71. SURAH NUH – Presentation of Islam and Quran

INTRODUCTION

Surah Noah was revealed in Mecca in the 71st order and took its name from the story of the Prophet Noah, which is the subject of the sura.

In the surah, only the monotheism struggle of Prophet Noah with his people; The advice given by Noah [as] to his people and their resistance to Noah are included.

Details about Prophet Noah and his struggle with his own people have been previously mentioned in Araf/59-64, Yunus/71-73, Hud/25-29, Şuara/105-122, Saffat/75-82 and Kamer/9-16. was also included. The same subject will be mentioned later in Mü’minun/23-31 and Ankebut/14-15.

MEAL

¹Surely We sent Noah to his people as a messenger to warn them before a painful punishment comes to them.

^2-4Noah said: “O my people! Indeed, I am an explicit warner for you. Worship Allah, enter under the guardianship of Him and obey me so He may forgive you of your sins and delay you to the end of a predetermined term. Surely, when the end of the term which Allah has managed/predetermined comes, will not be delayed. If you only knew”.

^5-12Noah said: “My Rabb! Indeed, I have invited my people day and night/continuously. Yet, my invitation has only increased their escape. And indeed, every time I invited them, so You may forgive them, they blocked their ears with their fingers, covered themselves with their clothes, persisted and acted arrogantly with great arrogance. Then I indeed invited them aloud. Then I indeed declared for them. And I told for them in secrecy. Then I said: “Ask your Rabb so He may forgive you. He is definitely very forgiving. He may send upon you rains in abundance. He may help you with wealth and sons, give you gardens and rivers. ¹³What is the matter with you that you expect that Allah will not question the sinners, punish them and will not maintain justice; will not intervene what you do on the earth?

“¹⁴Yet, indeed He formed you in stages. ^15,16Have you not seen how Allah formed the heavens/universe in layers and made the moon a light among them and the sun a lamp? ¹⁷And Allah made you grow from the earth as a plant. ¹⁸Then He will return you back there and bring you forth with an extraction. ^19,20And Allah has made the earth an expanse so you may go on wide roads from the earth”.

^21-24Noah said: “My Rabb! Indeed, my people have disobeyed me. They have followed the one whose wealth and child would bring nothing but harm to himself. And they have set tremendous plots. And they said: “Never leave your gods. And never leave Wadd, Suwa, Yaghuth, Ya’uq and Nasr”. They have indeed led many astray. And you, increase those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with You only in astray”.

^26-28And Noah said: “Do not leave even a single one from those infidels who walk around in this place; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. Indeed, if You leave them, they will lead your servants astray from the path and they will raise children who will only do evil deeds while they stuck in evil by disbelieving in the religion-faith and who are infidels; who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb. My Rabb! Forgive all of us/me, my mother and father, those who enter my house as a believer and believing men and believing women! And increase those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with You only in destruction”.

²⁵Because of their sins, they were drowned in water and then put into fire. Then they could not find helpers from among those that are inferior to Allah for themselves.

ANALYSIS

¹Surely We sent Noah to his people as a messenger to warn them before a painful punishment comes to them.

In this verse, it is stated that Prophet Noah was sent as a messenger to his people to warn the people before the punishment came. The main reason why the story of Noah is narrated in the surah is that Noah’s struggle with his own people is extremely similar to the Prophet’s struggle with the Meccans.

Therefore, the purpose of this concise explanation is to warn the Meccan polytheists and direct them to take a lesson from what happened to this people. The fact that the Arab polytheists named their idols after the idols of the people of Noah shows that they already had a lot of information about this people.

In this first verse of the surah, the mercy of our Lord comes to the fore. He sent a messenger to the perverted people to give up their perversion:

¹⁵Whoever follows the path that is guided, he will follow the path that is guided for his own good. And whoever goes astray, he will go astray against his own good. And no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another. And We have never been the Ones Who would punish unless We sent a messenger.

¹⁶And when We intend to manipulate/destroy a country, We command wealthy and powerful chiefs of it to be on the righteous path, to lead on the righteous path but, they rather go astray from the righteous path therein. And then the Word¹⁸⁵ comes into effect upon there and We destroy there with complete destruction.

