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Surah 37. As-Saffat
Ayah 75 - 82
75 وَلَقَدْ نَادَىٰنَا نُوحٌ فَلَنِعْمَ ٱلْمُجِيبُونَ
76 وَنَجَّيْنَـٰهُ وَأَهْلَهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَرْبِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
77 وَجَعَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُۥ هُمُ ٱلْبَاقِينَ
78 وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرِينَ
79 سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَىٰ نُوحٍ فِى ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
80 إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
81 إِنَّهُۥ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
82 ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا ٱلْـَٔاخَرِينَ
[75-82] (Before this)39 Noah had called on Us.40 Just see how excellent Answerers (of the prayers) We were! We saved him and his household from the great distress41 and made his progeny to be the only survivors42 and left for him praise among posterity. Peace be upon Noah among the people of the world.43 Thus do We reward the righteous. He was indeed one of Our believing servants. Then We drowned the others.
39This theme is related with the preceding sentences. A study of them shows why these stories are being narrated here.
40This refers to the prayer that the Prophet Noah had at last made to Allah Almighty, being disappointed with his people, after having preached the true Faith to them for a very long period of time, without much success. This prayer has been related in Surah All-Qamar, thus: "He called out to his Lord, saying: I am overcome: take now Thy vengeance." (v. 10).
41That is, from the severe distress that was being caused to him on account of the continuous opposition and antagonism of a wicked and cruel people. This also contains a subtle allusion that just as the Prophet Noah and his companions were saved from the great distress, so also shall We ultimately save the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and his Companions from the great distress that is being caused to them by the people of Makkah.
42This can have two meanings:
(1) That the progeny of the people who were opposing the Prophet Noah was made extinct and the Prophet Noah's progeny alone was allowed to survive; and
(2) that the whole human race was made extinct, and only the Prophet Noah's progeny was allowed to inhabit the earth after that. The commentators generally have adopted this second meaning, but the words of the Qur'an are not explicit in this regard and no one knows the reality except Allah.
43That is there is none in the world today, who would talk coil of the Prophet Noah. After the Flood till today the world has been praising and speaking well of him for thousands of years.