Nuh diperintahkan menjawab dengan berkata: Kalau aku yang mereka-reka wahyu itu maka akulah yang akan menanggung dosa perbuatanku itu dan sebenarnya aku bersih dari dosa kesalahan kamu menuduhku.

THE MAKKAN PAGANS HAD SAID THAT THE HOLY PROPHET (ALLAHUMA SALI ALA MUHAMMAD WA ALA ALI MUHAMMAD) HAD FABRICATED THE EVENTS CONCERNING NUH.

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(11:35) (O Muhammad!) Do they say that he himself has forged this message? Tell them: 'If I have forged this, the guilt of it will fall upon me, but I am not responsible for the crimes you are committing. *39

*39. The context seems to suggest how the opponents reacted to the narration of Noah's story. It seems they would have objected to it on the grounds that the true purpose of narrating Noah's story was to show how it was applicable to the unbelievers. They presumably pointed out that the Prophet (peace be on him) had invented such stories merely to ridicule and disgrace them; that these stories were merely a means whereby he could malign them.
The main theme of the discourse has been interrupted here in order to respond to this objection. Petty people are apt to misinterpret things. Their mental baseness allows them only to perceive that which is evil and to disregard those aspects which are good. If someone offers a piece of wisdom, or seeks to convey a piece of good advice, or draws the attention of someone to any of his weaknesses, a wise person will benefit from what is said and will reform himself. But a petty person will always be inclined to see something evil in it. Such an attitude will reduce to naught the wisdom or sincere counsel that was offered. Moreover, such a person will continue to adhere to his evil ways. Not only that but he is also likely to attribute some evil motive to the person who had sought to say a word of wisdom or to furnish him with sincere advice.
Even the best advice goes to waste if someone misunderstands it. For it is possible that someone may construe a piece of advice as arising not out of sincere concern for but out of a desire to taunt. In such instances, instead of dispassionately examining his own life with a view to identifying his flaws and weaknesses, this person is likely to feel offended. Such a person will be wont to assume, and will often go about saying, that the advice was actuated by ulterior motives and was meant to insult him. Suppose a reformer mentions, for instructive purposes, what is going on in society. It is possible that some of the things mentioned might also be applicable to a person's case and might seem to allude to some actual flaw or shortcoming in his character. Now, it is quite possible that the reformer did not intend to point an accusing finger at any particular person. Instead, he merely wanted to bring to people's attention the unhealthy attitudes found in society. If the person concerned is wise, he will not enmesh himself with questions about whether the reformer's statement was meant to cast a slur on his character. He will recognize instead the worth of the statement, will seize its instructive aspects, and will make an effort to mend his behaviour accordingly.
However, if a man has a warped mind and is given only to seeing evil intentions in people's actions, he is likely to fling accusations at the reformer. He will go about condemning his statement as a bundle of fabrications concocted with a view to bringing him into disrepute. It is for this reason that the Prophet (peace be on him) was asked to say that if he had fabricated something, he would be responsible for the sin of such a fabrication. This would not, however, absolve others of the guilt and evils they had committed in the past and which they continued to commit. 

SECTION 4

         The Fate of those who disbelieved Noah

Noah directed to make an Ark---People of Noah scoff at Noah---The Deluge---Noah’s people drowned---Noah and his companions in the Ark saved.

وَأُوحِيَ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ {11:36}

[Q11:36] Wa oohiya ilaa Noohin annahoo lany-yu'mina min qawmika illaa man qad aamana falaa tabta'is bimaa kaanoo yaf'aloon. 
[Q11:36] And it was revealed to Nuh: That none of your people will believe except those who have already believed, therefore do not grieve at what they do:

[Q11:36] Dan (setelah itu) diwahyukan kepada Nabi Nuh: Bahawa sesungguhnya tidak akan beriman lagi dari kaummu melainkan orang-orang yang telah sedia beriman. Oleh itu, janganlah engkau berdukacita tentang apa yang mereka sentiasa lakukan. 

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(11:36) It was revealed to Noah that no more of your people, other than those who already believe, will ever come to believe. So do not grieve over their deeds,

وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا وَلَا تُخَاطِبْنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ مُغْرَقُونَ {11:37}

[Q11:37] Wasna'il fulka bi-a'yuninaa wa wahyinaa wa laa tukhaa tibnee fil lazeena zalamoo; innahum mughraqoon.
[Q11:37] And make the ark before Our eyes and (according to) Our revelation, and do not speak to Me in respect of those who are unjust; surely they shall be drowned.