(Isra/15, 16)

^44,45And warn the people with the day when the punishment will come. Then those who do wrong; act against their own good by associating others with Allah will say: “O our Rabb! Delay us for a short term so we may answer Your invitation and follow the messengers”. –Had you not sworn before that there would be no end/destruction/eradication for you? And you dwelled in the lands of those who had done wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Allah. And it became explicit to you how We had done to them. And We presented to you examples as well.-

(Ibrahim/44)

³⁹And you, warn them of that great day of regret, when the command will be fulfilled while they are unaware, apathetic and they do not believe!

(Mary/39)

¹⁸Warn them about the approaching day. At that time, the hearts will come up to the throats in dismay. There will be no devoted friend nor a supporter, helper, intercessor who is obeyed for the one who does wrong; acts against his own good by associating others with Allah.

(Believer/18)

⁷⁰And leave those who have taken their religion as amusement and diversion/who have taken amusement and diversion as their religion, whom the worldly life has deluded and remind with the Qur’an: If a person falls into a manipulation and destruction with what his own hands produced and earned, there will be no familiar who helps, guides, protects nor supporter, intercessor for him from among those that are inferior to Allah. Even though he wants to pay any price for his crime, it will not be taken from him. Those are the ones who fall into manipulation/destruction with what they earned. A drink of scalding water and a painful punishment will be for them for they were not grateful.

(An’am/70)

Allah sends His chosen messengers only to establish the belief in monotheism, that is, to teach people that there is no god but Allah:

²⁵And We did not send any messenger before you except that We revealed to him: “The truth is that there is no god but Me. Therefore, worship me”.

(Anbiya/25)

³⁶And surely, We sent to every community a messenger, “Worship Allah and avoid Taghut”. Then Allah guided some of those communities to the righteous path but for some of them, going astray was decreed. Then travel through the earth and observe how was the end of those who denied!

(Nahl/36)

For Allah’s ruling on sending messengers, the following verses can also be looked at: Bakara/133, Maide/116, 117, A’raf/59, 73, 85, Mü’minun/32.

It is because of His mercy to His servants that our Lord sends messengers to warn societies.

¹¹⁷And your Rabb would not manipulate/destroy those cities unjustly while their people are reformers.

(Hud/117)

The torment mentioned in the first verse, which is our subject, with the expression “… before a very painful punishment comes” should be understood as “drowning” and “being thrown into hell” mentioned in the 25th verse.

The summary of the story of Noah was also given in the Surah Al-A’raf:

⁵⁹Indeed We sent Noah as a messenger to his people and he said to them: “O my people! Worship Allah, no deity is for you but Him. Truly, I fear the punishment of a great day which will be against your own good that will come upon you”.

⁶⁰Chiefs of his people said: “We see you in an explicit astray”.

^61-63And Noah said: “O my people! There is no straying in me. However, I am a messenger sent by Rabb of all universes. I convey to you the truth which my Rabb sent, remind you and I know from Allah that which you do not know. Have you wondered that a reminder/a book has come to one from among you who would warn you so you may enter under the guardianship of Allah and receive mercy?”.

⁶⁴Then they denied him, so We saved Noah and those who were with him in the ship and We drowned those who denied Our Ayat in the water! Truly they were a blind people.

(A’raf/59-64)

The identity of Noah (as); No information is given in the Quran regarding his ancestry. Noah is mentioned extensively in the Bible[1]. We have mentioned many of these in the analysis of previous suras.

It is understood from these verses that Noah (as) first introduced himself clearly to his people. Prophet Noah, who presented himself as a clear warner, asked his people to worship Allah, behave piously and obey him, as a requirement of this divine duty. He informed them that if they do so, Allah will forgive them, that they will be able to live the life that has been determined for them without being subjected to His wrath or disgrace, and that they should not miss this opportunity, because when the given time expires, no change can be made in it.

Noah’s (as) wishes, summarized in three items in the verse, are the main principles of religion.

