Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 26:105–115
The Poets (Al-Shu‘ara’)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(105) The people of Noah also rejected the messengers. (106) When their brother Noah said to them, ‘Will you have no fear of God? (107) I am a trustworthy messenger for you: (108) fear God, and obey me. (109) I ask of you no recompense for it, for my only reward is with the Lord of the Universe, (110) so fear God and obey me.’ (111) They replied, ‘Are we to believe in you when your followers are but the lowest of the low?’ (112) He said, ‘What knowledge do I have of their doings? (113) My Lord alone can bring them to account—if only you could understand— (114) I am not going to drive away any believers. (115) I am only a plain warner.’
Commentary
(a) Noah’s community rejected him, though his call was fully borne out by the strength of arguments. Besides, his character bore testimony to his truthfulness. The people of his community knew that Noah was a righteous and honest man. They knew that there was no vested self-interest attached to his call for the Truth. Indeed, his personal qualities were enough to prove his seriousness. And a person who is serious about God’s creatures cannot be other than serious about their Creator.
Noah’s community rejected his call for the Truth, though they could offer nothing but irrelevant matters to justify this rejection. To say that the companions of a preacher are ordinary people in order to justify rejection of his call, is not a contradiction of the call but amounts rather to self-contradiction. It means that nothing can be found by way of arguments to warrant saying anything against the call of Truth. Such a stance did no credit to Noah’s community.