[Q11:37] Dan buatlah bahtera dengan pengawasan serta kawalan Kami dan dengan panduan wahyu Kami (tentang cara membuatnya) dan janganlah engkau merayu kepadaKu untuk menolong kaum yang zalim itu, kerana sesungguhnya mereka akan ditenggelamkan (dengan taufan). 

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(11:37) and build the Ark under Our eyes and Our direction. And do not supplicate Me concerning those who have engaged in wrong-doing. They are doomed to be drowned. *40

*40. This demonstrates that when a Messenger communicates his Message to his people, they are granted respite from punishment only as long as it remains possible for the social milieu to produce a reasonable number of good people. As soon as that milieu becomes shorn of good people, and none but the iniquitous remain, then the term of respite ends. At this juncture, God's Mercy itself calls for the destruction of these incorrigible rogues lest they also contaminate others. For to show any further leniency to them would amount to perpetrating an injustice on the whole world and on future generations. 

وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ وَكُلَّمَا مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ مَلَأٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ سَخِرُوا مِنْهُ ۚ قَالَ إِنْ تَسْخَرُوا مِنَّا فَإِنَّا نَسْخَرُ مِنْكُمْ كَمَا تَسْخَرُونَ {11:38}

[Q11:38] Wa yasn'ul fulka wa kullamaa marra 'alaihi malaum min qawmihee sakhiroo minh; qaala in taskharoo minnaa fa innaa naskharu minkum kamaa taskharoon. 
[Q11:38] And he began to make the ark; and whenever the chiefs from among his people passed by him they laughed at him. He said: If you laugh at us, surely we too laugh at you as you laugh (at us).

[Q11:38] Dan Nabi Nuh pun membuat bahtera itu dan tiap-tiap kali sepuak dari kaumnya melalui tempat dia membina bahteranya, mereka mengejek-ejeknya. Nabi Nuh pun menjawab: Jika kamu memandang kami bodoh (kerana membuat bahtera ini), maka sesungguhnya kami juga memandang kamu bodoh (kerana keingkaran kamu), sebagai (balasan) ejekan kamu.

The people of Nuh lived in a plain, in the higher region of Mesopotamia, hundreds of miles away from the Persian Gulf. They laughed at Nuh when he began to make an ark.

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(11:38) As Noah was building the Ark, whenever the leading men of his nation passed by him, they would scoff at him. He said: 'If you scoff at us, we too scoff at you in like manner.

فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَيَحِلُّ عَلَيْهِ عَذَابٌ مُقِيمٌ {11:39}

[Q11:39] Fasawfa ta'lamoona mai yaateehi 'azaabuny yaukhzeehi wa yahillu 'alaihi 'azaabum muqeem;
[Q11:39] So shall you know who it is on whom will come a chastisement which will disgrace him, and on whom will lasting chastisement come down.

[Q11:39] Maka kamu akan mengetahui siapakah yang akan didatangi azab yang menghinakannya di dunia dan yang akan ditimpakan pula dengan azab yang kekal pada hari akhirat kelak.  

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(11:39) You will come to know who will be struck by a humiliating chastisement, and who will be subjected to an unceasing torment. *41

*41. This fascinating story illustrates how man can be deluded by the appearance of things. When the Prophet Noah (peace be on him) was busy building the Ark on a tract of land far from any sea or river, it must have appeared a very silly thing to do. Noah's people would surely have laughed at him, mocking at the old fellow's apparently senile plan. They may even have called it an adventure of sailing on the Ark across dry land! At that moment it would have simply been inconceivable for anyone to think that the Ark would one day indeed sail on that very tract of land as it became flooded with water. Hence they perhaps went around telling people that if anyone needed proof of Noah's mental derangement, this was now no longer needed.
The same act would, however, have been perceived quite differently by anyone who really knew what was going to happen, who knew that soon enough a ship would indeed be a necessity for anyone who wished to move around. Such a person could only have laughed at the ignorance and stupid complaisance of his people. Noah (peace be on him), who knew these things well, would often have said to himself: 'How stupid are these people! God's chastisement is just about to afflict them, and I have been warning them of this. That moment has all but come and they even see me making an effort to escape the impending chastisement. Is it not strange that they remain totally unperturbed? Not only that, but they look upon me as an utter lunatic.'
This offers a good illustration of two contrasting attitudes. One is based on knowledge of the apparent, one that is grasped by the senses. The other is based on true knowledge, a knowledge of truths that lie beyond the range of the apparent. If one were to be satisfied with what is apparent, one would regard many a thing as sheer folly. Now, if there is someone who knows truths that lie beyond the range of the apparent, that person will consider these apparent follies the very zenith of wisdom. Such a person would indeed consider the flair of smartness displayed by the superficially knowledgeable to be no more than ignorance and stupidity. 