If you pay attention, Prophet Noah ends his advice with “… if you only knew”. This statement of his indicates that his people acted unconsciously and that they went into denial because of their unconsciousness. Because his people were truly sacrificing eternal life for a little worldly gain.

^5-12Noah said: “My Rabb! Indeed, I have invited my people day and night/continuously. Yet, my invitation has only increased their escape. And indeed, every time I invited them, so You may forgive them, they blocked their ears with their fingers, covered themselves with their clothes, persisted and acted arrogantly with great arrogance. Then I indeed invited them aloud. Then I indeed declared for them. And I told for them in secrecy. Then I said: “Ask your Rabb so He may forgive you. He is definitely very forgiving. He may send upon you rains in abundance. He may help you with wealth and sons, give you gardens and rivers. ¹³What is the matter with you that you expect that Allah will not question the sinners, punish them and will not maintain justice; will not intervene what you do on the earth?

In these verses, it is narrated that the prophet Noah, while praying to God, expressed his advice to his people and their attitude towards him, and presented his situation to his Lord at length. His “My Lord! Surely, I invited my people day and night [continuously]. But my calling only increased their flight. And undoubtedly, every time I invited them to ask You to forgive them, they put their fingers in their ears, wrapped themselves in their clothes, insisted, and became more arrogant and arrogant.” It also gives clues about the psychological risks that may be encountered during the struggle processes.

The phrase “they put their fingers in their ears and covered themselves with their clothes” in the verse expresses Noah’s (as) complaint that the unbelievers blocked their ears so as not to hear his voice and put their clothes over their heads so as not to see his face.

The “arrogance and arrogance” attitude of the people of Noah is also mentioned in the following verses:

²⁷Then the chiefs among the infidels; those who consciously denied the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb of his people said: “We see you only as an ordinary human like us. We see that noone except the lowest ones of us who are narrow minded follows you. And we do not see any favor of yours against us. Rather, we think that you are liars”.

(Hud/ 27)

¹⁰⁵People of Noah denied those who were sent to them [messengers, messages].

^106-110Once their brother Noah said to them: “Will you not enter under the guardianship of Allah? Indeed I am a trustworthy messenger for you. So, enter under the guardianship of Allah and obey me. I do not ask you any payment for this. My payment is only upon Rabb of all universes. Now, enter under the guardianship of Allah and obey me!”.

¹¹¹They said: “Shall we believe in you while the lowest people follow you?”.

^112-115Noah said: “I do not have any knowledge about what they do. Their account is only upon my Rabb. If you think! And I am not the one to drive the believers away. I am only an explicit warner”.

¹¹⁶And they said: “O Noah! If you do not desist, know well that you will definitely be of those who are stoned to death!”.

^117,118Noah said: “My Rabb! My people have denied me. Then judge between me and them. And save me and those who are with me of the believers!”.

^{119, 120}Thereafter, We saved him and those who were with him in that laden ship. Then We drowned those who were left behind in the water.

¹²¹Indeed, there is an evidence/a sign in this. But most of them were not to be believers. ¹²²And no doubt that your Rabb is the One Who is the most exalted, the most powerful, the most honorable, the invincible/the subduer, the possessor of vast mercy.

(Shuara/105- 122)

It is understood from the expressions and idioms that Noah (as) used when pleading to God that the message he made to his people was “day and night”, “loudly” and “secretly”. The phrase “day and night” means “continuous”. The expression “loudly” means “openly and openly” and the expression “secretly” means “secretly, in solitude and by going to their homes and doorsteps”. With these expressions in his prayer, Prophet Noah expresses that he has no effort left to fulfill his ambassadorial duty, that he has done everything he can, and has tried every method.

It is noteworthy that the Prophet Noah said “ Ask your Rabb so He may forgive you. He is definitely very forgiving. He may send upon you rains in abundance. He may help you with wealth and sons, give you gardens and riverswhile advising his people. These words show that he wants to invite and encourage his people to repent, and they also contain the message that asking for forgiveness from Allah will lead to abundance. It is understood from the following verses that asking for forgiveness will lead to abundance:

^50-52We sent to Ad their brother Hud as a messenger. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah. There is no other deity for you but Him. You are nothing but inventors. O my people! I do not ask you any payment for this. My reward is only upon the One Who created me from nothing. Will you still not reason? O my people! Ask your Rabb for forgiveness and repent to Him so He will send upon you from the sky in abundance and increase you in strength by adding strength. And do not turn away as sinners”.

(Hud/50-52)

On the other hand, those who are ungrateful and associate polytheists will be in trouble not only in the afterlife but also in this world:

^124-126Whoever avoids My remembrance, indeed he will live a hard, depressed living/life. On the day of Qiyamat [Resurrection], We will gather him blind at the gathering area. He will say: “My Rabb! Why have you brought me to this place blind whereas I was seeing?” And Allah will say: “Thus it is, you received Our Ayat but you abandoned them; and today you are being abandoned/recompensed in the same way.

(Ta Ha/124- 126)

⁶⁶And no doubt, had they upheld the Torah, the Bible and the Qur’an that has been revealed to them by their Rabb, they would have been fed from above them and from beneath their feet [from all directions]. Some of them are a moderate people with a leader; who believe some of it and do not believe some of it, who pretend to act like they believe while they do not. How evil is what most of them do!

(Maide/66)

^1-4Alif/1, Lam/30, Ra/200.²⁰³ This Qur’an is a book, which contains the laws, rules and principles/that is prevented from being corrupted in order to ensure that you worship none other but Allah; only worship Allah, and to prevent you from doing wrong; acting against your own good by associating others with Allah and to prevent chaos; which is explained in detail by the One Who is the best law maker, the One Who precludes corruption best/makes incorruptible, the One Who knows best inner/hidden sides of everything: “Indeed, I am a warner and the bringer of good tidings for you from Him. And ask your Rabb for forgiveness and repent to Him so He may let you enjoy until the end of a predetermined term. And so that He may give bounties to every person who has the virtue. And if you turn away, I fear the punishment of a great day which is against you. Your return is only to Allah. And He is the One Who is competent over everything”.

(Hud/1-4)

الوقرVAKAR

The “وِقْرvigr” form of the word derived from the root “وV قg رr” is load; It means weight. (All Arabic dictionaries) can be seen in Zariyat/2.

The “وَقْرvegr” form of the word means “heaviness in the ear”. (All Arabic dictionaries)

It can be seen in Fussilet/ 5, 44, Enam/ 25, Isra/ 46, Kehf/ 57 and Lokman/ 7.

The word “وقاراًvegar” used for Allah in Noah/13, as a noun/adjective, means “to take it slow; It means “ignoring, turning a deaf ear, ignoring, acting dignified.”

What is meant by this is that Allah “does not punish the criminals immediately, gives them respite, and accepts the repentance of the criminals and does them a great favor.”

The ‘وقرvakar’ form of this word means “dignity” and the ‘وَقورvakûr’ form means “-dignified; It has entered our Turkish language with the meaning of “level, mature, measured and cold-blooded acting”.

As reported in the paragraph from verse 13 to verse 24, Prophet Noah said to his people, “However, He has truly created you step by step/stage by step. Have you not seen/thought about how Allah created the seven heavens in layers and made the moon a light in them and the sun a lamp? And Allah caused you to grow from the earth as a plant. Then He will turn you back there and bring you out with an exit. And Allah has made the earth a spread out for you so that you can travel on wide roads from it [the earth].” With this advice, he wanted to tell his people who the real god, the real lord is. These expressions, in which attention is drawn to the existence and power of our Lord, have appeared many times in the Quran, sometimes as our Lord’s direct address to His servants, and sometimes as words addressed to people through the mouth of the messengers.

These are what Noah received as revelation and reported. Otherwise, it does not show the Astronomy levels and technical capabilities of the people of that day. There are hundreds of verses in our Quran that are intended for contemplation, including the universe and its characteristics (Furkan/61, Yunus 5, Mulk 3, 4 etc.). This means that Noah also had the same kind of revelations.

The passage focuses on topics such as the “step by step” creation of man, his completion as a plant, the creation of the skies, the systems in the sky and the earth, and making the earth suitable for humans.