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا وَفَارَ التَّنُّورُ قُلْنَا احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ وَمَنْ آمَنَ ۚ وَمَا آمَنَ مَعَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ {11:40}

[Q11:40] Hattaaa izaa jaaa'a amrunaa wa faarat tannooru qulnah mil feehaa min kullin zawjainis naini wa ahlaka illaa man sabaqa 'alaihil qawlu wa man aaman; wa maaa aamana ma'ahooo illaa qaleel.
[Q11:40] Until when Our command came and water came forth from the valley, We said: Carry in it two of all things, a pair, and your own family-- except those against whom the word has already gone forth, and those who believe. And there believed not with him but a few.

[Q11:40] (Nabi Nuh terus bekerja) sehingga apabila datang hukum Kami untuk membinasakan mereka dan air memancut-mancut dari muka bumi (yang menandakan kedatangan taufan), Kami berfirman kepada Nabi Nuh: Bawalah dalam bahtera itu dua dari tiap-tiap sejenis haiwan (jantan dan betina) dan bawalah ahlimu kecuali orang yang telah ditetapkan hukuman azab atasnya (disebabkan kekufurannya), juga bawalah orang-orang beriman dan tidak ada orang-orang yang beriman yang turut bersama-samanya, melainkan sedikit sahaja.

When the ark was completed, Nuh received ALLAH (SWT)'s command to bring into the ark every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort, a male and a female to keep them alive with him, AND his family and believers. Nuh's three sons with their families came into the ark BUT Kanan, one of his sons, born to a hypocrite wife, refused to come and was drowned when the great flood came.

Tanur means oven, or the surface of the earth, or its high lands. The deluge was a wrath of ALLAH (SWT), so fierce and overwhelming that with the catastrophic downpour of rain, water simultaneously gushed forth from the underground, even from ovens in the houses of the people.

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(11:40) Thus it was until Our command came to pass and the oven boiled over. *42 We said: 'Take into the Ark a pair of every species; and take your own family except those who have already been declared (as unworthy); *43 and also take everyone who believes. *44 But those who, along with him, had believed were indeed just a few.

*42. Commentators on the Qur'an have offered different explanations of this incident. In our view, the place from which the Flood began was a particular oven. It is from beneath it that a spring of water burst forth. This was followed by both a heavy downpour and by a very large number of springs which gushed forth. Surah al-Qamar provides relevant information in some detail: So We opened the gates of the heaven, with water intermittently pouring forth, and We caused the earth to be cleaved and the springs to flow out everywhere. Then the water (from both the sources - the heaven and the earth) converged to bring about that which had been decreed (al-Qamar, 54: 11-12).
In the present verse, the word tannur has been preceded by the article al: According to Arabic grammar, this indicates that the reference is to a particular tannur (oven). Thus, it is evident that God had determined that the Flood should commence from a particular oven. As soon as the appointed moment came, and as soon as God so ordained, water burst forth from that oven. Subsequently, it became known as the Flood-Oven. The fact that God had earmarked a certain oven to serve as the starting-point of the Flood is borne out by al-Mu'minun 23: 27.
*43. Information that some members of Noah's family were unbelievers and so were unworthy of God's mercy had already been given. Noah (peace be on him) had also been directed not to provide them with space in the Ark. Presumably these were only two persons. One was Noah's own son; the story of his drowning will be referred to shortly (see verse 43 below). The other was Noah's wife (see al-Tahrim 66: 15). It is possible that some other members of Noah's family also belonged to this category. Be that as it may, the Qur'an does not expressly mention any others. 
*44. This refutes the opinion of those historians and genealogists who trace the ancestry of all human beings to Noah's three sons. This misconception has arisen from the Israelite traditions which suggest that Noah, his three sons and their wives were the only survivors of the Flood. (See Genesis 6: 18, 7: 7, p. 1 and 9: 19.) The Qur'an, however, repeatedly says that apart from Noah's family, at least some other people belonging to his nation - even if only a few - were also saved by God from the Flood. The Qur'an, therefore, considers the future generations of mankind to have descended not only from Noah, but also from those believers who, under God's directive, were accommodated in the Ark by Noah. It is significant that the Qur'an mentions post-Flood mankind as the 'offspring of those whom We carried along with Noah' (al-Isra 17: 3) and the 'offspring of Adam and those whom We carried along with Noah' (Maryam 19: 58). It does not refer to them simply as 'the offspring of Noah'.