We find it useful to remind you of the following information in summary about the creation process of human beings:

After the female’s egg is fertilized by the male sperm, it attaches to the wall of the uterus. This fertilized egg is extremely voracious. It erodes the surrounding wall and creates a blood pool suitable for its absorption and development. The length of the umbilical cord, which connects the fetus to its mother and serves as a nutritional channel until birth, has been created to suit the requirements of its purpose. In other words, this ligament is neither long enough to cause the food it carries to go rancid on the way, nor short enough to cause this food to flow quickly and disturb the fetus.

At the end of pregnancy and the beginning of labor, the mother’s breast secretes a yellowish-white liquid. As a work of Almighty Allah’s amazing artistry, this liquid consists of dissolved chemicals that protect the newborn baby against diseases. On the second day of birth, milk begins to form in the breast. Again, in accordance with Almighty Allah’s unique plan, the amount of milk flowing from the mother’s breast increases day by day and reaches two and a half liters at the end of one year. However, in the first days of birth, the amount of this milk does not exceed a few hundred grams. The miracle of breast milk is not limited to the fact that the amount of milk increases in parallel with the growth of the child. In addition, the type and ratio of substances in the composition of milk change over time. While breast milk is a water-based liquid containing very little starch and sugar in the first days following birth, it thickens over time; The starch, sugar and fat content increases. This development occurs day by day at a pace that keeps pace with the continuous development of the child’s tissues and systems.

If we examine the various systems that make up the human organism, the functions of these systems, the way they work, and their functions related to the survival and health of the organism, we will see with astonishment how carefully they are planned and how measured they are based on design. We clearly certify that it manages, supervises and controls.

In verses 15 and 16, it is stated that Noah (pbuh) drew attention to the verses of Allah in the surrounding area while conveying the message to his people. In these statements of Noah, it is seen that the Moon is defined as “light” and the Sun as “lamp”. This issue is also included in other verses:

⁵He is the One Who made the sun a shining light and the moon a reflected light and determined phases for the moon so that you may know the numbers and the count of the years. Allah formed this only in truth. He explains the Ayat in detail for a people who will know.

(Yunus/5)

There is detailed information in science and technical books about the difference between the sun and the moon, the services of the sun, and the formations in the sun.

In these verses, the prayers of Prophet Noah to God are conveyed. As a result of the harsh attitude shown to him, Prophet Noah said, “My Lord! Surely they [my people] rebelled against me. They followed the one whose wealth and children brought them nothing but harm. And they set big traps. And ‘Do not abandon your gods. And they said, ‘Do not abandon Vedd, Suva’, Yagûs, Yeûk and Nasr’.” He continued by saying, “You will only increase the perversion of those oppressors.”

No other information is given about who is referred to in the phrase “They followed the one whose wealth and children gave them nothing but harm” in Noah’s (pbuh) prayer. However, from the expression of the verse, it is understood that this person is a person who, like Ebulehep, has taken an attitude against religion with his wealth and environment.

The leaders of Noah’s people collectively and by resorting to all kinds of tricks said to others, “Do not abandon your gods. And do not leave Vedd, Suva’, Yagûs, Yeûk and Nasr!” The fact that they say this and encourage people to remain in their polytheism is extremely striking as it shows the general character of the unbelievers.

A similar attitude is mentioned in the following passage from the Surah Sa’d:

^4,5And they wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves and those infidels; those who consciously deny the divinity of Allah and the fact that He is Rabb said: “This is a magician, a person who lies excessively. Has he made all those gods one god? This is truly an amazing thing!”

^6,8And the chiefs among them walked forth: “Insist on your gods and do not turn away from your decision, word. This is truly what is expected from you. We have not heard this in the latest/another religion, this is only an invention. Has the Reminder/the Book been revealed upon him among us?” –Rather, they have insufficient knowledge about My reminder/the Qur’an, rather, they have not tasted My punishment yet.-

^9,11Or, are the treasures of mercy of your Rabb Who is the almighty, Who bestows much with them? Or, does the dominion of the heavens/universe and the earth and all that is between belong to them? Then, let them, who are combinations of various groups and who are an army defeated, ascend with every way, try whatever they can!

^12,13Before them, the people of Noah, Ad, Pharaoh, the owner of the stakes; who had glorious armies/who tortured as never seen before, Thamud, the people of Lot and the companions of Thicket⁸⁷ denied. Here they all are the groups that spearhead.

¹⁴All of them denied only the messengers. Therefore, My punishment was justified. ¹⁵And these wait for nothing but a single scream which has no delay, not even as long as the blink of an eye.

¹⁶And they said: “Our Rabb! Hasten our share for us of the punishment before the day of account!”

(Sad/4- 16)

So history is repeating itself.

In the verses that are our subject, some idols are mentioned by name. These idol names are words with meanings in Arabic. We quote two quotes from classical sources regarding these names:

Suva’ -according to their opinion- was an idol belonging to the Huzayllis on the seashore.

Yeghus: According to Qatada’s opinion, he belonged to the Gutayf branch of the Muradids in a place called al-Jawf in the land of Saba’.

el-Mahdevî: First it belonged to the people of Murad, and then it belonged to the people of Ghatafan. Es-Salebi said: Ala and En’um, who were from Tay, and Curash, who were from Mezhic, took Yeghus and took him to the people of Murad and worshiped him there for a while. Later, the sons of Nadiye wanted to take that idol from the people of Ala and En’um. This time he was taken by al-Haris b. from the Huzaans. They took him to al-Husayn, who belonged to the sons of Ka’b.

Abu Osman an-Nahdi said: I saw Yeghus, he was made of lead. They were carrying this idol on a camel whose legs had a disease. They were traveling with him, but they were not making him bend unless he collapsed. When the camel collapsed, they also got off and built a building on it and camped around it, saying, “I think you like this place.”

According to the opinion of Ye’ûk, Ikrime, Qatada and Ata, the place called Belha (a place in Yemen) belonged to the people of Hemdan. Al-Mawardi mentions this.

Es-Sa’lebî said: Ye’ûk belonged to a person named Kehlan from the Sabaeans. Then one of his sons inherited from the other. It was inherited in order of size and eventually passed into the hands of the Hemdanians. Here is Malik b. Nemat al-HaMedinan said the following couplet about him:

“It is Allah who gives hair [growth] in the world, and He is the one who makes it weak, but Ye’ûk can neither make it weak nor make it grow.”

Nasr: -According to Qatadah- it belonged to Zulkela, one of the Himyarites. A similar opinion was conveyed from Mukatil.

al-Waqidi said: Wadd was in the form of a man. Suva’ was in the form of a woman, Yeghus was in the form of a lion, Ye’uk was in the form of a horse, and Nasr was in the form of an eagle, one of the flying birds. Allah knows the truth best.[2]

The names of the gods of the people of Noah mentioned in the surah are Arabic in terms of both wording and meaning. Although these names are much older than the Arabic language in which the Quran was revealed, the relationship between them is clearly evident. The relationship between Yeğûs and Gavs [to help], Gays [fertile rain] and Igâse [to help]; Between Yeûk and İâ’ka and Ta’vîk [to prevent, to detain]; The relationship between Süvâ’ and Sea’h [breadth, abundance]; The relationship between Vedd and Mevedde [love]; The relationship between Nasr and the name given to the famous bird of prey is clearly visible. There are narrations stating that some Arab tribes during the time of the Prophet had idols called with these names. According to what was said, the name of the idol of the Huzeyl tribe was Suva’, and the name of the place where it was located was called Yenbûğ. In another narration, this was the name of the idol of the Hamadan tribe. According to another rumor, it was the name of the idol of the Zilkilâ’ family. I think all of these were present and in the form of a woman.

The people of Mezhac and Curs in Yemen also had an idol named Yegus. Among those who worshiped him were the Gatîfoğulları from the Murad tribe. According to the rumor, this idol was the son of Suva and had the shape of a lion. It is said that Hamadan, Havlan and their allied tribes had an idol named Ye’ûk in a place called Erhab. According to rumor, the Animal tribe also worshiped this idol. This idol was also among the idols of the Zilkila’ family and was in the shape of a horse. It is said that the Humeyr tribe also worshiped an idol named Nasr. According to a rumor, this was the idol of the Zilkia family from the Humeyr tribe. In the inscriptions of the Hayaniyye tribe, the name Nesr was recorded and was in the shape of a bird. It is said that the Beni Kalb tribes also had an idol named Vedd and that it was in the form of a man. It is also noted that this name was one of the Yemeni deities in ancient times and represented the Moon in them. Some narrations have been narrated that attribute some of these male names from the period of ignorance; For example: Abdü Vedd [servant of Vedd], Abdügays [servant of Gays].

As far as we understand, the Arabs were using these names for the deities of the people of Noah during and before the time of the Prophet, and then they quoted these names; Perhaps they translated these names into Arabic and gave these names to their idols. This dates back to an earlier period than the oral Arabic period in which the Quran was revealed. In this way, they preserved these names as they were. Because they had become so sacred that they could not be ignored.[3]

In verse 24, Prophet Noah may have meant the idols, not the leaders of his people, with the statement “… they misled many people” while describing the events. Of course, it is not possible for lifeless idols to lead anyone astray. Therefore, this expression means “many people went astray because of these.” We see an example of this in the following passage from the Surah Ibrahim:

^35-41And when Abraham once said: “My Rabb! Make this city safe! Keep me and my sons away from worshipping idols! My Rabb! Surely, idols have led many among the people astray. Then, whoever follows me, he is of me; and whoever disobeys… Then you surely are the One Who forgives much and shows great mercy. Our Rabb! I have indeed settled some of my children in a barren valley next to Your untouchable House so they might establish Salah [establish and maintain the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]. Our Rabb! So make the hearts of some of Your servants incline towards to them so they may repay for the blessings that You have given. And provide for them from some fruits. Our Rabb! Indeed, You know that which we conceal and that which we disclose. –And nothing is hidden from Allah in the heavens/universe and on the earth.- All praise is to Allah Who has bestowed me Ishmael and Isaac in my old age; no one else may be praised. Indeed, my Rabb is the One Who hears my supplication very well. My Rabb! Make me a man who establishes Salah [establishes and maintains the institutions that support financially and spiritually; enlighten the community]! And from my descendants too… Our Rabb! Accept my supplication! Our Rabb! Forgive me, my parents and believers on the day when the account will be established!”.

(Ibrahim/35-41)

In these verses, the continuation of Noah’s (pbuh) prayers is given. What he expressed in his prayer was “Do not leave a single infidel wandering around in this place. The reason for the harsh statements such as “Undoubtedly, if you leave them, they will lead your servants astray and raise only immoral and infidel children” is that Allah had previously given him information about them. Otherwise, the right to make such a prayer would not be possible.

^36,37And it was revealed to Noah: “Surely, none of your people other than those who have believed will believe. Therefore, do not be sad upon that which they do. And construct ships under Our supervision and in compliance with our revelation. And do not address Me for those who have done wrong; acted against their own good by associating others with Me. They will certainly be drowned in the water”.

(Hud/36, 37)

If we take the “الel” suffix in the word “الأرضel-Arz” in the original verse to mean “ahd”, we get the meaning that the place Noah means with the word “al-Arz” is the region where he lived. In any case, Noah’s curse on all the unbelievers on earth would not be possible. Because Noah was not given any information about the unbelievers who were far away and that they were people who would not believe.

وَلَدَVELEDE – وَلّدَ VELLEDE

Noah/27. The word “… يَلِدُواyelidu” in the verse means “they give birth” in Turkish. In the verse, Prophet Noah prays and says “……”. This meaning is also compatible with the essential meaning of the word.

However, no parent (even if they are infidels and poor people) can give birth to an infidel and poor child. Just as Muslim parents do not/cannot give birth to Muslim children. Being an unbeliever, being a sinner, being a sinner, being a believer, being a Muslim is a matter of knowledge and awareness and is the quality of people who have grown up and reached puberty.

In this case, where does the problem come from? In classical sources, they tried to solve the problem as follows:

“These are the same in your eternal knowledge.” (Willing)

Muhammad b. Ka’b, Mukatil, ar-Rabî, Aüyye and Ibn Zayd said: This was the time when Allah Almighty brought out all the believers in their loins and in the wombs of their women. He had sterilized women’s wombs and men’s loins seventy years ago. It was also said forty years ago.” (Qurtubi)

Unfortunately, these solutions do not seem reasonable and acceptable. In our opinion, the word “يَلِدُواyelidu” should be read as “يُوَلِّد yüvelidu”. In other words, it should be read according to the rule ” وَلَّدَvellede يُوَلِّدُyüvellidu, تَوْلِيدtevliyd” from the “Tef’ıyl” section. I believe that there is a LAHN (mistake made by the scribes who duplicated the first mushaf) here.

According to this pattern, the meaning of the word is “to give birth, to educate; It means “to cultivate”. (LANGUAGE/TAC)

A very interesting and important example is given in the classical sources (Tac/Lisan) regarding the explanation of the words “velede and velede”.

Abu Amr narrates from Sa’leb: “Christians made such a distortion in the Bible: Allah addressed Jesus in the Bible and said, “ أنت نَبِىٌ وأنا وَلَدْتُكَ ente nebiyyün ve ene velledtüke (You are a prophet. Behold, you are a prophet.) I disciplined , I raised him) he said.

Christians use this expression in the Bible as “بُنَىَّbüneyye”; They removed one of the letter “L” from the expression “vellettüke” and turned it into “أنْتَ بُنَىَّ وَ انأ وَلَدْتُكَente büneyye ve ene veledtüke (You are my son and I am your father).”

The words from this Tevliyd infinitive (giving birth, training; raising) were first used for sheep shepherds. He said to the shepherd, “Oh my God, what about you?” (What did you give birth to, shepherd?)”, and the shepherd replies, “ولَّدت الشاةvelledtüşşate (I gave birth to a sheep)”. By this, he is said to be “at the pregnant ewe’s side during birth and to see and manage all the work that needs to be done until the lamb is separated from its mother (position adjustment, draining the water from the lamb’s lungs, cutting the umbilical cord and spraying, treatment, having the lamb licked by the mother, etc.).”

This means that in this verse, Prophet Noah does not say that mothers will give birth to infidels and wicked people, but that that society will raise disobedient and wicked children. Because every person/society with faith wants their generation to have the same faith as them. And they produce traditions and systems according to their beliefs. Growing generations also shape their beliefs and behaviors according to the environment they live in. The generation raised in a believer’s environment is a believer; The generation that grew up in a polytheistic environment is polytheistic; The generation that grows up in a disbelieving environment grows up as an unbeliever, and the generation that grows up in a poor environment grows up as a poor person. For this reason, Prophet Noah rightly fears that the next generation of the society will grow up as infidels and poor people due to the influence of their ancestors.

²⁵Because of their sins, they were drowned in water and then put into fire. Then they could not find helpers from among those that are inferior to Allah for themselves.

This verse does not belong to Noah’s (as) prayers to Allah. For this reason, the supplications of Noah (pbuh) are narrated in chapters 26-28. The meaning is given behind the verses.

It is understood from the clear expression of the verse that Noah’s (as) prayers were accepted. As a result of this acceptance, that stubborn polytheist nation was punished both in this world and a final judgment was given that they would be punished in the afterlife. When the punishment came, they could not get help from any of the idols they trusted.

⁷⁶And Noah; when he called before, then We responded to him. Then We saved him, his family, the people who were close to him and his believers from the great affliction.

⁷⁷And We helped him against his people who denied Our Ayat. Surely, they were an evil people so We drowned them all together in water.

(Anbiya/76, 77)

All humanity, especially the Meccan polytheists, should take a lesson from this tragic scene and try not to end up like the people of Noah. This is the general message of the surah.

Allah knows the truth best.

[1] (Genesis; Chapters 5-10)

[2] (Qurtubi; al-Jami’a li Ahkami’l Qur’an)

[3] (Darweze; al-Tafsir al-Hadith)